quality batteries

Driver Joined: Sep 25, 2006 Posts: 107

OK, so in nine years of driving I've had two car batteries blow up on me and one other that failed suddenly and completely. Its possible that bad luck has biased me.

Buy a good quality battery. here are the reasons:

DOT won't let you install a standard car battery in the passenger compartment because it would be dangerous. The battery can fail suddenly and dramatically any time. Even if its not dangerous to you in the engine compartment it can strand you anywhere and possibly leave a big dangerous mess for you to clean up.

As batteries age their capacity decreases and their voltage drops more easily. Since your car's systems still require the same energy to run they draw more current, which isn't good for anything in the electrical system.

Batteries have acid that can easily rust or burn just about anything. Though it isn't dangerous for you to get it on your fingers or arm, you'll be paying when you rub your eye or go to the bathroom. (yes there is a story)

Instead of buying a battery described above, shell out a bit more dough and buy either one of those six pack looking batteries you see on the auto shows or one my employer makes, the Odyssey.

They are safe enough to set in your lap, (though I think DOT still requires you to strap them down somewhere) last longer with a very low chance of premature failure, don't leak acid even if cracked, and have a much lower internal resistance and much less voltage drop with load.

The only added danger is that if you short them out, they discharge a lot more energy. Keep in mind though, 12 volts will NOT travel through you. In fact, you have to get upwards of 80 or 90 volts before you're in danger. (I've licked my fingers and stuck them on terminals to prove this to safety officers at uptight plants)

Posted: Fri Jan 26, 2007 3:56 pm

LOL is it advertisement? Very Happy

If seriously - well you can do this, and it does not hurt anything except for your wallet I guess. I always used standard batteries, and did not have any serious problem with them. The big but - I always watch what is going on with my cars, and take corrective measures at the first sign of real trouble approaching.

If you don't do such things, then this could be in fact very valuable mod for you, cause the battery is one of the most important things on your car.

Driver Joined: Sep 25, 2006 Posts: 107

no way to watch the inside of a battery. they become more and more brittle as they age. One plate breaking off is enough to cause a short that kills the battery.

~re-reading that, it does sound like an advertisement though Smile

Posted: Fri Jan 26, 2007 7:30 pm

You don't really need to watch inside the battery. You just watch how car starts, and this gives you a pretty good clue o what shape the bettery is in.

Driver Joined: Sep 25, 2006 Posts: 107

it gives you a great indication of the normal slow deterioration of the battery, but not of developing cracks or oxidization of the impurities in the lead.

Posted: Sat Jan 27, 2007 5:36 pm

I guess I could not convert you on this Crying or Very sad

However, you couldn't convert me, too Razz

Peace

Driver Joined: Sep 25, 2006 Posts: 107

lol Misha, you remind me of a saying in my wife's family. "Conversation is a competition and I have all the points."

Posted: Sun Jan 28, 2007 2:33 pm

LOL I like it Very Happy

Seriously, I have one experience with batteries, you have a different experience. I really don't see how we can convert one another Wink

Posted: Sun Feb 04, 2007 8:33 pm

After re-reading this thread I realized Doh!

I might have used my weight to close the discussion Good Night

Being generally nice person Very Happy

I think I'll try to fix my mistake and to reopen this.

So, I'm trying to understand what kind of batteries you are talking about, what is their technology, how much do they cost in terms of bang for buck?
Hope you still have interest Hi ya

Driver Joined: Sep 25, 2006 Posts: 107

If I can keep up in an argument with my wife, I can keep up in a friendly disagreement with you Razz

In terms of bang for the buck, these batteries cost about twice as much and last about twice as long. Its a bigger initial investment, but one that isn't wasted even regardless of the side advantages I listed.

I personally like them because I worry a lot about reliability when I buy stuff. I don't waste money and I look at items in terms of overall personal value. (my wife hates it when I start converting purchases into hours of labor at work)

Posted: Fri Feb 23, 2007 4:58 pm

Tell me, what happenes to your super-duper battery if you accidentally discharge it completely? If you do this 3 or 4 times?

Driver Joined: Sep 25, 2006 Posts: 107

in a perfect world batteries would be able to rise out of the engine compartment at that point and hit me upside the head with a wrench Very Happy

Its just as bad for that type of batter as it is for a regular lead-acid battery.

along those same thought lines.. I wonder why there isn't a failsafe for car batteries out there. Something like a switch that would open after a few minutes of continuous low voltage. It could be wired up with a buzzer and a relay so that you could just push a button inside the car to close the switch again if you had left your lights on and tripped the failsafe.

I guess its too late for that sort of thing to be worth designing now that new cars all seem to have lights that automatically shut off... too bad, I'll have to make my millions some other way Cool

Posted: Sat Feb 24, 2007 1:16 pm

Well, than it's kinda waste of money for me - having a toddler boy who loves to play with car controls, I don't always remember to check everything is off when he leaves the driver's seat... I did replace my battery twice last year on 92 SI, and I think I have to replace it on 03 this year... And it's not only toddler - my wife forgot the beams a couple of times, too... Murano has automatic lights off, though, so it might make some sense when it's stock battery goes bad - providing after those approximately five years I will be planning on keeping Murano another ten years Very Happy