Hello all,
I have to replace a battery in a 1990 Montero Sport. I wan't superior quality in the product, a merchant who stands behind the product, and the longest possible warranty (do they do lifetime on batteries yet?). Any help or advice would be great. Advice based on personal experience with products is great to.
Currently I'm considering the Sears Diehard line, so if anyone has any stones to throw at that descision, please do so.
TIA,
Shenzai
I have never seen a lifetime battery, and probably would be too suspicious to buy it if anyone offered one.
Lots of batteries today fail prematurely, which is politicalese for 'not worth a crap'.
I have had decent luck in the past with Sears Diehard, AC Delco, and whatever WalMart sells. I have also had some pretty short runs with some of them.
Treat them well, and a 5 year battery will usually last at least 3.
Most "top of the line" batteries will offer a 84 month pro-rated warranty period. I have yet to see one of those batteries last that long. Most batteries in this area are doing well to last over 3 years. I don't recommend any of the brands you can get at Kmart or Walmart. I would also be hesitant to buy a battery from the common auto parts stores such as Autozone and the like. I like the NASCAR battery, made by Exide. It's been more dependable than other brands of batteries I have bought previously. I currently have them in 4 of the cars we own.
Sears had some issues with their Die Hard series batteries. I seem to remember an article that talked about Sears selling used batteries as new. I could be wrong so don't quote me on that.
All batteries will fail if you're hard on them. If you constantly run your battery dead, it will fail.
When the batteries I've had failed, NAPA has been very good at giving me a pro-rate on the battery or if it's within the 2 year free replacement, a new battery. Haven't had a problem with NAPA yet, though their prices are normally higher than other auto parts stores. You get what you pay for.
-Bruce
I like to install one with the most cold cranking amps (CCA) that will fit in the space available. You can get a 5-7 year wattanty battery and that could be the lifetime of a 1990 Montero.
I have purchased a few automobile batteries from Wal-Mart. I have been pleased with all of them but the primary reason is that there is a Wal-Mart with batteries just about everywhere. I buy the most CCA I can fit into the car with little regard to warranty length. You pay more for more warranty but I am not sure you get more. I usually plan to replace a battery every 4 years anyway since it is cheap insurance of a good start.
PoD (was F&P)
That's an interesting stratagy PoD (was F&P). You have no doubt noticed that as a rule the higher CCA batteries also have more warranty. This is because these common batteries lose a percentage of capacity each year, say 20%. So a low CCA battery will be at a point where it can't supply the 150 amps or so needed to start in two years while the bigger battery will take five years. Your idea of buying the CCA even without the longer warranty might be a bargain. I always start shopping a year before the warranty is up, but I load check the battery regularly regardless of age. I got stuck with one of those Exide batteries a few years ago where they all went bad early it seems.
Yep, I had a couple of those "special" Excides too. One for each car... yecch. My current car came with a brand new "Batteries Plus" battery that is now 3 years old. It seems to be holding up well. I haven't had a load test on it yet - but I may at the next tire rotation...
By the way, it's worth mentioning that the battery can't do it's job if the posts and clamps aren't kept clean. Side posts don't crud up as much but it's still worth taking preventative steps...
PoD
Check the date of manufacture - usually coded on the side with month and date. Should be 3 months old or less. Get a hydrometer and check the state of charge to be sure your new battery is fully charged.
portions of this are baffling... but, anyway, why not just get the best damned battery manufactured today -- *OPTIMA* either in deep-cycle or marine-starting? or even normal red-top?
Buy cheap (but that meets the minimum requirement for the car) and replace on a 3-year or 30K mile schedule, whichever soonest. Been using that method for 20+ years and (knock on wood) haven't been stranded since for battery problems. I certainly wouldn't put too much $$$ into a battery for a 14 year old vehicle in the 1st place.
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