Battery question

Status
Not open for further replies.
Joined
Jun 16, 2007
Messages
2
Location
Texas
My son has twice let the OEM battery on my 2007 Nissan minvan drain down to the point where it needed to be jump started. (He was watching movies on the DVD system without the engine running.)

We also live in South Texas, and the outside temps hover at about 100 degrees pretty much all summer. The van stays in my driveway so it never gets a break from the heat.

I am wondering if the battery should be replaced even though I haven't had any problems starting the van yet.

Also, what would you all suggest? Optima yellow top or Costco?
 
A standard battery works great.
Make sure you get one built for warm climates. Yes, there is a Yankee version of batteries, built for better cold weather durability and performance. And the warm climate battery is geared for best results and life in heat.
Heat is hard on batteries, and they will not last quite as long, usually.
Batteries are sold by region, so you will be OK unless you pick one up when out of state up north.
What damage did the kid do? Probably none. [You don't have to tell him that.]
 
Opitmas aren't the best ,good marketing though. You need to fully charge the battery and have it load tested if you are worried about the condition of the battery.
 
If it holds a charge and starts the car I wouldn't worry about it... Just check that the electrolyte is full if possible.

FWIW: My mom has killed the battery on her Kia multiple (10+) times by leaving the interior light on and we have charged it back up and all is fine.
 
It is all about the priorities. Is it absolutely critical that the car start every morning or could you tolerate a little delay? My dad was disabled and he replaced all belts and hoses every two years and the battery before the warranty ran out. I might add, he never got stranded either, for any reason.
 
Originally Posted By: Steve S
Opitmas aren't the best ,good marketing though. You need to fully charge the battery and have it load tested if you are worried about the condition of the battery.


Then who is the best?
 
Originally Posted By: chevrofreak
Optima's are made by Johnson Controls :p


Didn't JCI buy them out? I thought they were originally Scandinavian.
 
Originally Posted By: Steve S
Johnson controls makes probably the overall best batteries.


Maybe in the US market. I thought that Panasonic or Yuasa were top-notch, but good luck finding them outside of OEM installations from a car assembled in Japan.
 
welcome2.gif



It's new enough to handle it. My wife degraded the OEM battery on her jeep after 6+ years by leaving the lights on during rain events. She insisted I defeat the courtesy light, which the light chime shares the fuse with.

I have a hard time figuring a DVD consuming that much capacity unless it was many hours. My laptop would probably make it through good chunk of a movie on the internal battery ..but it would never start an engine.
 
Originally Posted By: chevrofreak
Optima's are made by Johnson Controls :p
They are not that good especially for the premium in the price.
 
Originally Posted By: chevrofreak
Optima's are made by Johnson Controls :p


But the Optima design is one made for cheap automated manufacturing, not necessarily best battery. I've seen too many of them turn into Mt. Vesuvius.
 
Originally Posted By: mechtech2
A standard battery works great.
Make sure you get one built for warm climates. Yes, there is a Yankee version of batteries, built for better cold weather durability and performance. And the warm climate battery is geared for best results and life in heat.
Heat is hard on batteries, and they will not last quite as long, usually.
Batteries are sold by region, so you will be OK unless you pick one up when out of state up north.
What damage did the kid do? Probably none. [You don't have to tell him that.]

I live in Florida, and not once have I ever seen a battery that was specially built for heat.

All I ever see from each manufacturer is a "Good, better, best" and sometimes something exotic, unless it is an uncommon size, then there is just 1 choice.

I just fine the one with the highest CCA and install it.
 
Yup. All the north WalMart batteries have an "N" tagged on the end. My Battery is a MAXX-65N. If I bought one in say Las Vegas I would get a MAXX-65S.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top