I just lost yet another battery. I only seem to get about 3-4yrs out of them, and it's probably becuz the car sits so much -- I only drive it about 500-1000 miles/yr. I keep them on a trickle charger so the car always starts fine in the spring, but after a few months of driving, it seems like they tend to fail in the fall.

Anyway, I'm looking for replacements and I'm not finding much for a Group 75. Amazon has a Delphi AGM battery for $189, but it's only 680 CCA w/ a 36month warranty. Another option is a Duralast Gold for $160, 700CCA, and a 5yr warranty. Any other suggestions?

 

Car batteries , engine oil , tires , these kinds of things and many more all have cult like followings that can make for some wild posts when one poster disses the favorite of another , to see this in action go to the "Aftermarket Product Reviews" section at the top of the forum homepage and read the Optima batteries thread . Yikes !... Anyway , whenever I'm shopping for a battery I usually go with the one with the longest warranty , figuring if they're gonna warranty it longer than other comparable priced batteries perhaps it's made a bit better .

 

I recently started buying Deka/East Penn batteries. The AGM are a little more expensive, but they seem to be better quality than Optima, Deka are made right in Pennsylvania.

 

I have a Duralast Gold in mine. I think it is 5 years old and due for replacement. Here in TX heat, 4 is pretty good.

I'd like a plain old Delco just for a more stock look, but don't know where to find them (looks like Amazon) but yeah, that is kind of pricy for a 36 mo warranty.

When did batteries get so expensive anyway!

 

I agree with this statement. I don't feel spending more on some exotic battery or even the AGM gets you any further. I will say that I have purchased quite a few batteries in my time and I bought my car almost 5 yrs ago and it has a 6 yr old (2013) Durolast Gold in it. Damn thing has never let me down and I don't drive much either, 1500 a year, and live in FL where the heat really takes it toll on a batt. I do not trickle charge it.

 

That Delphi looks interesting, can get a charger on the top - I find it hard to get my charger on the tiny 8mm side post screws. I'm wanting a smaller sized battery, for ease of charging because of SLP CAI moved the charcoal canister over on the battery side and there is zero room now.

 

I only mentioned the AGM battery becuz I was having the same problem w/ my riding mower batteries until some1 told me to switch to an AGM. That AGM battery has lasted much longer than the conventional batteries did.

But I've been doing some more research and the only real advantage of an AGM is that it is much more resistant to vibration -- that's a big issue w/ a mower, but not so much w/ a car. AGM batteries use the same chemistry as a conventional battery.

The AC Delco battery website sucks Basic information such as CCA and warranty isn't even listed! But I searched some more and eventually found out that the 75VPG batt has the same specs and warranty as the DuraLast I mentioned earlier -- I'm sure it's the same batt w/ a different label. Plus my dad knows a little shop in Flint that sells AC Delco batteries cheap. So that's what I'm gonna get, but I'll probably wait till spring.

 

syc0path, if you're only driving 1,000/year or less, I would suggest keeping your battery on a quality battery maintenance device whenever it isn't being driven. Driving alone may not be enough to properly-maintain battery voltage. Some type of charger is better than none at all, but not all chargers are the same. Generally speaking, fully-automatic "multi-stage or multi-step" chargers, which monitor the battery and charge it as necessary are the preferred option. Multi-stage maintainers will charge at varying voltages and varying amperage (rarely exceeding 2 amps) and some of these multi-step chargers are also capable of being regular battery chargers (7 amps or more).

Traditional "float" chargers, which provide a constant voltage with tapering amperage to the battery, even when it is fully-charged are OK, but not preferred. For float charging, we recommend 1 amp max, 13.2-13.8 volts. For regular charging, we recommend 10 amps max, 13.8-15 volts.

In the battery options you've mentioned, you've cited price, cold cranking amps and warranty length. Cold Cranking Amps are measured at 0 degrees Fahrenheit. If you never drive your car in the winter, what do you care how many CCAs a battery is rated for? You have a 305 TBI, so it's not like you're running a high-compression big block. You need enough cranking amps to start your engine, but over-buying on cranking amps isn't going to necessarily get you longer battery life.

You described the five-year warranty in the same way you described the three-year warranty, but they are different. The five-year warranty only gives you a free replacement in the first three years. Starting in month 37, you're paying at least $98.66 for a warranty replacement on a $160 battery...if the prices haven't gone up and a counter worker knows how to do the math.

Pro-rated warranties are a common marketing tactic used by retailers, to get consumers back into the store. The longer advertised warranty term is the hook, but by the time you hit the pro-ration window, you're already paying most or all of the retailer's cost on a battery, so it may cost them very little or nothing to handle a pro-rated warranty or if it's near the very end of the warranty, they may actually make money replacing your battery with one that may only have a month or two of warranty coverage left on it (warranty terms do not re-set with each replacement). They also put a value on each person who walks through their door, so if they can increase the number of times you walk in their store, they know the chances will go up significantly, that you'll spend more money with them on something else while you're there to replace your battery.

All warranties also have exclusions for things like batteries that are just discharged or batteries that have been moved to a different vehicle. If you buy a battery from a brick & mortar location and you need warranty service, you take it back to the store. If you buy a battery from an online retailer and you need warranty service, then what do you do? Some websites have “marketplace” sellers, who make it look like you're buying from a reputable seller like Amazon or Google, but you're really buying from some guy in Reno, who runs a parts business out of his basement and a PO Box, doesn't carry any inventory and won't give you any warranty service and may disappear entirely right after you buy your battery.

