dabest09

iTrader: (1)

Battery is almost shot. I have had an ACDelco in there for a LONG time. I want to replace it with another Delco one but the only place around here that sells them is the dealership and I'm thinking they will want an arm and a leg for one.
What battery is everyone using? I don't want to drop the coin on an Optima.

Latch

iTrader: (8)

Just get whatever parts store brand you prefer... no need to spend a bunch of money on an Optima, it's a waste. Got a Carquest battery in my car, no complaints.

LS6427

iTrader: (2)

Bennett Auto Supply has AC Delco..........aren't there some in Georgia?

I can't search their site, I'm in Kuwait right now and it won't work for some reason.....

.

camaroman101

iTrader: (1)

Have a red/black duralast in mine, lasted me 5 plus years. Heard more than a few people with Optimas that theirs didn't last more than 2 years.

98boxer

iTrader: (7)

I paid 120 for mine from dealer but now i have a napa battery, i don't feel its an upgrade. People in the past have had problems with ac delco batteries but i had the original and 2nd battery from ac delco last about 5 years no problems. Current battery went with napa battery because of convenience .

wssix99

iTrader: (5)

Aside from batteries like the Optima, which have a special or novel design, most batteries are all the same. (I recall that only two or three companies actually make them these days and different companies just slap their names on the side.)

If you are getting a regular battery, you can choose different grades/lifetimes. The longer life batteries should have more pure materials inside, which will keep them going longer. Just make sire you have the right group size for the battery and that the positive/negative terminals are on the correct sides.

I've had a number of AC Delco batteries over the years and the quality just hasn't been there - like I had on the battery that came with the car from the factory.

dailydriver

^^^Yes, it seems the Delco they make for installation at the factory is still a couple of grades HIGHER than even the highest grade/warranty aftermarket Delco offered, sadly enough.

I just was fed up with both flooded lead acid batteries, and the Mexican built Optimas, so I sprung for the big coin, AGM, Die Hard Platinum (EnerSys Odyssey).

I fully expect it to last 10years + if i take care of it and charge it occasionally.

demonspeed

iTrader: (7)

Why not just call the dealership and ask what they'd want for one? They have a couple grades, so take a look on ACDelco's website to see your options. You can probably find a ACDelco parts center close to you as well.

ghardester

There are only 3 or 4 actual manufactures of auto batteries in the US. Most of them are made by Johnson Controls, including Optima and Interstate batteries.

http://www.johnsoncontrols.com/conte...al-brands.html

ss performance

iTrader: (17)

I have used Interstate with good results in several cars.

wssix99

iTrader: (5)

I'm not sure how being in Mexico can corrupt a battery. Maybe the pull of the earth's gravitational pull in that region skews the crystalline structure of the lead electrodes? Optima posted a pretty good video of their factory there. It's all automated a very few human hands touch the things.

IMO - It's hard to build a good case for discriminating on where parts are made for a car assembled outside of the US. We can still always believe that it's really an "American car."

demonspeed

iTrader: (7)

It'd be interesting to see the expressions on some owners' faces that have GM quad cab trucks to learn they're built in Mexico (IIRC, anyway)

dabest09

iTrader: (1)

Well I got a quote from the closest dealership and they want $137 for the ACDelco professional gold battery that comes with a 42 month warranty.
The one I have in there now that finally died was the ACDelco 5 year battery and judging by the receipts that the previous owner supplied me with, the battery has been in there since November of 2004 which is about 9 years of use. If I could get half of that with this new one I'll be happy. I'm going to pick up the battery tomorrow.
From what I understand, Johnson controls manufactures the Delco batteries to Delco's specs so I think they are good quality.

wssix99

iTrader: (5)

I think this is the key point. Batteries commonly do not live through their warranty period - or they don't last long after. (That's why all their warranties are pro-rated.) Delco may have special packaging for their JCI batteries, but all JCI batteries use the same plastic, same lead, and same acid inside. You just pay for the purity of those materials for the higher warranty battery.

IMO - the real differentiator is how easy it is to get the battery warranty serviced if it goes bad. Can you take something like an AC Delco battery or an Interstate battery to any of their dealers or can you only go to Autozone for a Duralast battery, etc.

Inssan

I've had a Diehard for 13 years and have ran it completely dead twice. I plan to buy another when needed.

No joke..... 13 years

ss performance

iTrader: (17)

There are only a few companies that build batteries but that does not mean they are all the same. The batteries are built to the customers specs. So even though they are built in the same factory they can be VERY different inside. If they were all the same them you could just buy the cheapest and have the same as the most expensive. Don't work that way.

wssix99

iTrader: (5)

This logic is exactly why women will pay $5000 for a purse. lol

When you make a battery out of the same acid and the same atomic element (lead) and put it in a plastic case, what is the real difference? (BTW - I'm talking about generic commodity batteries. They type that are all the same inside. Not AGM, Optimas, or other products with a novel design.) Is the customer spec of the plastic case enough to largely impact the quality of the final product? Is there some technical feature of a commodity battery that I'm not considering?


If you buy a 96 month Die Hard battery made by the same company in the same factory as a 96 month Duralast battery, and put them in the same car under the same operating conditions, then they will perform very similarly. Even if not the same company or the same factory, they will still perform the same if they are of a similar design.

ss performance

iTrader: (17)

When you make a battery out of the same acid and the same atomic element (lead) and put it in a plastic case, what is the real difference? (BTW - I'm talking about generic commodity batteries. They type that are all the same inside. Not AGM, Optimas, or other products with a novel design.) Is the customer spec of the plastic case enough to largely impact the quality of the final product? Is there some technical feature of a commodity battery that I'm not considering?

If you buy a 96 month Die Hard battery made by the same company in the same factory as a 96 month Duralast battery, and put them in the same car under the same operating conditions, then they will perform very similarly. Even if not the same company or the same factory, they will still perform the same if they are of a similar design.[/QUOTE]

The difference is the number of plates, the size of the plates, the thickness of the plates, the distance between the plates, the amount of acid in the battery, if they are made from virgin or recycled lead, and a bunch of other things, not just different cases.

The warranty only means how long the company will back it not the quality of the battery. Read the warranty it is prorated meaning the older the battery the less you will get back. Most people never put in for a warranty unless it is in the first couple of years. The people selling and making the warranties are counting on this.

This is why they have different ratings. Not all batteries are created equal.

wssix99

iTrader: (5)

These things would change the size of the battery, voltage of the battery, or capacity of the battery. I'm talking about when these things are constant and equal between brands.

If you are trying to make the point that a battery buyer should look at the CCA rating in addition to the warranty, I think that's good advice and there are differences between batteries in this regard.


This is some of the things that are variable between batteries with different warranty periods.

dailydriver

Here we go again.

They might actually be BETTER built than the older, U.S. made ones, BUT something happened to their quality/longevity (cheaper, lower grade, materials perhaps??) once they were bought out by JCI, and the manufacturing was shipped south of the border, and I am certainly NOT the ONLY one to notice, or comment on this.

BTW; I am PERFECTLY HAPPY with the quality/performance of my Mexican built, NEW, Remy starter, and Delphi/Remy alternator, although yes, for trade/employment reasons I DO wish that they were still made HERE!

And, for the trillionth time, YES, I know EXACTLY where every 4th & 5th gen f body was 'screwed together'.