Battery Help

[Scotty1981]

I had my Honda Civics battery go out on me with only 3 yrs 3 months and 29k miles on it. Anyone know what a good replacement would be? I ended up getting an autocraft gold at Advance Auto Parts but for the next time ti would be nice to know what brands are good and which ones to stay away from.

FYI factory battery only had 310 CCA that seems awfully low. On the plus side the new one has 500 CCA which should be more than enough for a completely stock car.

 

[MrMeeks]

I don't know of any bad battery brands these days.If you can install the battery ,go to wal mart.If you can't install,go to advance.Never buy the lowest cost batt..at least get the middle grade battery.advance will install and check the generator voltage spec.The generator should apply at least 14 volts across the batt. terminals.ok

 

[JimPghPA]

Duralast Gold at Auto Zone would be the best choice for a really great battery for a really good price. Be sure that it is the "Gold" and be sure that there are NO MARKS ON THE LEAD CONNECTORS from anyone having used and returned the actual battery you are getting BEFORE IT IS PUT IN YOUR VEHICLE.

Auto Zone has a very good warranty. They will take back a battery and give you a new one no matter what the problem. If the returned battery holds a charge they charge it and clean it and sell it AS NEW. That is the down side to this. You do not want a battery that someone previously had and abused. That is why you should be sure to look at the connections on the battery before it is put into your vehicle. New batteries do not have marks on the lead connectors.

Some of the Duralast that are not Gold are made in Mexico and the quality and reliability are bad. Be sure it is a Gold.

Interstate MEGA TRON PLUS (MTP)-78 would be another great choice, but Interstate Batteries cost 20 to 36 dollars more.

Go to " Forum List " here on BITOG and click on " Question of the Day ". Right now the thread you want to read is the last one on the first page. Its title is " Best Car and Light Truck Batteries ".

 

[StevieC]

Originally Posted By: Scotty1981
I had my Honda Civics battery go out on me with only 3 yrs 3 months and 29k miles on it. Anyone know what a good replacement would be? I ended up getting an autocraft gold at Advance Auto Parts but for the next time ti would be nice to know what brands are good and which ones to stay away from.

FYI factory battery only had 310 CCA that seems awfully low. On the plus side the new one has 500 CCA which should be more than enough for a completely stock car.
The Energizer brand manufactured by J.C. from Walmart is excellent. I have 2 of them in the family and they are doing really well. The warranty is good at 9 years pro-rated and 3 year straight exchange. Another good brand that I have had luck with is Interstate and apparently they are Johnson Control as well.

Stay away from anything Exide.

 

[Vesparado]

Originally Posted By: MrMeeks
...check the generator voltage spec...


07 Civic should be equipped with an alternator.

 

[firefighter]

The generator should apply at least 14 volts across the batt. terminals. [/quote]
Do not take that 14 volts to the bank, most new cars are going to computer controlled alternators. The computer decides at what voltage to charge the battery, some cars even shut the alternator off for periods of time when demand is low. I know this cause we are using scan tools more and more to test charging systems.
Next time I would get a honda battery, they have a 100 month replacement warrenty(prorated). They are good batteries. In anything you can have a problem with a product, but as a whole the honda batteries are pretty good. I am not saying this is the problem, but at work when we look at batteries that have failed prematurely 90% of the time they were drained down and never really recharged, so many think that you can drive your car and recharge your battery not so. You may read 12.6 on a dvom but that is just a surface charge. they need to be recharged at the proper rate/time for the size and amount of discharge.

 

[Jimmy9190]

To get 3 years out of a factory battery is pretty good. Auto Craft batteries are made by Johnson Controls. You should not have any problems with it. I have an Auto Craft Silver in my truck, it is nearly 3 years old now and have had no trouble at all here in the Florida heat. The Gold one you bought should do even better. No worries.

 

[mechtech2]

Originally Posted By: Vesparado
Originally Posted By: MrMeeks
...check the generator voltage spec...


07 Civic should be equipped with an alternator.


They are called AC generators, now. I still call them alternators, but generator is correct.

 

[Tdbo]

Originally Posted By: JimPghPA
Duralast Gold at Auto Zone would be the best choice for a really great battery for a really good price. Be sure that it is the "Gold" and be sure that there are NO MARKS ON THE LEAD CONNECTORS from anyone having used and returned the actual battery you are getting BEFORE IT IS PUT IN YOUR VEHICLE.

