Battery replacement oem

[Decep]

According to autozone's website, it doesn't fit. Maybe you used an adapter?

[Adam_L]

I've heard two things recently in regards to batteries, not sure if #2 is true :

1. Interstate batteries : are owned/maintained by Mormons … if anyone cares.

2. Optima batteries (Red or Yellow top) , have lower / lowered their quality in the last 3 years, roughly. Not so sure if this is a true statement. I bought a Red top for my xA back in Fall- '15 , I didn't install it until Fall '16 ….but it's been rock solid, does well in powering my sound system ( 2 amps).

**My original Panasonic battery in my xA lasted just over 9.5 years!!! That was a battery produced in 2006 , but again I've heard Panasonic batteries have dropped off a bit in quality in the last 7-8 years, many people with the Twins complain about the battery.

[extrashaky]

Originally Posted by Adam_L

2. Optima batteries (Red or Yellow top) , have lower / lowered their quality in the last 3 years, roughly. Not so sure if this is a true statement.

Up until about 2010 Optima had a fantastic reputation. I remember they were the go-to batteries for the Jeep guys. Any time someone requested a battery recommendation on one of the forums, the overwhelming winner was Optima.

Then in 2009-2010 threads started popping up where people said their brand new Optima had only lasted four to six months. Over the ensuing years complaints like this persisted. Autozone employees in particular were talking openly on the internet about having to replace more of them under warranty than any other brand they sold in the stores.

What appears to have happened to cause the change is that Optima moved production from the US to Mexico in 2009. Based on the anecdotal stories on the automotive message boards, shortly after that move they started having issues with some of the batteries just shitting the bed after four to six months, while others performed as before. Apparently there are problems with batches as well, with some of the parts store employees reporting that they're having waves of warranty returns that seem to be from the same shipment.

Their prior reputation has sustained them for a long time, but just in the last few years the failures seem to have reached enough of a critical mass to turn the tide against them. You still have fanboys who swear by them. But now you also have former fanboys who swear at them because they have also been hit with a dud.

[Adam_L]

Thanks for the Optima info!!! That all makes sense now. It's probably 1 in 5, that have lower then expected quality results. I had ordered a Yellow top in Fall of '13 , and by Spring of '14, it was having issues holding a charge, starting, etc. So I got a replacement under warranty later that spring '14 , and the replacement battery has been good the last 5 years.

It could be a batch thing and/or wave of bad batteries poping up. They have their own way of making batteries (battery architecture ) , so I could see lots of possible problems poping up if you move production. Also , their means to source materials may have also declined (went south, in the way of later buying lower quality materials) .

[extrashaky]

Originally Posted by Adam_L

I had ordered a Yellow top in Fall of '13 , and by Spring of '14, it was having issues holding a charge, starting, etc. So I got a replacement under warranty later that spring '14 , and the replacement battery has been good the last 5 years.

And that's typical of the kind of complaints people keep posting about them. It appears to be a genuine quality control issue. Sometimes it's unwise to rely on what people say on the internet, and any battery can fail prematurely. However, there have been so many reports exactly like yours that there seems to be more to it than just a normal failure rate getting blown out of proportion.

If someone really likes the brand, he can always keep buying them and return it under warranty if it shits the bed in the hope that the next one will have been manufactured on Wednesday instead of Friday. Personally, I'd prefer to avoid getting stranded somewhere, or at least delay it as long as possible. Deka/East Penn and Exide both have good reputations. The Sam's Club Duracell I have in my BRZ is made by Deka, which is considered one of the best manufacturers and still makes them in the US.

[Silverz]

I’m kinda looking at the Duracell agm at sams. That’s a good price.

[Bonburner]

Deka Intimidator

[extrashaky]

Originally Posted by Bonburner

Deka Intimidator

Good battery. Stupid name.

"Oh no! That silent plastic box is intimidating me! I have to go find a safe space!"

[xenarc]

Deka batteries have treated me well since 2007. Warranty on them is 2 years.
Scotty Kilmer can also help you...

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-eb244DpjGY[/ame]

[dnieves]

Originally Posted by extrashaky

My OEM battery was crap. It was so weak the engine would stumble when I turned on the lights, and the lights would dim if I rolled down a window. I thought that was normal behavior, that we just had a weak alternator. If I forgot to remove my OBDII adapter when I left the car at the airport while out on a trip, the battery would be dead within four to five days.

I finally replaced it with a Duracell AGM battery from Sam's Club. Instantly everything electrical worked better. No more engine stumbling when I turned on the lights. I accidentally left the trunk open overnight for ten hours and figured it would be dead. It started right up without any hesitation.

The only drawback is that the AGM battery is heavy, but unless you're on a weight reduction scheme for racing, who cares. If I were to buy another one, I'd replace that Painasonic right off.

I also purchased a Duracell AGM battery to replace the OEM Panasonic Nov 2018. Not a single complaint so far.

[dnieves]

Originally Posted by xenarc

Deka batteries have treated me well since 2007. Warranty on them is 2 years.
Scotty Kilmer can also help you...

I purchased a yellow top Optima battery for the wife 2008 tC summer of 2017 and no issues so far (I'm one of the lucky ones). I don't think I'd buy another one with the less than stellar quality control Johnson Controls has exhibited since leaving the US and moving manufacturing to Mexico. I'd buy another Duracell AGM.

[G_Rossney]

So I was doing some research on this topic recently. The stock battery is a Group 35 (35R) battery, but you can use almost any battery. I wish I weight the OEM battery, but I'm sure it's at least 35lbs.

Found that a 51R is smaller and will be about 9 lbs lighter. They average 457 CCA which is better than the stock at 360. My friend went with the DieHard Gold from Advanced Auto (27.8lbs). I'm leaning towards the Interstate 51R, it's $110 less expensive and has same CCA (500). I don't know the weight, but I can't imagine it will be too far off. The DieHard silver is 26.8 lbs, so that could be an option.

I've been using Braille Light weight batteries. I went through an alternator and I have to keep the car on a trickle charger all the time. Also, I can't have the ignition on for any length of time or the battery dies. The 51R batteries have 75-85 mins of reserve power, so that should be great!

[Luns]

Originally Posted by G_Rossney

Found that a 51R is smaller and will be about 9 lbs lighter. They average 457 CCA which is better than the stock at 360. My friend went with the DieHard Gold from Advanced Auto (27.8lbs). I'm leaning towards the Interstate 51R, it's $110 less expensive and has same CCA (500). I don't know the weight, but I can't imagine it will be too far off. The DieHard silver is 26.8 lbs, so that could be an option.

If you go down that road, the next stop after that would be a group 151 battery. This would be something around another 5-7 lbs ligher than a 51R. CCA is of course less than the 51R. The Duralast Gold (Autozone) in this size is rated at 370CCA which is still more than 360 if that is indeed the stock value. I don't know if this would be going too far, but the option is there for anybody who wants to try it.

[Qwimby1]

My starter battery is a PC 680 so that the rest of the space can be taken up by two deep-cycle batteries that power my ESC. It works fine, and has gone as long as three days idle without a problem, even with my OBD reader hooked up. If it were to sit longer, I have it rigged for a battery tender, but haven't needed it so far.