Hi

Wondering if anybody had a battery recommendation for the GX for life in MN. It's for my mom and I am not there to install it / sort out compatibility issues

I was looking at a Optima red top ($225) but told I needed a yellow top ($500 from the mechanic or US$300 at Autozone) or a Factory Parts MVP Platinum (house brand) for US$175 by the local mechanic

https://www.autozone.com/batteries-s...7_166946_25697

Optima Battery D27F Group Size 27F 830 CCA

Right now the car doesn't start so I would prefer to buy from someone who can deliver and install the battery at the house (likely a 1-2 mi drive)

Weird request I know..thanks

 

Although I don't currently know which one is good, I've heard that Optimas aren't as good these days as they used to be. They are actually bad. Heard that from many people and mechanics.
Last time I bought a battery for my previous car was an OEM at Acura dealership. It was around $160 or less with the old battery traded in. The warranty on the battery was like 7 years. I guess, at Toyota or Lexus the warranty would be the same. The warranty was for miles and when I counted my miles per year, I came with 7 years.

edit: the car starts at -22F with no problem.

 

Honestly if it was for my parents/family who isn't able to install them, I'd just get a "platunum" AGM battery from Oriley's/AutoZone or Nappa. they'll all be fine. Optima's in my experience are over rated. If you want the best, look for a Northstar or Odessy (same)

 

Optima got bought out over 10 years ago now, and the quality went down, and they have been surviving on their name recognition ever since.

Costco is a great place to buy batteries, and probably the best place to make a warranty claim out there.

 

careful with AGM batteries as they require a higher output from the alternator to get a proper charge while moving/idle. I believe you just need to upgrade the alternator fuse with one that increases voltage.

https://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-g...m-battery.html

More reading required but its not expensive to do so. $20-30 for the fuse i think and has been talked about in GXOR.

HOWEVER... this might be for those who are running secondary AGM battery instead of primary so take what i said with a grain of sand (Salt)

 

Get a AGM battery. I dropped in a 34R Odyssey battery from autozone, picked up the spacer to make it fit better. Regarding the voltage boost. People claim its snake oil and others swear by it. AGM requires 14.1v-14.7v to charge. Many people get away without doing the fuse diode booster. stay away from optima as others has said.

 

Agreed on the optima comment, I went through at least three in about 6 years. They did seem to be good batteries, they just died too soon.

 

Avoid optima, they were sold off and cheapened and now made in mexico. Not the battery they once were. I've been buying batteries at Walmart, as the guarantee them for 2 years, no pro-rate bs.

 

No reason to spend the money on a deep cycle or agm. Agm’s require a slightly higher voltage for proper charging snd maintaining anyway. Just get the highest CCA battery you can find that is in the correct size group snd be done.

 

I've had both a red and yellow top Optima battery when I owned a Vette, skip them, they're overrated. Go with Costco, their batteries are Interstate. And their warranty exchange process is hands down the best. I bought one for my Accord about three years ago and had it replaced after a couple years due to me not driving the car much and it's an on-the-spot exchange within the warranty period, which I think is 42 months. Although in some climates, it's 36 months. But they won't come to the house to install.

 

this, for the win...