Tensi

Hi. I think is time to replace my battery. I sat in the car with the radio playing (car off) for about 20 minutes.. wouldn't start. I got it jumped.. and it has been fine for four days now. Weird. But I guess its better safe than sorry.

What aftermarket battery is everyone using? Dealer wanted $265. I'll pass.

Any recommendations appreciated.

mrblister

20 min with radio on and car not running will draw the battery down pretty fast. If you let it sit with radio off for a bit the battery may come back and be able to start the car. How old is your battery

Tensi

Really?? I have never had that happen before. I have ran the radio on my other car for much longer without issue. My battery, I believe is about 6 years old.

FlopTop04

I went with an Interstate Mega-Tron Plus, part number MTP-48/H6 ( $140 ). No issues so far and seems to have
plenty of reserve power.

OBP

Went with Interstate too when I switched out my battery a few years back. Forget the model number but it was one of two Interstate batteries compatible with our cars and I just went for the more powerful one. It was about $135 at the time.

Mischievious GS

Just replaced my battery yesterday. Checked a bunch of batteries, but in my area, most of the batteries hovered around $150. Checked Walmart & an Everstart Maxx cost about $110. I believe the Interstate battery I looked up cost about $160 with a 30-month warranty. Decided to go with the Everstart Maxx-H6 which had a 36-month free warranty.

On another note, the previous owner of my car was an AAA member. He gave me all his old receipts and there was one for the battery, which was changed in 2011. He paid about $85 for a battery with a 36-month free replacement warranty. Unfortunately, the warranty wasn't transferable, so I was SOL.

Tensi

Thanks everyone! What stats do I need to confirm when buying one? Gotta say.. I am kind of stumped on where to score a battery I can trust.

mrblister

I would get the largest size that will fit. Name brand interstate diehard etc. Just make sure the cold cranking amps are equivalent to the oem battery

Mischievious GS

When I was doing battery "research", I think it was another post here that said most (if not all) car batteries are made by one of three big manufacturers: Exide, Delphi, & Johnson Controls. After hearing that, I decided that the $110 Everstart battery from Walmart is probably the same as the $160 one from Autozone or Interstate since it's made by the same company. I don't run any aftermarket sounds or electronics, so I couldn't justify getting an Optima. Unless you have a special reason for getting a special type of battery (ie: you don't drive the car often, you run the sound system for an extended period of time with the car off, etc), just find one that matches the closest to OEM that offers the longest free replacement warranty.

FLYCT

outstanding advice!

johnnyreno

NO matter what battery I have changed 3 times if I leave the car in garage for 12 days it wont start so I tender it

SC43052

12 days is a very short period for your battery to go dead. Have you checked for a parasitic power draw after the car has been shutdown? Something is staying on and eating up your battery.

Run a test. After a good drive to charge the battery, disconnect the negative battery cable and insulate it so it doesn't touch anything. Wait the 12 days, reconnect it and see if the car starts. If so, then the car is draining the battery.

Tensi

Thanks for the advice! I find my car dies rather quick when left undriven.. which is the norm. What stats do I need to be concerned with? I have never attempted to purchase a battery on my own, I have always let the dealer just handle it. Sorry for the noobdom.

johnnyreno

so narrowing it down haaa good luck

Mischievious GS

I agree with this. If you put in a new battery and it still drains in 12 days of not driving, you definitely have a bigger problem somewhere. Is there anything aftermarket in your car that could be drawing power from the battery? An aftermarket stereo, a GPS, a cell phone charger, etc? Normal shouldn't be a dead battery after 12 days. I remember leaving my car in the garage for over a month without driving/starting it, and when I came back, it started fine.

As far as advice on how to find a battery, it's pretty straight forward and easy. Most stores will have a book or computer to look up your make, model, & year. Similar to buying an oil filter. The one at my Walmart was the Everstart Maxx H6 . I believe the size of the battery is a group 48. If I'm not mistaken, the stock battery is rated at 730 Cold Cranking Amps. Unless you're starting it in zero degree weather, it doesn't have to be exactly 730. I believe the AAA battery which was in my car before was 680 CCA, and it made no difference in starting the car.

If, for some reason, you decide not to use a recommended replacement battery, make sure the terminals are on the same side as your old battery.

Buying a battery & changing it yourself is one of the easiest things you can do. Definitely not something I'd let the dealer charge me $300+ for lol.

Edit: Crap, i'm all confused now lol. I thought you (Tensi) had the problem with the starting after 12 days of not driving. After re-reading, it was Johnnyreno that had that problem.