Going on the assumption that a lot of manufacturers' products will work just fine, just like most manufactured goods, who makes passenger car batteries that you should absolutely avoid? **

Also, are there any real standout great batteries in the field?

This would be for a 2004 Honda CRV. Had an AC Delco that lasted 7 years and got it replaced in Feb. 2020 with a Les Schwab XHD that doesn't seem to be holding a charge very well. For the last few months starting seems more sluggish than usual especially when the car has been sitting for 2-3 days without driving it. I know it was winter but the car is garaged and sits right next to the water heater and furnace so the ambient temp around the battery hardly gets below 40 or 45 degrees.

I charged it fully yesterday afternoon then went out this morning and started it 5 times in a row, it started okay but the cranking was slower than what I've been used to over the 17 years I've owned the car. Put the battery charger on it right afterwards and the indicator lights showed it was below an 80% charge. If I drive it for 20-30 minutes to go somewhere, park it for a few minutes and start it the engine turns over fairly quickly but even at best it's not the "instant fast crank and jump to life" starts I'm used to with this car.

The battery is still under the 2 year warranty so going to take it down to have Les Schwab check it but if it crapped out after only one year I'm not sure I even want a new replacement - if they find the battery is defective - so am exploring alternatives for a completely different brand.






** this being the fire, I'm guessing Les Schwab batteries will be high on the list to avoid...

You didn`t say if you checked for corrosion on the posts. Both of mine had to be cleaned this winter. Working fine now.

I have found NAPA batteries made by Johnson Controls to be absolutely worthless. Johnson CAN make some good batteries, but I believe NAPA has set the contract parameters just to the point where the battery intentionally fails within the warranty period, hooking the customer into coming back to claim a few bucks credit on the warranty...to repeat the cycle over and over. I am not a casual user, my son and I have about 20 pieces of equipment and commercial vehicles, we use a lot of batteries.

my family has had decent luck with aaa batteries.

No corrosion, they cleaned everything well when the new battery was installed. It's rated for 500-750 cold crank amps and the Honda specs call for a 500 cca battery.

Appreciate the real life experience as I need to replace a couple. Which brand(s) have you been happiest with?

There are only two battery manufacturers, just lots of different labels. Take your pick...

Brand/ Manufacturer
ACDelco / Johnson Controls
Advance Auto / Johnson Controls
AutoCraft / Johnson Controls
Autolite. / Exide
AutoZone / Johnson Controls
Bosch / Johnson Controls
Champion / Johnson Controls
Costco / Johnson Controls
Delco / Johnson Controls
Delco-Remy / Exide
DieHard. / Johnson Controls
Duralast / Johnson Controls
Duralast / Johnson Controls
Equalizer / Johnson Controls
EverStart / Exide or Johnson Controls
Firestone /Johnson Controls
Interstate /Johnson Controls
Marathon / Exide
Motorcraft / Johnson Controls
NAPA /Exide
Optima /Johnson Controls
Orbital /Exide
Pep Boys /Johnson Controls
Sears / Exide or Johnson Controls
Wal-Mart / Exide or Johnson Controls,

Wal-Mart Ever Start Maxx work for me.

Project farm on youtube did a review of several different batteries and the Ever Start did really well.

That's exactly how my tractor looked but was very sluggish and at times would not even turn over.

Mechanic bud stopped by to look -first statement was "corrosion".

It was on the cables under where they meet the mounts.

He cut about 1/2" cable off of both +/- sides and it's not been an issue since.

Before you change batteries, have the alternator checked. I assume it's from 2004? It might not be putting out enough amps to properly charge it. Just checking the voltage won't tell you much.

The recommended minimum amperage is 1 CCA per cubic inch of engine, 2 CCA/inch on diesels.

I'm a big fan of getting tires and batteries from Walmart.
They're located EVERYWHERE and open more hours than many other stores.

I travel for work so knowing I can get what I need in any podunk town has a lot of utility.

Walmart batteries are highly rated. Unless you get into some of the high priced specialty batteries, they're near the top.

