Battery Recommendations?

[dailydriver]

Originally Posted By: Donald
I think your pro-active battery checking is a good idea. The conductive battery testers are not that expensive. They are not the high end Midtronics, but they are OK. I have a Solar (brand) one.


Is the Schumacher one sold at Pep Boyzz (for` $43.00) decent, or is it Sino made garbage??

 

[gizzsdad]

Originally Posted By: Loogie
I prefer to replace all car batteries after a max of 4 years.


It's slightly ironic that you mention 4 years. All of my recent failures have been within a month of their 4 year anniversary. So close as to be spooky.

Even worse from the standpoint that I never got any of those telltale "slooow" cranks that let you know it's time to start looking. Fine when parked the night before and deader than dead in the morning.

I HATE that feeling.

I've also started using a BatteryMinder regularly, hoping for some extra life and avoiding that 9:30 PM 60 miles from home failure.

 

[SteveSRT8]

Originally Posted By: CHARLIEBRONSON21
Originally Posted By: Wolf359
I think you should wait on changing the OEM battery. I've had OEM (Motorcraft) last 6-8 years before dying, actually the 8 year one I replaced because I thought it couldn't last much longer. Advance is pretty cheap with the discount code, but I had one die on me after only 3 years, got a second one through the pro-ration, but many new batteries don't have the pro-rated warranty anymore, just a standard two or three year warranty. Normally it's the high heat that kills a battery, they normally die in the winter because cold engines need more power to start and batteries put out less power in the cold. If you were in the deep south, then maybe 4 years would make sense.



Best thing with interstate. The warranty for free replacement and prorate starts over if you need one.


Nice. Always were a high quality battery in the old days, too.

In the modern world there are too few battery manufacturers to over-think a battery purchase. We simply choose the one with the longest non pro-rated period.

In our fleet of trucks and cars the batteries last from 5 to as much as 11 years.

 

[JHZR2]

Originally Posted By: dailydriver
Originally Posted By: Donald
I think your pro-active battery checking is a good idea. The conductive battery testers are not that expensive. They are not the high end Midtronics, but they are OK. I have a Solar (brand) one.


Is the Schumacher one sold at Pep Boyzz (for` $43.00) decent, or is it Sino made garbage??

Id go with a low current thermally compensated charger like the model 2012 battery minder.

 

[Lapham3]

Years ago, a slow crank often gave a warning for a dying battery. These days, I've sometimes had warning, but often none at all. Dan Mpls. Mn.

 

[dailydriver]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Originally Posted By: dailydriver
Originally Posted By: Donald
I think your pro-active battery checking is a good idea. The conductive battery testers are not that expensive. They are not the high end Midtronics, but they are OK. I have a Solar (brand) one.


Is the Schumacher one sold at Pep Boyzz (for` $43.00) decent, or is it Sino made garbage??

Id go with a low current thermally compensated charger like the model 2012 battery minder.


I was asking about their TESTER, NOT their chargers.

BTW; is the one Griot's Garage sells for $100.00 a Midtronics, or would it be much more if it were, and it is probably a Solar?

 

[Redpatches]

My Odyssey's OEM battery died this morning from the latest "Polar Vortex" to hit New Jersey. Luckily I caught the last day of the Interstate Mega-tron II sale ($99.99 plus a $10 mail-in rebate)