New Battery Time!!!

[Bvill_GXP]

My 05 has the OEM battery and i think this winter is gonna do it in!!! sometimes when i get in it after work it's like the battery is alittle weak when starting.. Its charging normal and runs fine!!! SO The dealership wants just under $200 for a battery and Autozone wants $168 for a 7 year battery with the vents for the air tubes... What should or what did you guys go with? I know someone has modded a red top battery but i don't want to do any modding of the battery since my lil man 4yr son rides in that car!!!

[harofreak00]

78 series with vent tubes from Oreilly's for $99.99.

[00Beast]

I have a red-top battery under my backseat, and haven't (yet) modded it for the tubes. Where the tubes sit is right under the steel of the steel of uni-body, and people aren't in my backseat that often, but I do plan on making something eventually. I do recommend if you're at all concerned, to get the right battery. Get the best you can, the last thing you want is battery problems in another couple of years...

[dpnewfie]

78 series with vent tubes from Oreilly's for $99.99.

Yup, this!

[Archon]

I bought mine from Advance, and used one of the online discount codes for a decent price.

[Bvill_GXP]

78 series with vent tubes from Oreilly's for $99.99.

Really!!! Thanks for the info!!! Im def going to check that out!!!

I have a red-top battery under my backseat, and haven't (yet) modded it for the tubes. Where the tubes sit is right under the steel of the steel of uni-body, and people aren't in my backseat that often, but I do plan on making something eventually. I do recommend if you're at all concerned, to get the right battery. Get the best you can, the last thing you want is battery problems in another couple of years...

I love the RED Top i have in my Dodge Intrepid!! I have manage to kill it a few times by leaving my amp to my subs on while cutting the grass and doing yard work outside with the car not running about 2 hrs... lol But it's going on 5 years with it.

78 series with vent tubes from Oreilly's for $99.99.

Yup, this!

Thanks

I bought mine from Advance, and used one of the online discount codes for a decent price.

Nice.... I really hated the thought of paying $200 for a dang battery!! Yea i want a good one and this current one i have has been just that!! but it's getting tired now!!! i was off all weekend and i left it parked the whole weekend and we drove the 03 grand prix around so this morning when i went to start it up it dragged and before i started it i just turned the key on to see where the batt was at and it showed just a inch before the red... The temp was about upper 50's for the highs and about upper 30's for the lows!!! Oh well, i'll get a new one sometime this week!!! Again thanks to everyone for the quick replies and great info!!!

[00Beast]

If you don't have one, get the battery terminal wrench, it makes this job MUCH easier. A 13 MM socket and extension is the only other thing you should need, other than something to potentially cut down the vents.

[Bvill_GXP]

If you don't have one, get the battery terminal wrench, it makes this job MUCH easier. A 13 MM socket and extension is the only other thing you should need, other than something to potentially cut down the vents.

Cool.... I just checked Oreilly's and they show 2 of the 78 series battery and one i think u guys is talking about is $106 here.. and the other one is 78 series with Extreme AGM... This one has alittle less CCA and CAmps and it's $143 ... Im gonna get this one for $106 but what is EXTREME AGM? Guess i'll ask them when i go there im thinking when im off wed or thursday!! Oh yea I have replaced batteries a number of times, but whats the correct way to do so IE the neg or pos get's disconnected first? and which one gets connected back first? I think i have been going by the first one im closes to lol...

[00Beast]

Get the $106 one. AGM stands for Absorbed Glass Mat, and is the same as what an optima is, just not in the 6 pack form. They're not true "Gel" batteries, they're water, acid and lead cells surrounding what is essentially fiberglass matting which absorbs the liquid, preventing the liquid from moving.

[Mechanical Mike]

Disconnect the negative terminal first & reconnect it last. It's a little safer doing it this way. If you work on the positive terminal with the negative still connected & the wrench touches any metal it'll throw quite the spark.

[00Beast]

The good battery terminal wrenches have a nice rubber handle, lol, which is half the reason I recommend them.

[CMNTMXR57]

I just bought a replacement AC Delco unit from where Jovan works. An AC Delco replacement is smaller than the OEM battery.