We have a 2005 Honda CRV. I just changed the battery yesterday. Instead of buying another 51r (R stands for reverse posts... as does F (or Ford))...

I installed a 34N Series battery. The same high power battery I use on a lot of my diesel trucks and equipment. Pretty much twice for cold cranking amps.

Of course I had to modify the battery tray to accept a larger battery, but it did fit just fine. If you would like pictures PM me your phone number and I will text them to you.

As for who makes the best battery, there's only a couple of battery manufacturers out there... most just rebrand. All use recycled lead... except Optima AMG... they use virgin lid and their battery performance is legendary. I have an Optima Red Top from 2007... still holding a charge. But they are very expensive!

The main problem with a 51R battery is that it was born puney at 400 amps... and will fail to start the car after only a few years. The 34 Series Battery I installed is 800 CCA. I expected the last me a good six or eight years.

On a side note... I replace my alternator a month ago. You may have a weak alternator also. Not an easy job. You have to remove the CV axle. You will need a lift... or a love of misery.

Hopefully it's not the alternator although that's a good suggestion to check it. I wouldn't even try to attempt such a job but there's a mechanic close by whom I've used for many years. If it's an expensive job then it's an expensive job but at least I could expect a fair price and quality work from him instead of the colon cleansing you'd get from a dealership.

Got an appointment at Les Schwab tomorrow morning for a "free battery check", which might just be "yep, it's charged!", but in the meantime I put the car on a battery tender every so often to keep it charged.

FYI... you can do a Google search of physical battery Dimension sizes and how many CCAs.

Bottomline, the 34N is the best bang for the buck... size, power, cost etc.

24s are close on power and a bit cheaper, but slightly bigger on physical dimensions.

Thanks, right now it's just in the diagnostic stage so it could be that the battery is okay. If Schwab says it's good then the next step is going literally right next door to the mechanic and have him check stuff. Could even be the starter is going, just have to start at the start and eliminate possibilities.

Thanks - the battery rating at 500-750 CCA should be good to go. It's a 2.4L 4 cylinder engine which is 146 ci, not exactly big Detroit iron.

Worst I've ever had is the X-2 Power(something) AGM... Over $300 bux... First one wouldn't hold a charge. Exchanged free for battery #2.. #2 also wouldn't hold a charge within the first year.. Took it back - and was told 'we'll replace this one, but if it comes back again with less than 10V, we won't honor the warranty... Checked it two weeks ago (WITH a tender on it) and the voltage was 5.6V..

I just dropped that POS off last week at the local auto parts store for a standard maintenance-free series 31 (for $114) and hope I won't have to mess with this crap again...

Best of luck with your issues sir...

Could also be bad grounding leads at the block.

When I do a battery retrofit like I just did... or rewire a trailer... I ground the crap out of everything at least twice. Never ever hurts to have lots and lots of cross grounding.

Honda ground wires are lighter than I like, but I am an overkill kinda guy.

Good luck... these are great little beaters. Paid $2700 for mine and treat her like a redheaded stepchild. Cheaper than an ATV.

You can get a load test just about anywhere that sells batteries. Autozone, Napa, and other places do it for free, hoping to sell you a battery I'm sure.... the thing is, your battery should be at full charge when the load test is done or it won't really mean much and most places will tell you this if they are reputable...

I got my last couple batteries at Autozone- the Everlast batteries and they seem to be holding up well. My hot rod gets an Optima AGM battery because it sits a lot and I hate dealing with batteries that can't hold a charge. Funny thing is, last couple times I bought batteries at Les Schwab I had the same problems you're having and started buying my batteries other places after that and the issue stopped. Coincidence?

Bob

(N)everstart, carried by Advance Auto Parts is pretty much guaranteed to leak acid, and fail at the absolutely least convenient time, if that's what you're looking for.

Some time ago, I started buying replacement batteries from the dealers of whatever car the battery is for.

Replaced every 3 years, whether it's still holding a charge or not.

Cheap insurance. Haven't been stuck miles from home because of a battery since.

I don't hear too much about batteries, if I can pick one up a 3 year at Wal-Mart for $90 I figure I'm good to go.

