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Car/SUV battery, what to buy . . what to avoid?

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  • bbbass

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    My used Highlander did the same failure routine about a year after I purchased it... Took me a bit to realize a had a problem battery. Then I went to Les Schwab and they replaced it with a store brand (prob made by Interstate) no prob since then.
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    Sasquatch

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    I have noted something. If the battery is located in the trunk or underneath the floor boards, a typical battery will last 6-7 years. Due to not being exposed to the heat of the engine compartment.

    Yep. Heat and vibration are what typically kill batteries, then mechanical age and the deterioration of the plates. In cold climates, freezing will kill 'em too.

    You can add an insulative blanket around your battery that is in the engine bay and it will help extend the life. Dodge, IIRC, started doing that at least on their heavy duty trucks, with a good thick reflective style battery blanket. Others will use a thinner felt style blanket (not as good, but better than nothing) - while for a long time you've seen a plastic tray enclosing the battery except for the top, also to act as a sort of insulator to keep some of the heat at bay.

    A lot of auto makers have started to move batteries out of the engine bay - not necessarily because it improves battery life, but because its easier for them to place them either in the passenger compartment or the trunk. BMW, Mercedes, and Volvo have put a lot of batteries in the trunk going back to at least the 1980's.

    GM, especially with the Oldsmobile brand, has put batteries under the back seat. The only things I don't like about passenger-compartment placement is that batteries vent gas when they go through heating/cooling / charging cycles. While rare today, batteries can also explode due to these gasses building up. That can expose you to toxic fumes, caustic chemical exposure, and potentially a vehicle fire. From the factory you'll see the batteries placed in passenger compartments equipped with plastic or rubber hoses, connected to the gas ports on the battery and run out the floor board to vent those fumes - but if you're getting the battery swapped out, a lot of times you'll find the tech or the individual replacing their battery doesn't hook those back up.
     

    Lost Spurs

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    Personally, I like to install the Walmart branded Maxx AGM batteries. With no receipt you can swap it out for a couple years across the country 24 hours a day.

    As to branding, at my shop our batteries are branded with the Mercedes sticker. They are oem supplied by interstate. We had a particular shortage on a particular battery that is used in most of our smaller vehicles. We call it the 81 08. It is a 800 amp en rated AGM battery. We were actually installing Motorcraft batteries as it was the same thing. Still covered by our factory warranty (2 years unlimited miles)

    As to factory data, since around 2015 ish we track total amps in and out of the battery and use cross terminal resistance to determine state of charge. In the newer stuff this is tracked in real time. For warranty replacement the vehicle must condem the battery, outside testing to determine failure must include approval from Jacksonville (the office that deals with all things electronic and diagnostic)

    On our newer high end or race car stuff we have lithium units that we install. It is a sub $2000 dollar battery that is the same size as a normal battery just 50lbs lighter with built in battery management software. Simple 4 cell unit that has low voltage cutoff.

    We have also for years (more so now) used the alternator and charging in our fuel economy management. On startup for the first minute or so the alternator is off. At idle, we can wind system voltage down to 12 or 12.5 volts. On full acceleration we turn it off. Cruising we hold the voltage in the 13v range. On decel we can run the voltage well into the 14v range and full field the alternator to cram amps back into the battery. This also can cause engine braking to help slow the vehicle. Our battery management usually maintains a state of charge around 80% for this program to run. With the wrong sized battery installed this will cause no starts with a otherwise properly running system.

    On our vehicles that have 12v only systems we have gone way past a simple voltage regulator and battery. We also include on board quiescent current tracking in both engine on and off cycles 100 events total. With engine off it will track total time of event, date and time stamped. It tracks lights, can systems, ignition status and doors. No more saying it just died. For example, we can evaluate down to drivers door open and parking lights on for 100 minutes, total amps used and final voltage of event. It will self tag conspicuous data events for evaluation.

    Sent from my SM-G998U1 using Tapatalk
     

    mongoose

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    You'd think! Its really easy to mess it up though - wrong battery, put the ground on the positive and the positive on the ground, or hooking the ground up first then they lay their wrench across the positive terminal and some grounded part on the car...

    I'm not immune and I've had a couple booboos, and I (or rather, my company) paid for more "booboos" by new employees than I'd have liked.

    For common cars, for instance - the Group 24 battery. Some older Hondas and Toyotas use that battery. Then there's the 24F/24R. Identical size, but terminal orientation is reversed. Same with the Group 35 and Group 25 - identical casings and specs usually, but the 25 and 35 swap terminal positions.

    And there's a reason why you unhook the ground first, and install it last. Some cars are more sensitive than others to the voltage spikes that can occur. We flat out stopped working on SAABs because of their stupidly easy nature to zap with a less than perfect battery swap and weird electrical engineering.
    Maybe I’ve been lucky. However, I’m the PIA looking over their shoulder when the batteries are changed. Also, I don’t let anyone but me connect cables to jump someone. I don’t need a fried computer
     

    Bozz10mm

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    I have noted something. If the battery is located in the trunk or underneath the floor boards, a typical battery will last 6-7 years. Due to not being exposed to the heat of the engine compartment.
    A lot (or maybe all) Chrysler products have the battery located either in the trunk or in the wheel well. It will be a PIA to change the battery in my Son's 2013 Challenger. You either have to remove the front bumper shroud or the left front wheel to get at it. I don't think I'd want the counter clerk at Auto zone doing that.
     

    bbbass

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    A lot (or maybe all) Chrysler products have the battery located either in the trunk or in the wheel well. It will be a PIA to change the battery in my Son's 2013 Challenger. You either have to remove the front bumper shroud or the left front wheel to get at it. I don't think I'd want the counter clerk at Auto zone doing that.

