Battery Replacement, Which to get?
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Joined: Apr 2007
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From: Alberta
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.
Driver School Candidate
Joined: May 2010
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From: WA
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.
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.
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.
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.
Driver
Joined: Mar 2004
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From: Rhode Island
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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From: Alberta
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.
Driver School Candidate
Joined: May 2010
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From: Indiana
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.