I have heard alot about how unreliable aftermarket alternators are , the market is flooded with knockoff brands and its common to pick up a cheap one at your local parts store thinking they are selling something decent.

Yep, lots of stuff to check and this thread is giving me a good list of things to look at.

On the CR-V, yeah, I love this little thing. Handles great, easy to get in and out of tight parking lots, decent mileage and it carries 95% of what I need carried. Been thinking about a new mid-size pickup but not a lot of inventory out there so like everything these days it's a seller's market. The car only has a bit over 123,000 miles on it and has been maintained regularly so I figure it's only about halfway through its expected life span. Lots cheaper to give it some TLC when needed and keep it going than buy even a lower mileage used pick up.

I'd check at the brake lines while you got the hood up. Not sure what its like in Idaho, in the rust belt my 2003 CRV was already having brake lines rust and need replacing by 2010

Generally bullet proof car though, I had a 5 speed, which I was able to buy relatively on the cheap because few people want a CRV in a 5 speed. That V-TEC engine and 5 speed didn't give it much of a chance to have many problems.

I replaced the front calipers, alternator and some brake lines, that was it.

Not sure about lousy batteries, but I've had good luck with Interstate from Costco.

In the equipment that takes a lot of shock and vibration, surprisingly, plain old 48 month Interstate batteries have been very reliable for us. It's just an anecdote, but I had 4 group 31's in the excavator, they served about 5 years. I thought, well, they must be about wore out, I'll take the one with the highest voltage and put it in the forklift where it gave good service for three more years, I thought well, it's gotta be toast by now, but it load tested within specs, so I put in the diesel welder..where it resides today. I just checked the little punch out date tabs...I put that battery in service 9 years ago this June. But, it doesn't get very cold here, low teens Dec and Jan, rarely gets to zero.

Costco has Interstate make a line just for them. I don't know about starting batteries, but for an example, check their golf cart batteries for RV's. They say Interstate but if you check the power storage, they're a fraction of what the better ones are from Interstate.

Les Schwab batteries are terrible.

🦫

There are a few top battery brands out there. However, I've always been partial to Delco. Seems to last longest with least amount of trouble.
I have tested and installed thousands and thousands of batteries in my time.

-Ken

I’ve had good luck with the Duracell batteries from Sams club.

Made in USA.

I bought a Coast to Coast 20 buck battery, (sale price) that didn't last a year!

I've had good luck with batteries from Walmart and or Sam's.

Crown batteries are made locally. Very few around here have a favorable view of them.
I've had good luck with Interstate, Walmart and Autozone batteries.

Exide is the only supplier that I know of that got kicked out of Automotive OEM supply.

Didn’t see “Renault” on that list, that was how the presumably OEM battery on my Nissan Frontier was marked. It only lasted 18mos/35,000 miles.

Didn’t see “Super Start” on there either. That was the premium 3yr O’Reilly’s Auto Parts battery I replaced it with ($185 ouch!). It is marked “Made in Brazil”, maybe they still use virgin lead down there I dunno.

Both times the first battery was dead in the morning my NOCO GB 70 jump starter fired the motor up instantly. Bought it based upon recommendations here.

A pair of jumper cables walk into a bar.


Bartender says, "Okay, I'll serve you, but don't start anything!"

Ever hear of Dekka?
Look it up. East Penn Manufacturing.

A lot of folks don't realize that corrosion will run a long ways up the wire.

I have a load tester and dc amp clamp that do a great job of telling me what's going on. Thelma tester is great for diagnosing battery health.

What is a Thelma tester? Load tester?

My girlfriend goes through a lot of batteries.

first, I'm not a mechanic.

I do buy trucks and drive them a long time.

If you are running down a battery, it could be:

• battery
• bad cables (corrosion all the way through)
• bad alternator (brushes, VR, whatever)
• starter going out (electrical or mechanical)
• short somewhere

there may be a way to figure out each of these on your own. (I don't know it)

my best luck has been with a good auto electric place.

they can put clamps on your ground and positive wires while you start it and tell you what the problem is.

