Best/Cheapest battery?
01-24-09, 10:36 PM
#5
The battery is one thing you don't want to skimp on. I just bought a Sears DieHard Gold yesterday for $105. I replace every battery when its time with a DieHard Gold.
Cheap/bad batteries lead to more issues should something fail. You don't ever want to jump a modern car, if at all possible; due to potential computer malfunction(s) on either car due to arc, bad cables, mismatched cable installation, or some other SNAFU. Also, when a battery goes bad, it often takes a starter or alternator with it, or both.
A great battery is money well spent.
Cheap/bad batteries lead to more issues should something fail. You don't ever want to jump a modern car, if at all possible; due to potential computer malfunction(s) on either car due to arc, bad cables, mismatched cable installation, or some other SNAFU. Also, when a battery goes bad, it often takes a starter or alternator with it, or both.
A great battery is money well spent.
Last edited by Sydwayz; 01-24-09 at 10:40 PM.
01-24-09, 10:45 PM
#6
Lexus Test Driver
The battery is one thing you don't want to skimp on. I just bought a Sears DieHard Gold yesterday for $105. I replace every battery when its time with a DieHard Gold.
Cheap/bad batteries lead to more issues should something fail. You don't ever want to jump a modern car, if at all possible; due to potential computer malfunction(s) on either car due to arc, bad cables, mismatched cable installation, or some other SNAFU. Also, when a battery goes bad, it often takes a starter or alternator with it, or both.
A great battery is money well spent.
Cheap/bad batteries lead to more issues should something fail. You don't ever want to jump a modern car, if at all possible; due to potential computer malfunction(s) on either car due to arc, bad cables, mismatched cable installation, or some other SNAFU. Also, when a battery goes bad, it often takes a starter or alternator with it, or both.
A great battery is money well spent.
uhhh... sounds like some BS a crooked mechanic would feed to you when he's trying to milk your wallet dry... but yeah, the Costco Batteries are excellent.
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01-25-09, 10:04 AM
#9
Thanks, but it's not. On previous cars, I have replaced 1, 2, and all 3 of those components due to one of them failing.
01-25-09, 10:18 AM
#10
Lexus Test Driver
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As others have said, don't cheap out on a battery, you will be sorry you did when you are stranded somewhere. Although, not the best out there I stuck with the OEM Lexus battery.
01-25-09, 10:27 AM
#11
Kirkland (costco), Diehard, Duralast, Optima, Interstate (most Lexus are relabeled Interstate), etc are all under Johnson Control Co. They are more or less the same quality. The difference is the application. If you want something with more CCA, you may need to pay more for the extra performance. "Cheap" batteries gets a bad rep because there are people who buy them thinking all batteries will work the same in their -30F degree weather. 
More expensive batteries usually withstand extreme climates better. For those that do normal driving in normal weather, a cheaper battery will work just as fine. Buy a battery that suits your application and you'll be fine.
Most car electronics die from having too much power. A battery cannot provide more than 12.5v on most occasion, and our electronics runs at 14.4v just fine. This leads me to think that the charging system (voltage regulator perhaps) was acting funny.
More expensive batteries usually withstand extreme climates better. For those that do normal driving in normal weather, a cheaper battery will work just as fine. Buy a battery that suits your application and you'll be fine. Most car electronics die from having too much power. A battery cannot provide more than 12.5v on most occasion, and our electronics runs at 14.4v just fine. This leads me to think that the charging system (voltage regulator perhaps) was acting funny.
01-26-09, 08:40 AM
#15
Optima batteries have been plague with problems for a while now. I remember a few years ago on a different forum, I got hammered for saying many Optimas have problems. A year later, the same people finally had problems and eventually hated Optima too. The yellow top seems to be more prone to issues than the red top. Either way, Optima did a great job of marketing the battery. The yellow tops aren't true deep cycle batteries. They'll handle a lower voltage better, but thats not saying much. At 10.5v, the Optima starts to deteriorate like any other battery. Many optimas were discharged to 0v-5v a few times and behold, it could not get back to normal state. There is always a bad batch of batteries out there, but Optima seems to be a hit and miss (though with more success than not).
Too bad I haven't seen the Kirkland Marine Deep Cycle battery at costco. I bought one there a few years ago and loved it much more than my previous Optima. No issues and it'll handle anything I throw at it!. Plus it was only $60!
Too bad I haven't seen the Kirkland Marine Deep Cycle battery at costco. I bought one there a few years ago and loved it much more than my previous Optima. No issues and it'll handle anything I throw at it!. Plus it was only $60!