Battery suggestions

[azTony]

Well I seen plenty of posts for batteries on the main forum but wanted to get the opinion of Arizona folks on their suggestion. It was 2:30 am yesterday morning and when I turned the key it was clicking. I jumped in the Tundra and when I came home from work I checked the battery and the voltage was below 10. I charged it but it never took a full charge (according to the charger) but was able to get to 12.6V and she started. We had a show today and when I got home it was 12.1V from sitting for the day.

What batteries have been good to the Phoenix peps?

 

[lc69hunter]

I have been partial to the Optima Blue Tops. Am running them in both the 40 and the 55. Both for starting and reserve. However, I have an Interstate that lasted almost 7 years in the 40.

 

[-Spike-]

Is it an Optima? I have been able to resuscitate Optimas before, by dropping them on the floor from ~3 feet high and then hitting them with a 50 amp charge for a short time, them overnight at 2 amps. An Optima retailer told me about this trick, he got it from an Optima rep, something about knocking crystals loose from the matting. I just did this with a completely dead Optima, been working fine for several weeks now.

I have Optimas in all my (passenger) vehicles, never had the problems other people have had.

If you want the best bang for the buck, supposedly that's the Sears Platinum battery, re badged Odyssey. Kevin did a write-up recently, you might search for that.

 

[ChaseTruck]

I've had good luck with Optimas (I run a yellow main/red aux combo), but it seems that they are not really hip any more...

I killed a red one back in Nebraska, and tried the "drop from 4' height" thing just because... all I learned was how quickly I could jump backwards, and how far. The battery never came back to life - but I didn't have the 50-Amp charge capability...

Claudia just put a blue deep-cycle in the '40.

 

[DSRTRDR]

I have been able to parlay a Sears 2-year battery warranty to a total of 6 years - but that was in the minivan, and it was a regular lowly DieHard

in the 40, I have had a deep cycle Excide Orbital Marine (almost nobody carries them anymore these days ) that I needed to replace (partial warranty) after 2.5 years, and the replacement just gave out

since in my experience they all give out in my garage, I want what the closest supply point offers, and hence, I switched to what the local autoparts store carries these days (they don't have the Excides anymore ) - so it was a comparable Optima blue top

two years full replacement warranty (instead of the 1 year/prorated deal I had before) - I only have to remember now when those two years are up

 

[-Spike-]

two years full replacement warranty (instead of the 1 year/prorated deal I had before) - I only have to remember now when those two years are up

There should be a date sticker on the battery somewhere. What did you pay? Costco? (They're great for returns, dunno if they still carry the Optimas, that's where I bought all mine but it's been a few years).

 

[DSRTRDR]

There should be a date sticker on the battery somewhere.

for the warranty, the purchase receipt counts, not the sticker

ahem, there is no Costco in Fountain Hills

$190 or so at O'Reilly's/Checkers - I got like $10 off of that from the Excide prorate

 

[LandCruiserPhil]

I have a few Optimas and have always had good luck. Costco now only carries Optima red and Optima Blues with still an excellent return policy. No sales receipt is needed only the membership card you used to purchase it.

 

[DSRTRDR]

from my experiences living and part-timing in Arizona, I have come to the conclusion that anything beyond 2-3 years on a battery is just a bonus

 

[-Spike-]

for the warranty, the purchase receipt counts, not the sticker

ahem, there is no Costco in Fountain Hills

$190 or so at O'Reilly's/Checkers - I got like $10 off of that from the Excide prorate

The sticker indicates the manufacture date, O'Reilly's has your info on file so if it takes a dump within 2 years of the manu date (or so) you know it's covered, and you don't need a receipt. Costco works the same way. It's rare to see a battery sold more than a couple of months after it's manu'ed, I always check the date before I buy the battery, I want the freshest possible.

Oh, and you could travel a couple of miles down Shea and over to Raintree to CIVILIZATION.

 

[flyingyogi]

I just bought an Optima Bluetop at Costco last month for $154 plus $9 for core charge. Anywhere else in Tucson they run about $185++.

