Battery Replacement, Which to get?
05-30-10, 09:50 AM
#1
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Battery Replacement, Which to get?
Its about that time guys, battery starting to die on me it only holds charge for about a day and is barely able to crank her over. Which Battery do you guys recommend? Couldn't find much when searching. So far Optima Red Top is all i've heard.
05-30-10, 11:26 AM
#3
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If your ok with any car battery, id recommend batteries from Napa.
or
you might just be ok with Optima Redtop as a replacement if your on a budget and normal car batteries wont cut it for you.
or
If your looking for a more solid dry cell performance battery id look into Odyssey Dry Cells.
or
you might just be ok with Optima Redtop as a replacement if your on a budget and normal car batteries wont cut it for you.
or
If your looking for a more solid dry cell performance battery id look into Odyssey Dry Cells.
05-30-10, 02:02 PM
#4
For a daily driven car there is really no reason to spend 2x the money on a battery just to have it look pretty and have the spiral or gel cell technology. For plain lead acid batteries there are only like 2 or 3 battery makers.
The #1 maker is Johnson Controls and they sell the exact same battery markerted as the Lexus OEM part, the sears Diehard Gold, and some other brands I fail to recall.
Corvettes with fiberglass bodies had Delphi engineer the Delco Freedom battery for them to be completely sealed and require zero maintenance/spill problem.
Well, problem is....Delco battery retailing is not what it used to be and they can be hard to get the same day. If you can find a Delphi/Delco Freedom go for it.
Otherwise, any battery you buy in a store will probably be a Johnson Controls made model so it will not really matter. Sears does do no hastle exchanges and honors the waranty well though.
The #1 maker is Johnson Controls and they sell the exact same battery markerted as the Lexus OEM part, the sears Diehard Gold, and some other brands I fail to recall.
Corvettes with fiberglass bodies had Delphi engineer the Delco Freedom battery for them to be completely sealed and require zero maintenance/spill problem.
Well, problem is....Delco battery retailing is not what it used to be and they can be hard to get the same day. If you can find a Delphi/Delco Freedom go for it.
Otherwise, any battery you buy in a store will probably be a Johnson Controls made model so it will not really matter. Sears does do no hastle exchanges and honors the waranty well though.
05-30-10, 03:13 PM
#5
interstate and optima tops hands down. i highly recommend interstate though for its reliability and price. its a tough battery, itll pull through for you.
before you buy a new battery though, i'd suggest you buy a digital volt meter (DVM) and figure out why your battery started to die in the first place.
before you buy a new battery though, i'd suggest you buy a digital volt meter (DVM) and figure out why your battery started to die in the first place.
05-30-10, 03:22 PM
#6
if it's not holding charge, it's probably a dead cell in the battery.
I had a duralast for only 2 years, worked well during that time but wish it lasted longer. I've seen a lot of toyota True Start batteries go without issues for 5+ years, but they cost an arm and a leg.
The optima is only good if you have extra electrical demand (like lighting, sound systems, etc.). They also cost a lot but again you get what you pay for and these will last a while. Only thing im concered is ever since they outsourced theire production to Mexico some people have complained the quality has gone down a bit. I can't comment because i haven't had one myself, just from what i've heard.
I had a duralast for only 2 years, worked well during that time but wish it lasted longer. I've seen a lot of toyota True Start batteries go without issues for 5+ years, but they cost an arm and a leg.
The optima is only good if you have extra electrical demand (like lighting, sound systems, etc.). They also cost a lot but again you get what you pay for and these will last a while. Only thing im concered is ever since they outsourced theire production to Mexico some people have complained the quality has gone down a bit. I can't comment because i haven't had one myself, just from what i've heard.
05-30-10, 03:50 PM
#7
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I've been using Autozone Duralast batteries for the last few years in different cars and I haven't had any issues. Price isn't really any better than anywhere else, but the warranty is. I had one that was over 6 years old with only 4 months left on the pro-rated warranty and it cost me like $30 to get a brand new one with a brand new warranty. That's not too bad when you consider that they're like $85 now.
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05-30-10, 08:22 PM
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haha of all places walmart is the only place I could find that carried Optima's, got my battery tested and it says it was still good just needed a charge so I bought an AC charger kit. charged it for 4 hours and put it back in, we'll see how it holds up for the next few days. Orignally my battery got drained because I didnt drive it for a week and Im pretty sure my compustar alarm kept on getting set off by passing cars when i was away at work.
05-30-10, 09:55 PM
#12
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i had a compustar in my 93sc400 back in 02. liked the alarm. never did get the distance they promised and screwed my ignition. it would just not start for a half hour at a time
05-30-10, 09:56 PM
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I work at Autozone and I know the ins and out of aftermarket parts store warranties. Napa you have to have a receipt, Advance (Checker Shucks Kragen) they go store by store. Autozone has the only true nationwide electronic warranty system all you need is your phone number.
