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Need a new battery, any reccemendations?

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Old Aug 13, 2005 | 06:32 AM
  #1  
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Need a new battery, any reccemendations?

Every time I replace the battery which is not too often, it ends up getting corroded after some time. CAn anyone reccemend a good corrosion freee batery?
Old Aug 13, 2005 | 07:50 AM
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Sears Die Hard.....they have guarantees, like anything from Sears....
Old Aug 13, 2005 | 09:58 AM
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Make sure your terminal ends are completely clean before installing your new battery or the problem will repeat. Baking soda and water cleans them up nicely. If the ends are corroded, consider replacing them before you install the new battery.

For the Sears Die Hard.
My original Nissan OEM battery is over 5 years old and still going strong.
Old Aug 13, 2005 | 11:32 AM
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The expensive Optima maybe?
Old Aug 13, 2005 | 12:56 PM
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Or if ya wanna go lightweight battery you can get a odyssey 545.
Old Aug 14, 2005 | 02:27 AM
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You can also get some treated felt type rings that go over the posts before you attach the cables that will help eliminate corrosion.
Old Aug 14, 2005 | 03:18 AM
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I have the Optima red top battery and 24k gold plated posts and have not had any corrosion.

Old Aug 14, 2005 | 04:06 AM
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The purpose of a battery is to start the car. Any $70 battery with a 650CCA or more (0 degrees) blows the OEM away. imho any battery costing more than that is a complete waste, as it does not start the car any better. Plus, the $70 one has a 2-3 yr free replacement. I'd recommend Sears or Advance Auto.
Old Aug 14, 2005 | 04:26 AM
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You get what you pay for! (Optima red top battery)
Old Aug 14, 2005 | 07:36 PM
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Originally Posted by Glude
Or if ya wanna go lightweight battery you can get a odyssey 545.
Does the 545 have enough CCA to start a car, especially in the winter???
Old Aug 14, 2005 | 09:45 PM
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you need to go with an optima, you will actually notice a difference in the car. If your windows are laggin at all this will most likely help a great deal...it did w/ mine. Also if you have any sort of aftermarket stereo stuff or anything for that matter drawing a higher current off your batt. i strongly recommend this. I have the yellow top which i prefer. hope this helps...trust me it's worth every penny.

Old Aug 14, 2005 | 10:17 PM
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clean the terminals pretty good, i'd recommend using soda. i cleaned it with baking soda once and i think the mixture went into the vent caps and ruined my battery. anyway i bought some of those treated felt washers and i haven't had corrosion since
Old Aug 15, 2005 | 08:58 AM
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I will be going with the yellow top optima myself.....
Old Aug 15, 2005 | 12:00 PM
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Clean terminals and Yellow top.
Old Aug 15, 2005 | 04:53 PM
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Originally Posted by makdaddy386
you need to go with an optima, you will actually notice a difference in the car.
When a battery is fully-functional, you could put in a 200 A alternator and a battery with 1500 CCA, and there should be no difference. It's a car battery whose purpose is to start the vehicle. The alternator provides juice for all electricals, and on top of that, charges the battery.

Where your comments would be correct would be with a laptop or cell phone battery. In such cases, the batteries which have higher ratings exhibit increased performance, which appears as longer up time. My .25.
Old Aug 15, 2005 | 06:47 PM
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Originally Posted by Maxrider24/7
I will be going with the yellow top optima myself.....
Nice choice, I definetly recommend if you are planning on upgrading stereo equipment later.

Originally Posted by Frank Fontaine
When a battery is fully-functional, you could put in a 200 A alternator and a battery with 1500 CCA, and there should be no difference. It's a car battery whose purpose is to start the vehicle. The alternator provides juice for all electricals, and on top of that, charges the battery.

Where your comments would be correct would be with a laptop or cell phone battery. In such cases, the batteries which have higher ratings exhibit increased performance, which appears as longer up time. My .25.
Who was asking for longer uptime? Everyone knows that the battery gets recharged by the alt. every time you run your vehicle. The reason for my recommendation was because this specific battery is made to perform well in a variety of unwanted conditions. This battery is specifically designed to be deeply discharged and still crank your vehicle with the same efficiency of their Red Top series. This battery can also withstand over 350 full discharges and crank your vehicle after not being started or recharged for over a full year. My reasoning behind recommending this battery is b/c you can easily swap this battery in your vehicle yourself (vs. the less mechanically inclined having to get an alt. professionally installed.) And the cost is relatively cheap for such an awesome battery. I was able to pick mine up for $115 brand new. Thats my .02