 

[msahr]

I just replaced a 5 year (at least) old Optima Red Top in my 4Runner with another Optima Red Top. No water worries, no mounting hassles, no white crud around the posts, no cable degradation, they just friggin' work. Maybe could have done the drop-charge trick but I didn't know about it til now. Oh well, got a shine new battery now.

 

[BrotherRob]

Believe it or not, I've had good luck with the batteries at Walmart. They have a two year full replacement (which, in Az is almost a certainty), and they will test and replace them without you having to get your hands dirty.

I know, changing a battery is no big deal. But when you are in dress clothes, it usually means something gets ruined.

 

[DSRTRDR]

Oh, and you could travel a couple of miles down Shea and over to Raintree to CIVILIZATION.

dude, it's already 20 minutes to frickin' the only autoparts-store-in-town O'Reilly's/Checkers from where we are (gotta get back, so even he simplest deal takes like an hour minimum ) - why would I drive even further out west ?

 

[DSRTRDR]

Believe it or not, I've had good luck with the batteries at Walmart. They have a two year full replacement (which, in Az is almost a certainty), and they will test and replace them without you having to get your hands dirty.

I know, changing a battery is no big deal. But when you are in dress clothes, it usually means something gets ruined.

yeah, some monkey wrenched it into my cruiser - and I happened to have a hard time, as it were, to keep the smartassing at a minimum

 

[Tools R Us]

The sticker indicates the manufacture date, ...

The date code is branded into the case, any good distributor will warranty on date code, no receipt needed.

I have developed a good relationship with the local Interstate distributor. They have 4 warehouses, 3 in Mesa and 1 in N Scottsdale, they go through 4-5 semi loads of batteries a week. Have a meeting with the owner on Tuesday, will propose a CSC account.

Interstate is partnered with Optima, so stocks, sells, services them. They have exchanged at least two for club members, who had problems with the store where they bought them.

That said, the only way an Optima would be in my rig is if I needed to mount it sideways or in the passenger compartment or weight was a huge issue, like a race car. At one time all of my city, emergency fleet customers ran Optima batteries, now none do, have not proven to be suitable for mission critical use. All of them went back to Interstate.

In talking to the pros, the AGM batteries don't have the life in AZ that a good lead acid does. Why pay twice the price for something that is less durable, reliable?

My rig came with a regular Interstate, looked like it was for a Honda, tiny, had a spacer under it. When it died a couple of years ago, the date code said it was 10yrs old. Replaced it with a group 27F Megatron, good to go, likely much more battery than the rig needs.

 

[Chuy]

I have had good luck with Red Tops in the past, and in Afghanistan, Iraq, Al Udeid almost everything is Optima over there and seems to run well. Everything American is Optima, besides the rentals and leased vehicles. Most of the batteries that aren't seem to bubble up and die. All of the small motored equipment like A/C units, Light Alls, heaters, MC2 air compressors all use red tops all over the world. I just bought a Die Hard Platinum and it seem to crank much stronger than the OEM Toyota battery that it came with. Optima seems to have caught the internet bug, not sure how much of it is manufacturing or normal dud rate. For me its a gamble, my Jeep has a 1 yr old Duralast Gold, wifes VW Turbo Beetle has a 6 month old Interstate, and the Scion has the original 5 year old OEM battery. Then when you start reading on the net it seems like some of the AGM batteries are going bad in just a few months. I will probably try a dual Wal-Mart setup when my over priced Die Hard Platinum bites the dust. I have had batteries last 2 years 5 years, and so long the markings are illegible.

 

[azTony]

I have a little over 3 days to get the battery fixed, clean the filter in the pool, blah blah blah until I am stuck not lifting after the surgery this Friday. I never knew I had so much to do until I scheduled surgery. Thanks for the replies, now which one will I get the best deal on!!

 

[Saddletramp]

Costco Optima and call it done.

 

[leftarmtan]

Another vote for optima red top.Took 7 years to kill my first one.