BMW outsource to China

[DanThe]

The profiteering cheapskate bastards!
I bought a new key torch and decided to check the battery voltage against my old one, only to be greeted with a made in China stamp

Old on left, new on right



What next? Suspension components and electric throttle parts?

[daimlerman]

I understand that BMW have an assembly plant in China,this will no doubt require a certain % of parts to be manufactured locally....

[DanThe]

But look at the battery, there isn't even a branding on it, car boot material there!

[scjimbo]

mercedes are having their engines built in India. Now thats some tacky crap

[rich318i]

slave trade

[Speedtouch]

What did the battery voltage difference turn out to be?

Most watch/calculator/car alarm keyfob batteries are now made in China. The good thing is, you can buy a pack of 20 or so from E-bay for around £2, whereas to buy a single one from say, Asda, costs £3 or so.

[George]

If it doesn't say 'Made in West Germany', it's shite.

[DanThe]

The voltage was the same as the Varta battery which is 4 years old, 1.48v I think, strange how they dont drop the price due to the cheaper battery..

[Speedtouch]

Battery voltage is a pretty poor test, particularly with small batteries like this. You really need to put them under some load and measure the voltage to get a meaningful reading, which a proper battery tester does.

A battery can give a healthy enough voltage reading, but when put under load, be as flat as a pancake and unable to deliver a decent current.