I know that batteries, much like oil are personal subjects to people, I don't know why, but regardless, today's automotive batteries are made by 2 or 3 manufacturers in all. They are JCI, East Penn, and Exide/Johnson Controls (they bought Delphi's/AC Delco's battery business). So whether you get a Die Hard, or an AC Delco, it's the same *dang* battery! Just a different case/label, etc to appease the marketing company that wants it.

Johnson Controls makes;
Everstart in Wal-Mart (from Delphi business)
AC Delco (from Delphi)
DuraLast (Autozone)
Die Hard (Sears/Kmart)
Kirkland (Costco)
Motorcraft (ford)
Interstate

Exide makes;
Exide
Champion
Napa

I'm not sure what JCI or East Penn makes, but you can see some of the more common names are pretty much all one manufacturer... So don't sweat about which one you get.

[Bvill_GXP]

Thanks guys for the additional info!!!! I haven't picked up the new battery as of yet, but i will anytime now!!! Hey CMNTMXR57, how much was the AC Delco battery?

[DCJREDLINE]

Yes they are the same company but the companies with their names on them have different "standards" as to what they will accept. Thats why walmart can sell theirs much cheaper, it doesnt have to meet the higher standards of lets say Sears or Autozone. So while its made from the same company it may not be a "top shelf" battery. FYI

[Bvill_GXP]

Guys, im still hanging on to this OEM battery! but im going to go with the Oreilly's battery soon.. As to walmart batterys!!! I will never buy another walmart battery ever in my lifetime AGAIN!!! I had one in my intrepid and every winter for 2 years after i bought it i had to have it replaced b/c a cell would go bad and it wouldn't keep a charge.. not it has a red top...

[Jrs3800]

If you buy a Wal Mart battery the only one to ever buy is the Everstart Maxx....

a current I have several wal Mart Battries that are still functioning... 3-9 years old... One is in the 92 Mitsu( 9 almost 10 years ) when it goes belly up it will get an Exide... I have another battery in a friends car thats done 4 years still working..

The 03 has an Interstate( 4 years on it )....

Only reason i am buying exide is I get a decent deal on them...

I guess I'm saying don't get the cheapest battery.... lol

[BlownNitroPontiac]

78 series with vent tubes from Oreilly's for $99.99.

I guess I'm showing my age when a dinky little battery like a 78-series is a hundred bucks.

Heck, not too long ago, I could get a yellow Everstart Maxx 1000 CCA 24-series battery for my Catalina wagon at Wal-Mart for $69.99.

I needed one not too long ago, so I went to the locally-owned auto parts store and said "do you still sell those brand new $30 blem/second batteries like you had five years ago?"

"Yeah, but only now they're $40. But no core charge."

Sold.

[BlownNitroPontiac]

Yes they are the same company but the companies with their names on them have different "standards" as to what they will accept. Thats why walmart can sell theirs much cheaper, it doesnt have to meet the higher standards of lets say Sears or Autozone. So while its made from the same company it may not be a "top shelf" battery. FYI

Do you have any proof of this?

Any of this?

Or, is it just your opinion?

[CMNTMXR57]

Thanks guys for the additional info!!!! I haven't picked up the new battery as of yet, but i will anytime now!!! Hey CMNTMXR57, how much was the AC Delco battery?

A little late, but I got it with his discount, so...

I think I paid considerably less than what you would off the street. I make sure to get my PF26 filters from him too. Nearly half the price of what a GM dealer wants.

Oh, and FWIW, another AC Delco/GM battery in my vehicle is going 6+ years. My 2003 Monte Carlo SS, that we bought new back then, still has the OEM battery in it and is running strong... So that's what, 8.5 years??

I've had a bad experience with an Optima battery, but I didn't let that stop me from buying another. That particular Optima that I bought after the "bad experience", is now 6 years old, and being used in my van (Even though it's not the OEM fit battery), a vehicle with high electrical demand from all the power doors, liftgates, dvd system, etc, etc..., and is still running strong!

Longevity is all in how you drive it. Not the quality or who builds it.

[Bvill_GXP]

Mine is going on 7 years... I been driving my 01 Intrepid and keeping the GXP parked for 2-3 days at a time and For some reason it's not dying anymore and is keeping it's charge for 2-3 days without driving and even in this mild winter weather we have in SC with temps getting down to 20 degrees at night.. Im pretty much just buying my time with this battery at this point!!!