    Yeah, the late model Chargers were that way too. Messed me up on popo radio, etc, installations.
     

    Sasquatch

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    A lot (or maybe all) Chrysler products have the battery located either in the trunk or in the wheel well. It will be a PIA to change the battery in my Son's 2013 Challenger. You either have to remove the front bumper shroud or the left front wheel to get at it. I don't think I'd want the counter clerk at Auto zone doing that.

    Almost all of their sedans were that way. They are a serious pain in the ass, and if you don't unhook the terminals properly, a good way to 1.) get shocked, or two 2.) fry something or both.

    We stopped doing that nonsense too, because changing a battery in one of those vehicles, in a parking lot (which are hardly ever level) was dangerous at best. Trunk batteries are great, wheel well batteries? I'd love to find the asshole who engineered that, and waterboard him, repeatedly.

    We would send people either to the dealer, or to a mechanic with a proper lift for that crap. I certainly wouldn't want the counter guy at AutoZone or O'Reilly's doing such installs, and they'd probably refuse anyway.
    Maybe I’ve been lucky. However, I’m the PIA looking over their shoulder when the batteries are changed. Also, I don’t let anyone but me connect cables to jump someone. I don’t need a fried computer

    Its not terrible watching someone do that kind of work - so long as you're not in the way, and you're wearing safety glasses. I used to be terrible at wearing my safety glasses, then I wound up getting a bit of battery acid in my eye. That shit HURTS and I'm lucky I didn't cause myself to go blind in one eye. I've also had coworkers and employees that had batteries go boom. Its rare, but it can happen and when one does pop, you don't want to be close to it.
     

    G O B

    School of Hard Knocks and Sharp blows
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    Dec 9, 2017
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    Never buy a cheap battery! Lead acid batteries life is dependent on the PURITY of the lead!

    New lead is very pure, and a LOT more expensive than recycled lead. Recycled lead is what is used in short warranty batteries.
     

    mroper

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    The Walmart MAXX everstart and the Orilly Superstart premium are high rated batteries according to consumer reports. Dont cheap out always buy the premium of the brand . the warranty is longer it it is always heavier the the cheaper counterpart
     

    GoPappy

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    Every Walmart battery I’ve ever tried has been complete crap. I’ll never buy another one.
     

    Younggun

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    The Walmart MAXX everstart and the Orilly Superstart premium are high rated batteries according to consumer reports. Dont cheap out always buy the premium of the brand . the warranty is longer it it is always heavier the the cheaper counterpart

    I’ve had the Maxx batteries last years my my old truck that only gets a 600-700 miles per year, probably less and started once every couple weeks if I happen to remember but often goes a month or more. Really surprised me.


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    Sasquatch

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    A lot of shops need to up their game then :laughing:
    If my cheap Foxwell can do it, a pro-grade scanner definitely can.

    I can't argue that, especially since stuff is getting cheaper (or was, no idea how The Coof effected mechanics tools prices this year)

    I knew a bunch of old school shops that had pretty ancient scanners, and one mechanic that refused to get one. He specialized in old stuff, and didn't *need* it, but it meant that he only did certain repairs on modern cars. Was the best damn mechanic for real old school cars - carburated stuff - in the Portland area. Then the bastard had to up & die! (He'd appreciate that sort of dark humor)

    Before jumping out of battery service and moving to Texas, I was testing out a super cheap Hobo-Freight scan tool that could do resets on certain makes & models. I think I paid $150 for it something, it wasn't their top-tier version of that (yes, I laughed at "top tier" and "hobo freight" being used together too) it was I think more of the mid-range in their scan tool selection. I couldn't re-program a car for lead-acid if it was spec'd AGM, but I could do battery registration at least for the ones we'd run into that required it.
     

    dsgrey

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    Never buy a cheap battery! Lead acid batteries life is dependent on the PURITY of the lead!

    New lead is very pure, and a LOT more expensive than recycled lead. Recycled lead is what is used in short warranty batteries.
    While I agree, I had an anomaly. Bought a cheap 6 month warranty recycled battery for my Craftsman riding lawnmower at a local service station when I was in a bind. The battery was 6 years old and still running when I sold it. Mower sat in the garage and I would start it or trickle charge maybe 2 times during the off season of Nov - Feb. I should have load tested it to see where the numbers fell but I never did.
     

    white_rhino

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    Diehard Platinum/Advanced Auto Parts AGM (Same thing). I run those in all of my vehicles and they have been great. Last one lasted 7 years!
     

    TexMex247

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    At my shop we sell AC Delco. Personally I despise a sealed battery because I like topping electrolyte and peak charging on occasion. However, we have had most of them make it past the 3 year mark and sadly regardless of brand that's all as long as they last.

    I'd go with convenience. Local with a decent warranty.
     
    Every Day Man
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