Battery Died, need opinion on replacement options (Page 1/2)
Meatstick62 NOV 13, 07:53 PM


Are $200 Optima batteries worth the price for a daily driver? Yeah it has 800 cold-cranking amps (OEM battery is 650 CCA) and is highly vibration resistant but is it overkill? The battery in my wife's SRX went out over the weekend and needs replacing.

The batteries from Autozone and Advance Auto Parts are both about $180 for the proper 101 group size replacement. I found that a 78 group size should also work and a lot of people switch to those because they're cheaper, easier to find, and all of those options have higher cold-cranking amps. As far as I can tell the Autocraft Gold ($100) has 800 CCA and is the best that I can get from Advance Auto and is a standard lead-acid battery with a 3 year warranty. Autozone has a Duralast Gold that is a similarly priced lead-acid battery but also has an Duralast Platinum Absorbed Glass Mat battery for $144 that has 750 CCA and also has a 3 year warranty. My other option is to go to Batteries Plus and get a Rayovac lead-acid battery for $100 that has 850 CCA and a 3 year warranty. I haven't heard much about Rayovac automotive batteries and don't know what to think of them.

Is AGM that big of a deal? How much importance should I place on CCA as long as it meets or exceeds that of the OEM battery? Should any of these brands (Optima, Autocraft, Duralast, Rayovac) be avoided?
jaskispyder NOV 13, 08:33 PM
I get my batteries at advance auto parts. Order it online and find a coupon. Usually I can save $30 or more. Just pick it up at the store. As for quality, their brand has worked well for me.
Meatstick62 NOV 13, 09:54 PM
I have an Advanced Auto coupon for $20 off of $100 that I may use on the Autocraft Gold they have. That would knock the total down to just about $100 making the price comparable to the Rayovac. At that point the only difference is that the Rayovac would have 50 more CCA than the Autocraft Gold. Not sure if brand makes too much of a difference but they both have 3 year warranties. What will happen after that warranty expires is my big concern. Will both of them give me 6 more months or will one die on month #37 and the other on month #50? I don't know the reputation of either of those brands.
E.Furgal NOV 13, 10:55 PM
almost all lead/acid batterys are made but johnson controls
the bigger battery will have more power longer... but might not be needed if you don't sit for long idle times with the radio heater lights on.. or play b/ball with the lights on to light up the court..lol

the drycell batteries .don't like fast charges.. if you happen to run the battery down.. you have to slowly recharge.. if you jump it and let the car alt. system charge it.. it'll kill it..
CCA is somewhat miss leading as most cars today.. have gearreduction starters that don't draw tons of amps like the older cars did..
500cca will be more than enough..
Shill NOV 13, 11:36 PM
Here locally, we have an interstate battery hub, I go in and ask for a blem battery (blemished) i can buy a brand new battery for $25 for the fiero. minus the price of the core that is. blem is just a cosmetic defect, still carries the same warranty, etc. they just don't put ship them out to retailers or car dealers to be sold in new vehicles and such.
RWDPLZ NOV 14, 12:47 AM

quote
Originally posted by Meatstick62:

Are $200 Optima batteries worth the price for a daily driver?



NO. I've had two, first went bad after 9 months, the second after 3. Recently on a fall color tour with some other Fieros, one had a battery actually overheat and start to steam, we had to go to an auto parts store to get a replacement. It was an Optima. I've heard countless other anecdotes about them, all similar.

A couple years ago I would have recommended AC Delco, but now I'd say Interstate. The bigger the better, you can't have too many CCA's
skuzzbomer NOV 14, 11:56 AM
Don't bother. Buy the cheap battery at Advance and get the 84mo prorated warranty - 3 years no questions asked is nice but essentially getting a guaranteed discount on future replacement costs is nicer (unless you can swing a blemished unit even cheaper).

I just replaced the OEM battery in my 9 year old RX8. It had been at the body shop for 6 weeks and they flooded it at some point - that was the last trip it was going to make anyway.

[This message has been edited by skuzzbomer (edited 11-14-2012).]

V8 Vega NOV 14, 12:11 PM
I think Walmart batteries are the best value, I did some comparisons awhile ago.

I want nothing to do with the US's future under Obama.
Meatstick62 NOV 14, 12:45 PM

quote
Originally posted by skuzzbomer:

Don't bother. Buy the cheap battery at Advance and get the 84mo prorated warranty - 3 years no questions asked is nice but essentially getting a guaranteed discount on future replacement costs is nicer (unless you can swing a blemished unit even cheaper).

I just replaced the OEM battery in my 9 year old RX8. It had been at the body shop for 6 weeks and they flooded it at some point - that was the last trip it was going to make anyway.




I didn't know that the Autocraft batteries at Advance had a prorated warranty on top of the 3 years. I wonder if Autozone has the same warranty on their Duralast batteries.

The only reason I'd spend $45 more and get the battery from Autozone is because their Platinum battery is an AGM, though I'm not sure how much of an advantage that is.

I have an Everstart from Walmart in my Fiero, however their prices are identical to the Rayovac at Batteries Plus and the Autocraft Gold at Advance. I don't think they have the prorated warranty on top of the 3 year warranty either.
carnut122 NOV 14, 07:57 PM
I get mine from Wal-Mart.