-Kevin
Old Aug 15, 2005 | 07:49 PM
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costco batterys are great

really no need for an optima unless you are going to be mounting it upside down or flipping your car anytime soon.
Old Aug 15, 2005 | 07:50 PM
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I just purchased a Optima Yellow top (d34/78) today from auto zone. main reason is so that i can run my stereo, screen, and computer for extended periods of time and not worry about my battery dying. and if it does die im not going to kill it cuz its supposed to take over 350 full dicharges. I would spend the money and go with the yellow top. Optima's are also don't corrode at all from what i've read. Only downside is the little higher price tag and the sucker is Heavy.
Old Aug 15, 2005 | 07:59 PM
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It's worth it, believe me. Besides when is the last time you heard a complaint from someone with an Optima. They rock.
Old Aug 17, 2005 | 06:14 PM
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just got an auto zone duralast gold for the 96 about 1 month ago. 640 COLD CRANKING AMPS (800 CRANKING AMPS) 3 YEAR FREE REPLACEMENT. lets see how long it lasts.
Old Aug 18, 2005 | 02:53 PM
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I have had a Red Top for several years (same battery). It always cranks over even in the coldest temps. Even my Interstate would sometimes go in the cold.
Old Aug 18, 2005 | 03:38 PM
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Get an optima you won't regret it. But if you get something else you may regret it down the road.
Sams Club $99.99 worth every penny

HoldTight....
Old Aug 18, 2005 | 03:41 PM
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http://forums.maxima.org/showthread....WEIGHT+BATTERY

check it out. Lightweight battery work just as well as full size, unless of course you have a full blown stereo. To stop corrosion, all you need are those 99 cents red and green donuts sold at any autoparts store.

Ptatohed and I installed a 6 lb jumper pack battery in his car and it has started everytime for the last 2 months. I wouldn't recommend using it through a cold winter though. I'm going with the 10.8 lb Odyssey.
Old Aug 19, 2005 | 03:37 AM
  #24  
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Originally Posted by JSutter
just got an auto zone duralast gold for the 96 about 1 month ago. 640 COLD CRANKING AMPS (800 CRANKING AMPS) 3 YEAR FREE REPLACEMENT. lets see how long it lasts.
All you got is a 3 yr free replacement--but you're still not in the "Optima Club!"

j/k that's the way to go. Nobody cares what battery you have when they lift your hood, unless you have a show car. If Optima is so good, then why not have a comparable warranty? Plus, on paper, as I've said before, Exide's Orbital blows it away. But imho nobody needs any of them anyway. If you're out on the Atlantic Ocean then sure, you want a deep-cycle that can be mounted upside-down. In a Maxima? Any top-of-the-line $60-$70 battery from an autoparts store or Sears is already way better than stock.
Old Aug 19, 2005 | 08:48 AM
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Originally Posted by Frank Fontaine
When a battery is fully-functional, you could put in a 200 A alternator and a battery with 1500 CCA, and there should be no difference. It's a car battery whose purpose is to start the vehicle. The alternator provides juice for all electricals, and on top of that, charges the battery.
ok but thats just a tad bit misleading. if your car is off and you are running say a carputer or a stereo or anything that uses powre, the battery is doing all the work.

crappy batteries will def. not last as long as say an optima if you run stuff while not having the car running. optimas are made for abuse. red tops for starting, yellow tops for accessories.
Old Aug 19, 2005 | 09:13 AM
  #26  
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Optima yellow or red top. Ive got the red myself.
Old Aug 19, 2005 | 09:36 AM
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I see folks recommending the Optima. But, none of them have mentioned a good place to get it (at a great price) barring one person who got theirs from Auto Zone.

Any one?
Old Aug 19, 2005 | 09:42 AM
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I got mine at Auto zone. i was a little hesitant to spend so much but when i told the guy i needed one today and that i might be back he offered to take 10% off and i was like SOLD. got it for a little over 150 after exchange. About the same price as i could have got it online. Not bad for a yellowtop d34/78. Just had to buy a 4" positive battery wire since the top posts are further towards the middle.
Old Aug 19, 2005 | 09:43 AM
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Originally Posted by Frank Fontaine
If Optima is so good, then why not have a comparable warranty?
Maybe if you make a solid enough product there is no need to warranty. Customers that buy optimas know that the battery can handle over 350 deep discharges as stated above...if your shootin over those numbers maybe you need to start looking down the roads of user error. Besides everywhere that I've dealt with that carries optima batteries will replace the battery no charge if it does have some sort of defect.

