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Has the battery been test and found to be bad? If not what is happening in your EX to pull it down overnight? Mine drains down in about 2 weeks of sitting, or it did before I installed a Battery Tender.
Of course you need to be a subscriber to find out how they ranked the ones they tested but the point is without actual controlled testing the proformance feedback you get will be subjective.
So if actual performance is unknown go with a brand or a retailer that is going to stand behind their warranty and be readily available should it go bad.
It seems to me however that all the brands have gotten pretty good at making their batteries last about 1 month longer then their warranties
Sounds like you have a draw somewhere. I would take your battery to a parts shop and have them do a free test on it, and then decide if a new battery is needed. If so, then my advice is to stay away from Optima. I have had them, and their quality has gone WAY DOWN HILL. Not worth the price of a company skating by on former reputation without doing anything to maintain what made them great. They are now on my do not buy list.
The walmart battery in mine is still ticking. When I had a power failure last week I was hoping it was the battery so I could drop a new Interstate Battery in it. Turns out I needed a new Alternator.
Definitely get your battery tested. If the test comes back good, might check and see if you have a draw of some kind. Perhaps your rear windows, now that they are werkin' and twerkin', are making up for the power consumption that they didn't use while they were inoperable.
I'm a Wal-Mart battery guy now, they have replaced, no questions asked, 2 batteries on two different trucks. The price of the battery had gone up in 3 years and they did not charge anything just said go pick another up.
If it tests bad then I would consider either Walmart or AutoZone Duaralast Gold. I've used both and had to have replaced under warranty while on the road. It's very easy to find a Walmart or AutoZone just about anywhere. A warranty will do you no good if there isn't a store close when you need one. You might ask why I recommend those batteries if both have failed for me... there were other issues causing the batteries to fail. I've also had many batteries and only a few failed.
The last battery that failed was a Duralast. I think it was just a bad battery as it had issues from the beginning. When I had them test they said it was good. I tested specific gravity in each cell and there was a bad cell in one battery. I let it go for awhile and took it back to have them check. The guy said it looked good, I explained the deal and he had no issues replacing. In fact, I said I would need to buy another as I have a diesel with 2 batteries and he just replaced both under warranty, no charge. They were almost out of warranty so good deal.
You might also check your battery ground (at battery and block) and positive for bad connections and hidden corrosion. Good luck.
The majority of the batteries in the consumer market are Johnson Control batteries. Various degrees of quality depending on the demands of the brand.
There are many batteries out there that are "designer" batteries, like the Optimas at this point. Optimas used to be excellent, I had more than my share of red/yellow/blue tops but about 5 years ago, they had some changes within, and their quality dropped to meet a certain profit goal.
Working for a company that specializes in the fast charging market for fleet vehicles, I was able to see a lot of testing and had access to a lot of different batteries. Bottom line is, a battery will stay in top shape(if properly maintained) for 3-5 years, beyond that, it will drop off. (yes, everyone has the story about their stock battery that lasted 12years with no maintenance) but realistically, it's a consumable, and you should plan for that.
That being said...wal-mart batteries for me. For no reason other than if one or both craps out, I know I can find a local store with little or no effort.
08-23-2015, 12:51 PM
