Suggestions on Car Battery?

[evenflow]

I work at AAP, sold about five AutoCraft Silver and Titanium batteries today.

My next battery will definitely be an Optima.

[twopu]

Thanks for all the input. Truzoom that's some great info, I had no idea that the battery industry had a big 3. The two batteries I am leaning towards are manufactured by JC. I really think Optimas battery is overkill for my situation but I could be wrong. I only live 2 miles away from my job so from what I've read short trips cause a lot of strain on the batteries. Also living in South Jersey the hot summers and cold winters seem to be a factor. Any way I'm basically leaning towards the WalMart Everstart and Autozone Duralast? Since they are made by the same company I would guess that they are basically the same battery with the same specs. I would guess that the only difference would be price, right? Now with my short trips and four seasons should I spend the extra money on the 3 year full replacement battery or just go with the cheaper, by about $25, 2 year full replacement battery? Duralast or Everstart? Thanks again everyone for your input.

[twopu]

Can Wal-Mart test batteries, because if they can't how would they ever know that a battery was dead? Couldn't someone just go up before their warranty expires, present a reciept and say it's dead? Not that I would go through the trouble, but I wonder if they would know.

[truzoom]

twopu-

I honestly don't think you'd have much trouble getting the cheaper battery as long as it hasn't been sitting on the shelf for more than half a year and as long as you keep the receipt (some places seem to require the receipt for warranty, while others simply rely on the heat stamped date code). Just make sure you keep the terminals clean and try not to leave it discharged for long periods at a time. You could actually take that extra $25 you save and buy an automatic trickle charger to keep the battery topped off and warmed up during the winter time.

As for testing batteries, the only true way to test a battery is after it has been fully charged, which at my old job meant hooking it up to a manual charger at around 4 amps for however long it took for each cell's hydrometer reading to show 1.28 and for overall voltage to be 12.85V (up to 2 days on larger group 65 or 78s). Then, it was put on the load tester to see if it was handling OEM CCA specs and if any internal straps were broken. Of course, this takes a lot of time, so many places that service batteries will use a handheld computer tester or put it on a quick 1 hour charge - both of which are totally useless unless the battery comes in fully charged.

[Sci-Fi]

Maybe you should also invest in an on-board battery trickle charger. 2 miles daily or a lot of short trips isn't going to fully recharge your battery. The biggest battery drain will be from the engine startup, not to mention some car manufacturers tend to test the O2 sensors when the car isn't in use (turned off)...so there is a slight battery drain whether one knows it or not. Just plug the trickle charger in once a week (or more often, esp during the winter)...overnight or longer...to fully recharge it. Here's an example of one: http://www.shop.com/op/~SCHUMACHER_E...0?sourceid=298
You can find the same model/design sold under different brand names. Walmart used to sell them under their Everstart line. The cost of the on-board trickle charger is about the same as a longer battery warranty and the small size means it can be used in about any application. Just run an extension cord to it and plug it in and close the hood or run the cord under the car up to the battery charger.

Paying extra money for a longer battery warranty is just that...buying/paying for the extra coverage. You have to decide whether the warranty is worth it or not, especially if the battery specs are the same. Check the size of your battery tray. You could buy a larger battery with more capacity...just have to cross check the length, height, and width dimensions with your current battery, some OEM battery trays can accommendate a longer length battery, but are height and width are restricted due to clearances under the hood. That's where the Optima, Odyssey, and Exide Orbital come into play since you can place those batteries on their sides as well as traditional postions and not worry about leaking.

[twopu]

Update:
Well I went up to Autozone ready to buy the Duralast gold battery and was very suprised. They actually told me that I shouldn't bother with the gold but instead to buy the red. Before selling me the battery they checked my car using some sort of diagnostic tool and found that the corrosion on the battery was so bad that it was preventing the charge. They told me that I didn't need a battery and just sold me the supplies to clean/protect the terminals. I was really surprised and impressed with their service. My only concern is that the guy who jumped my car yesterday told me that he replaces his battery every 4-5 years and that it probably the reason why my battery died. The battery is six years old and winter is coming. Should I change it in the winter or just hold off?

[truzoom]

It wouldn't hurt to change it out after that long, but then again 6 years could be the average life of a battery up in your region of the country. Basically what happens is the heat from summer really stresses a battery, but it's the freezing winter that actually makes it obvious that the battery is bad.

[Eliot Ness]

Originally Posted by twopu

.......The battery is six years old and winter is coming. Should I change it in the winter or just hold off?

Your battery is probably very close to the end of life. It has been *my* experience that before the "maintenance-free" or "low-maintenance" batteries you could tell that a battery was slowly dying. With the new batteries you get in the car and head to the store and it starts just fine. 15 minutes later when you go to leave the battery won't turn over.

It's your call on if you replace it now or later, but if it were me with a 6 year old battery, and I was going to the trouble of pulling the cables to clean them, I think I'd go ahead and replace it before winter sets in.

[Scottwax]

Originally Posted by twopu

The battery is six years old and winter is coming. Should I change it in the winter or just hold off?

It has been my experience that the corrosion increases as the battery nears the end of its life. I am also stunned you got six years out of a battery, I usually get 3 max, except for the Autozone Gold that got me 4.5 years.

If you get a new one go for the Gold. It never hurts to have a deeper reserve and more cold cranking amps.

[truzoom]

Originally Posted by Scottwax

If you get a new one go for the Gold. It never hurts to have a deeper reserve and more cold cranking amps.

Actually, us guys in the south won't necessarily benefit from more CCA if staying with the same group size. The 'better' batteries are typically more packed in with lead plates which makes heat an issue, but it is somewhat confined to larger truck/suv batteries that are already trying to push 800CCA out of a relatively small package.

[vdog0531]

Interstate for sure

[02 SC Frontier]

I've had my truck for four years now, I only drive 10,000 miles a year. How do I know when it should be replaced? I live in the San Francisco Bay Area if that makes a difference.