Originally Posted by Frank Fontaine
Plus, on paper, as I've said before, Exide's Orbital blows it away.
How is this? That like saying that "a brand new chevy 2500 w/ a duramax diesel blows away a maxima on paper". What...ok, well if your talking about towing then sure, but if you want to talk about skid pad or speed (granted the maxima is not a G-pushing machine from the factory) then it's a different story. Different batteries are geared towards different situations. The lightweight batteries blow away optimas "on paper" when your going to the strip. The yellow top's blow away a jumper pack when you are talking about current draw and holding a charge.

I don't mean to poop in your punch bowl Frank. I just felt that the info was a little misleading as well. I agree that optima's are not neccessary most of the time, however in this situation he has had a problem with batteries dying, which would lead me to recommend a deep cycle battery. My experience is w/ optima and I haven't been let down yet.
Old Aug 19, 2005 | 09:58 AM
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i got mine for 104 i think at murrays.
Old Aug 19, 2005 | 10:27 AM
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I got mine from autozone it came with a warranty also and if you give them your old battery you get a minimal discount.
Old Aug 19, 2005 | 01:59 PM
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Originally Posted by makdaddy386
How is this? That like saying that "a brand new chevy 2500 w/ a duramax diesel blows away a maxima on paper". What...ok, well if your talking about towing then sure, but if you want to talk about skid pad or speed (granted the maxima is not a G-pushing machine from the factory) then it's a different story. Different batteries are geared towards different situations. The lightweight batteries blow away optimas "on paper" when your going to the strip. The yellow top's blow away a jumper pack when you are talking about current draw and holding a charge.
I understand what you're driving at. Maybe you're just not aware of Orbitals, they are directly comparable to Optimas. No biggie, here's a link if you want to just broaden your awareness. I would never buy it or Optima, so I'm not pushing it. But they were the official sponsors of LowRider Evolution, so they're just as cool (don't go to the site from work because WebSense will consider it a "lingerie" website and your 18 yr. old webmaster will write you up lol).

http://www.exide.com/pdf/orbital_xcd...d_features.pdf
Old Aug 19, 2005 | 02:13 PM
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I am waiting to look at this when I get home from work. lol Glad you posted that. Anyways I wasn't trying to bash you at all and I didn't buy the optima because I thought it was cool. My intent down the road is to install an audio system with components that have huge current draw along with upgranding the alternator. However, again, my reason for the recommendation was the problem the thread starter was specifying. I agree that other batteries will get the job done, I just trust an optima more in rough conditions. That's all, thanks for the link though.

O, and u can tell that I didn't buy the optima to make my underhood look cool because this is the only AM part in there.
Old Aug 19, 2005 | 03:04 PM
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Originally Posted by tripleGmax
i got mine for 104 i think at murrays.

nice price, thats usually the red top prices.
Old Aug 19, 2005 | 08:36 PM
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I got my Red Top at CostCo for $99.99 +tax and it includes a warranty. To prevent corrosion I also use those felt circle pads and I put dielectric grease on both terminals.
Old Aug 20, 2005 | 09:54 PM
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$102.99 at costco for a red top group 75-35...i love it when compared to my stock batttery. my dimming is almost non existent now with my system up.
Old Aug 25, 2005 | 08:09 AM
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I had good luck with Costco. They cost just about $40, and the current one has lasted me since 11/2000, for 110k miles, and is still good.
Old Aug 26, 2005 | 06:06 PM
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i have the optima red top in my car also. it does the same thing the $50 battery i had gotten from autozone before that. unless your running stereo or something else you need the extra juice and abuse outa the battery optima is a waste of cash imho.
Old Aug 26, 2005 | 08:16 PM
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main reason i got my yellowtop was for car shows. i want to be running my stereo with 800watt rms amp and my carputer with 7" screen for hours without worrying about it dying. and if it does happen to die i know i will be able to jump and rechage it 350 times and get no performance loss.
Old Aug 26, 2005 | 08:24 PM
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Red Top Optima for 105.99 @ Advance Auto

I have a 7 year warranty; 3 years direct replacement, 4 years pro-rated.

I think this is a hell of a warrranty. Oh yeah, the power "fading" i had is now gone and it cranked in the coldest of winters. (knock on wood)



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