Auto Zone has a very good warranty. They will take back a battery and give you a new one no matter what the problem. If the returned battery holds a charge they charge it and clean it and sell it AS NEW. That is the down side to this. You do not want a battery that someone previously had and abused. That is why you should be sure to look at the connections on the battery before it is put into your vehicle. New batteries do not have marks on the lead connectors.

Some of the Duralast that are not Gold are made in Mexico and the quality and reliability are bad. Be sure it is a Gold.

Interstate MEGA TRON PLUS (MTP)-78 would be another great choice, but Interstate Batteries cost 20 to 36 dollars more.

Go to " Forum List " here on BITOG and click on " Question of the Day ". Right now the thread you want to read is the last one on the first page. Its title is " Best Car and Light Truck Batteries ".


Not sure why anyone would want to buy a battery there if they had to be concerned that they were getting a returned (used) battery instead of the new one that they paid for. That(to me) is certainly a questionable practice.

 

[EricZoom]

It doesn't make sense for Autozone to sell these used batteries as new ones, because the Gold have a 3 yr. replacement warranty, and more people would likely be bringing back many of these old or used batteries for replacement.

 

[R2d2]

Originally Posted By: Scotty1981
I had my Honda Civics battery go out on me with only 3 yrs 3 months and 29k miles on it. Anyone know what a good replacement would be? I ended up getting an autocraft gold at Advance Auto Parts but for the next time ti would be nice to know what brands are good and which ones to stay away from.

FYI factory battery only had 310 CCA that seems awfully low. On the plus side the new one has 500 CCA which should be more than enough for a completely stock car.


The battery on my 07 civic went with about 3 years as well (dead cell), I replaced it with a sears diehard gold, I'm very happy with it. BTW this was the first 07 civic that the local sears service center has seen for a battery replacement, and they didn't have a replacement part in the computer but after looking at it they figured out it was the same as the previous generation civic.

 

[stroked93]

Originally Posted By: JimPghPA
Duralast Gold at Auto Zone would be the best choice for a really great battery for a really good price. Be sure that it is the "Gold" and be sure that there are NO MARKS ON THE LEAD CONNECTORS from anyone having used and returned the actual battery you are getting BEFORE IT IS PUT IN YOUR VEHICLE.

Auto Zone has a very good warranty. They will take back a battery and give you a new one no matter what the problem. If the returned battery holds a charge they charge it and clean it and sell it AS NEW. That is the down side to this. You do not want a battery that someone previously had and abused. That is why you should be sure to look at the connections on the battery before it is put into your vehicle. New batteries do not have marks on the lead connectors.

Some of the Duralast that are not Gold are made in Mexico and the quality and reliability are bad. Be sure it is a Gold.

Interstate MEGA TRON PLUS (MTP)-78 would be another great choice, but Interstate Batteries cost 20 to 36 dollars more.

Go to " Forum List " here on BITOG and click on " Question of the Day ". Right now the thread you want to read is the last one on the first page. Its title is " Best Car and Light Truck Batteries ".



AutoZone or any other retailer does not instruct salespeople to sell used batteries as new. Has it happened? probably at many places but because some employee is not following policy. To do so intentionally or have a policy that encourages this would open anybody up to litigation. AutoZone has a used battery program. If a battery is returned and tests good they can be sold as used for a reduced price with a 1 year warranty. The misinformation in your post is very irresponsible.

 

[Vesparado]

Originally Posted By: mechtech2
Originally Posted By: Vesparado
Originally Posted By: MrMeeks
...check the generator voltage spec...


07 Civic should be equipped with an alternator.


They are called AC generators, now. I still call them alternators, but generator is correct.


Nice try...but no cigar. Stop by a dealership or auto parts store and ask for an "AC generator" and see what response you get.

Denso manufactured the unit in the 2007 Civic and they call them alternators. That's good enough for me.

http://www.densoproducts.com/product.asp?productCategoryID=8

http://www.autopartswarehouse.com/detail...mp;apwidf67cZ3t

 

[brianl703]

Originally Posted By: firefighter

Do not take that 14 volts to the bank, most new cars are going to computer controlled alternators.



Even the non-computer controlled alternators will charge the battery below 14V on a hot day. I've seen as low as 13.4V before, on a 95F day. In winter, 14.6 or 14.8V is not uncommon.