Battery

[DBMaster]

I can almost mark on a calendar when my battery is going to go bad. It had been three years since I bought the thing and last Thursday it was almost too weak to start the car.

I got a corporate discount from our company's battery supplier on an Optima Red Top. I had been wanting one of these for years, but there was the price barrier. I opted for the biggest (34) size they had that still fit the Accord's battery tray. It is a bit of overkill with 800 CCA's. It is supposed to last 2-3 times longer than a conventional battery and if it does it will be worth the $100 I paid for it.

Anyone else here have one of these?

FYI, the Yellow Top battery from Optima is the one recommended if you do a lot of deep discharging (like from running a big stereo system for a long time with the engine off).

[Grant2k]

it might be a charging system problem. if it is, than the battery did last longer than a regualr one because a regualr battery wouldn't have run your car for any length of time with a bad alternator (or other charging problem).

[Immeraufdemhund]

think you could explain those battery figures to me a little bit.. I'm a bit confused by them. thanx

[Lester Lugnut]

Mike:

I too have experienced the same as you....batteries lasting for a pre-determined amount of time...almost to the month.

It's my belief that battery construction as a whole has fallen off in the last 8-10 yrs.

The Optima's are big with Mercedes owners, especially those who live in colder climates. Overall, they have a reputation for holding up longer than others and in my opinion, may very well be the last of the mohicans.

My 2 cents.

[DBMaster]

Thanks, Lester. To answer the earlier question I know that the alternator is functioning fine. Batteries suffer from internal breakdown due to vibration and especially heat. Optima claims that their batteries are better because of their "jelly roll" technology. There is no liquid acid in the cells and the lead they use is supposedly of a higher purity than what is used in other batteries. They will not leak and can be mounted in any position, even upside down.

Check it out... http://www.optimabatteries.com/

For those of you out there who do not live in the Southwest three years is not bad for a battery dues to the heat that last for at least five months of the year. It is even worse in Arizona.

Our cars have the battery located in one of the hottest areas under the hood which only makes things worse. My original battery (a Delco, by the way) lasted about 3.5 years. The battery I just replaced was a Delco I bought from a local battery dealer in November of 99.

I did find out from this exercise that a larger than specified battey will fit our cars. I had to flip the hold down bracket over and drill two new holes but clearance in the space was not an issue. A bigger conventional battery ought to last longer, too, because it will have more plate material in it.

[AccordEpicenter]

Check to see if you have misterious current draws. My previous coupe had a strange draw from the seat belts (dunno, they were bad I guess, and its not all that uncommon in coupes) and it was enough to kill the battery if left for more than a day or 2, and if you cycle it like that for a few hundred cycles each year, then that could explain why you keep killing batteries, even really good ones like the optima

[greekguy7]

Most of today's batteries are junk or at least the ones I get from Sams Club are. I usaually get about 2.5 to 3 years out of them in Chicago. Thats pretty bad, considering batteries from a decade ago lasted 4-7 years. No wonder they sell them so cheap. Perhaps some brands are better than others, or maybe not.... not sure.

Then again, Wal-Mart sells batteries and they offer 2 year free replacement, no questions asked!

[rocky2]

I have had bad luck with everready,exide.

I do like Wal-marts battery, everstart I got a feeling interstate makes them but don't quote me,just a hunch

Delco/honda is decent

diehard is still good

Pep-boys and autozone are seen by me in boneyards bigtime

[dj99]

According to consumer reports October issue, "Most automotive batteries ae made by just three manufacturers.
Delphi makes ACDelco and some EverStart (wal-mart) models. Exide makes Champion, Exide, Napa and some EverStart batteries. Johnson Controls Industries makes Diehard (sears), Duralast (AutoZone), Interstate, Kirkland (costco), Motorcraft (ford), and some EverStarts."

I I figured a wal-mart EverStart $30 cheapo (made by Johnson controls) for a stock 3G was a no-brainer. I think it has a 60 month warranty, too. :tongue:

[DBMaster]

The warranty doesn't mean that much. What you need is the longest free replacement period possible. After that with a prorated warranty you won't get much credit.

Previous Wal Mart and Sam's batteries were junk. I never got more than 18 months ou of them in either one of our cars and neither had electrical problems. I think they may have changed manufacturers.

Last summer I bought one of the high rated batteries from Auto Zone for the Odyssey. It's original battery lasted les than three years, but the previous owner obviously left it sitting a lot (less than 16,000 miles on it in two years). That was before I could get the discount on the Optima battery, though.

Again, I have no charging system or electrical leakage problems. All the knowledgeable people I know agree that for here three years is pretty good for a middle of the road battery.

[greekguy7]

Sounds to me that the best way to do it then is to buy a battery from Wal-Mart, return it every year under their free replecement warranty and you will have a new battery every year for nothing.

[DBMaster]

Well, it DOES have to be bad because they do test it before giving you a new one. The only problem with that theory is that you don't always know exactly when it will become too weak to start the car. When mine have gone bad I get a few slightly "slow" starts and then not enough power to turn the starter.

This last time I had slow starts for a while. I drove the car to Wal Mart which is about a mile from my house and when I came out it almost didn't start the car. The car can easilybe started with a jump, though.

It's no wonder the electric car has not been perfected yet. Battery technology (affordable battery technology, that is) is what is holding us back.

[greekguy7]

Actually, Wal-Mart doesnt test your battery when you go replace it under warranty. You just exchange it to the same person who exchanges wrong shoe sizes. I dont think they know how to use a mater or load tester anyway.

[greekguy7]

Actually, Wal-Mart doesnt test your battery when you go replace it under warranty. You just exchange it to the same person who exchanges wrong shoe sizes. I dont think they know how to use a meter or load tester anyway.