Retailers also know some consumers make purchase decisions based on the length of the warranty offered. If you're shopping based on the length of warranty, as OrangeBird suggests, you should know that for many (but not all) batteries, the only difference between them is the label on the battery, the length of the warranty and the price you are paying. Internally, the batteries may be identical, with one likely to last as long as the other.

If you are going to go warranty shopping, don't just find the longest FREE replacement, find the retailer with the most-liberal warranty policy and the least-knowledgeable counter workers. They'll be less likely to follow common warranty service protocol, like verifying proof of purchase, visually inspecting it for signs of damage, attempting to recharge it and load-testing it before replacing it.

scooter says he recently started buying a brand that seems to be better quality than Optima. If he only recently started buying them, then how would he know that to be the case? Also, here's how the battery industry actually works- a battery company has “customers” which consumers would identify as retailers, like NAPA or Autozone, etc... Sometimes they are exclusive (sole) suppliers, sometimes the business is split. Sometimes the customers/companies do a really good job of forecasting for demand and always keep inventory levels where they need to be and sometimes things don't go as planned.

When things don't go as planned with forecasting, a battery manufacturer may turn to another battery manufacturer and buy batteries from them to supply to their customers. At that point, they may not care where the other manufacturer is located or where the batteries are made, whether it's in the US, Mexico, China or somewhere else, they just need batteries to deliver to their customers. They technically didn't manufacture the batteries because they bought them from someone else who made them, so they can still claim all the batteries they make are built in the US. However, if the battery you're buying from a retailer looks like a lot of other batteries, it could've been sourced from just about anywhere. When you buy a battery with a unique design, like Optima batteries, which are only made in one facility in the world, then you know exactly who built your battery and where your battery is coming from.

LiquidBlue, batteries get more expensive when lead and oil prices go up, because transportation costs are by far the biggest expense involved in producing a battery and lead is the most-expensive component.

Generally speaking, an AGM battery will perform better and last longer than a flooded counterpart and it also minimizes the risk of acid damage from a leaking battery, but they do tend to be more expensive. If you get a physically smaller battery as LiquidBlue mentioned, you should know that physically smaller batteries can struggle more in extreme temperatures, both hot and cold.

Since the vast majority of the time you own your next battery it's going to be sitting idle, whatever battery you end up with, I think you should make sure you are maintaining it with a high-quality battery maintenance device that is microprocessor-controlled. That will have the biggest impact on performance and lifespan, regardless of the battery you choose.

Jim McIlvaine
eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries
www.pinterest.com/optimabatteries

 

Thanks for the info syc0, I may try the AGM in my mower when it takes a dump. Great info from Optima! That should end up sticky somewhere.

I knew about that whole battery selling behind the scenes from a guy here who is a "customer" of the battery company. So I went through him and got one of the Easterns?, for the wife's Benz, it had a Deka brand label on it.That thing did not last 2 years and I had to buy a new one. To boot I spent an extra $80 for it.

 

100% go with an AGM battery these days. LiPo is cool for weight savings on motorcycles, but needs too much babysitting.

I used to be an Optima fan until they started dying on me, so I have swapped to Bosch AGM batteries. Deka is also a GREAT manufacturer.

 

If you're not driving the car much (I'm in the same boat) and you're going to buy an expensive battery, why continue to abuse them and allow them to go bad prematurely? Put them on some kind of maintainer.

If you're not going to use a maintainer, just by the cheapest battery and replace them when they go bad.

 

It’s easy to chalk up a battery failure to its life cycle, but the reality is, there’s another force at work, often retarding the life expectancy: Sulfation. Regardless of whether or not the vehicle is running, the slow buildup of lead sulfate is constant. It’s commonly visible to us at the terminal connection as the greenish-white crusty material you. If you add VX-6 (Cadmium-Sulfate) to your battery when it's new, it will prevent sulfation of the plates which is the primary cause of battery failure. VX-6 : National Dynamics

 

It’s easy to chalk up a battery failure to its life cycle, but the reality is, there’s another force at work, often retarding the life expectancy: Sulfation. Regardless of whether or not the vehicle is running, the slow buildup of lead sulfate is constant. It’s commonly visible to us at the terminal connection as the greenish-white crusty material you. If you add VX-6 (Cadmium-Sulfate) to your battery when it's new, it will prevent sulfation of the plates which is the primary cause of battery failure. VX-6 : National Dynamics

 

Didn't we just do this?

https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/elec...ml#post6345109

 

Both batteries are lead acid but the AGM type can be cycled (discharged) many many more times than a flooded lead acid battery. This is my first-hand experience designing engine stop-start systems.

 

Four years with my Odyssey battery, one issues yet, but they're pretty heavy though.I occasionally put my battery tender Jr on it.Since the car sits more than its driven.

 

Batteries sure have gotten expensive over the years. Odyssey Extreme $295.99 + $25 core!!! WOW! Outrageous. Someone once told me that once the motor is running, the alternator supplies all the power the car needs. If that's true, you could just use one of those portable/rechargeable jump starters to start your car. Although, this would put a real strain on your alternator.

 

 

Yes, alternator powers the vehicle and charges the batteries. Batteries are just there for starting, key off power, and gaps when electrical system temporarily exceeds alternator output. All very important jobs though.

 

Interstate. I bought one for my Monte Carlo shortly after buying it and went over seven years with that battery. I rarely use my Thirdgen other than shows 6-8 mo a yr but I crank it in the winter once every wk or two and let her run.

 

Hell yeah, only reason i have one is i got it for way less than 100 bills & unused to boot.Sat on a guys shelf for 2 years and i just happened to be there to buy his also new tires.I didnt hassle him on that price, so he offered me the battery dirt a$$ cheap, otherwise there be a "regular battery in my car.