WM batteries have worked well for us in several vehicles.

Turns out the battery was indeed bad. Took it to Les Schwab for their free battery test and their little computer said it was "bad". The guy didn't give any detailed explanation of what exactly was wrong with it, just "sometimes it happens". Anyway, they gave me a new one under warranty, in and out in 25 minutes.

I'll monitor the engine starting response for a while but it seems that all's well that ends well, plus I learned a couple of new things about car batteries from this thread so thanks for everybody's contributions.

Schwab has rapidly and seriously gone down hill since old man Schwab died a few years ago. The bean counters will have it run into the ground within a decade.

Has no one said to check the water in it?

Still have your alternator checked. If the battery went bad it was for a reason. A bad alternator can kill a battery.

And vice versa

Les Schwab's reputation is taking a beating but my partner bought a set of new E tires from them this spring. It's an off brand name but they said they're US made Coopers. Where he lives, they're still the best for service and warranty. The tires look pretty good and he says they're very quiet. He said he ended up spending about $100 more for them but figures it's worth it for the service.

napa batteries have been made by exide for years.

btw interstate doesn't make batteries, johnson controls makes theirs.

These used to be my go to marine batteries when we had a Sams.

Right on

Johnson Controls no longer makes batteries either.

Made by East Penn.

As are these I Bought from NAPA.

https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/NBP8301

Turns out the starter was the problem all along. The original battery was also bad as well but that was a red herring in this case.

It died on me Monday afternoon, just wouldn't turn over at all. As luck would have it I was parked at a convenience store literally 150 yards from the car repair shop I've patronized for many years. Walked over there and the guy walked back with me with a portable jump starter. He verified that the new battery was fully charged so we figured it had to be the starter.

Felt kind of silly loading it up on the tow truck just to haul it across the street and down one block but it would have been awfully dangerous to push it along that busy street. Anyway, they ordered the part Monday afternoon and installed it Tuesday morning. Even though it was listed as a three hour job they had it in before lunch and changed my oil as well. When I turned the key it gave that familiar energetic cranking and started right up.

Big shout out to Pro Auto Care on Broadway Ave, Boise. They've taken good care of this vehicle for the last 17 years. This job wasn't cheap but I'm confident it was done well and at a reasonable price - guaran-damn-teed it would have been a hell of a lot more at a Honda dealer.

i stand corrected, sort of. the same plants make them but jci sold the battery div in 2019. the retirement checks don't bounce, though.

What I've found over the years is that vehicle battery life specs are optimistic, presumably best case scenario. I've had so many batteries go dead with less than a year left on their "warranty" that for the past several years I've just bought "5 year" batteries from reputable companies with the plan to replace them after 4 years, not bothering with the "warranty." Less stress that way.

Interesting.

I just checked the Tacoma. Installed 1-2017. So 4+ years already. Still starts the truck every time so far. And it sat a bunch this winter. Only put about 1K miles on the studs this year, due to health issues and not putting in for an AZ javelina tag, so it's not like it's getting charged frequently.

Of course, once a year the lids get pulled and distilled water added as needed. And cable ends etc cleaned with baking soda water mixture.

The Tacoma takes one relatively large for it's engine, or I switched to a larger one (old trick). This one is a 24F with 700CCA and 850 total for a 2.7L 4 cyl.

Wife took off to town in the Matrix, again I think that has a 24F that's 5 or so years old already. We get a bit colder up here than where flintlocke is, down around zero every year and still freezing at night. But, maybe more importantly, we rarely get over 100F.

Used to use the old Sears Die Hard. I'm like the poster that mentioned Wal Marts being everywhere. Used to be that way with sears. Got a lot of tires and batteries from them. Now I do Schwabies because they're local here and an awful lot of places we go. Nearest Wally's is 100 miles away.

Just buy a Deka and be done with it.

Napa used to be good but lately, they would only make good boat anchors. I bought them in a rush a couple years ago for one of my excavators and since then they have been replaced twice each (2 batteries in the excavator) under warranty. When the warranty finally ends, those will be replaced with Deka's