Why I hate Exide batteries. :RANT:

[brianl703]

Originally Posted By: moribundman

If I go to my next door Kragen, the only OEM quality battery listed is an Exide.


A wild guess is that Kragen doesn't carry anything but Exide batteries, which is backed up by the fact that I looked up the incredibly-common group 58 battery that a 1988 Ford Mustang uses and they only list an Autolite (Exide) battery on their site.

As far as OEM quality:

When I look up my 2006 Saab 93, or even a 2004 Saab 93 (just in case their catalog is way out of date), they show no batteries available. But if I put in a 1995 BMW 325is it returns a group 48 battery, which is the same size that my Saab takes.

All I can guess is that the Exide group 48 battery is not listed for the 2004-2006 Saab 93 because it's CCA rating is only 690 and the OEM battery (also made by Exide, but a different design made on a different continent) is 700CCA.

(In other words, the USA-made Exide group 48 battery does not meet OEM specs for my 2006 Saab 93. The competition's (Johnson Controls and East Penn) group 48 battery does, however).

This doesn't surprise me, actually. Exide has always had poor battery application coverage, in my experience. Around 2004 they finally started making a group 40R battery that Ford had been using since 1995.

 

[Julian]

Gary, are you sure you were an only child?

 

[brianl703]

I should mention that an Exide battery that had been sitting in a lawn tractor unused for a couple of years (the battery was made in Feb 2003) worked just fine after I charged it up.

That was pretty impressive. It was a Wal-Mart battery, no less.

 

[moribundman]

Originally Posted By: Julian
Gary, are you sure you were an only child?

The changeling chimes in.

 

[ThirdeYe]

I had a lot of issues with Duralast Gold batteries. I bought one for my Altima before I sold it, and it didn't want to hold a charge. It died after only 2 starts in that car, and I took it back to Autozone to have them recharge it and it still didn't seem very strong. The OEM Acura battery I have in my car now seems to be top notch. Never gives me any issues, even in the coldest parts of winter. It's been in there since 2005. I had decent luck with Interstate in my old car as well, also gave me no troubles in the winter. I left my lights on twice in that car and ended up with a dead battery twice (the light dinger was on the fritz, so I couldn't remember if I turned the lights off), and I just recharged it both times with a lower voltage charge overnight and it kept going just fine.

 

[Oldmoparguy1]

Having had personal experience with just about every USA made auto/truck battery in the last 50 years, I have obsurved that quality is variable. A budget priced battery may fail quickly, or last well beyond the warranty. Premium batteries will pretty much do the same. The upside is, the warrenty is longer.

I know a guy that uses a 350CCA lawn tractor battery in his subcompact and changes it every fall, then saves to old one for his mower.
Right now he has 5 or 6 used batteries in storage. I suggested he try for 2 years/battery. He told me I could have a used one if I wanted it. Seems he has been doing this for several years and gives old ones to friends and neighbors.

 

[buster]

Quote:
I have obsurved that quality is variable. A budget priced battery may fail quickly, or last well beyond the warranty. Premium batteries will pretty much do the same. The upside is, the warrenty is longer.


I think you are probably right. With many brands, some products are good, average and below average.

 

[Gary Allan]

Originally Posted By: Julian
Gary, are you sure you were an only child?

Yes ..but I may have been cloned ...or my father may have had one or two.

 

[moribundman]

At this point I feel a need to have one too many.

 

[Chris142]

Update: Today I pulled the battery cover off and was greeted with fuzzy green cables.

I soaked them in baking soda and water then sandblasted the ends clean. Brushed the battery terminals with the soda and water and cleaned everything up with brackcleaner.

The Silicone I put on them to try to stop the gasses from coming up and eating the cables got eaten by the acid. It was just a powder.

I just don't know what to do besides spending $300 to replace the batteries.

Is there anything that I can put on the cables to protect them?

 

[-Clayton-]

Why don't you put your old batteries back in?

 

[Chris142]

Originally Posted By: -Clayton-
Why don't you put your old batteries back in?
They have been sitting pretty much unused for over a year now. I would not trust them. Your not going to push start a 14,000lb truck that has no air in the tanks

 

[OVERKILL]

There is a spray available for Golf Carts that works pretty well......


I use Optima. Yep, the big, expensive AGM batteries.

I've had great luck with them. The one from my Mustang is now four years old, has been frozen for an entire winter (dead), and still works like a charm after two days on an automatic Marine charger (it took a good 36 hours to defrost so it would begin to take a charge) and has been golden since!

I love 'em!

 

[pickled]

Exide batteries must have a rework plant in every major city!! I will never buy one again because I had been stranded twice in the past on "new" batteries!

 

[carlprop]

I'm a Exide battery hater myself. As Gary said, they used to make good batteries 30 years ago. I'm just wondering what they changed to make them the worst battery around.

 

[Gary Allan]

Chris ..how about snapping an image of the batteries? I googled "acid resistant sealants" and got plenty of hits ..but I'm looking toward a barrier type thing (like a sheet of Teflon cut to fit over the posts and caps type thing). I don't speak too much chemistry ..but I can't see JUST off gassing as being the cause of this.

 

[Cutehumor]

I just traded in my almost 8 yr duralast battery for another duralast battery last week. hope to get another 8 yrs with it in my 96 sunfire

 

[mechtech2]

Clean them really well, an spray paint them with Rustoleum.
Several light coats are best, but get good final coverage.
And, you gt to pick the color!

 

[Chris142]

Originally Posted By: Gary Allan
Chris ..how about snapping an image of the batteries?

Ok.

I moved the "gasser" to the rear. That way when it corrodes the terminal I will only lose that one battery vs having it at the front and losing the complete connection between the batteries and the starter.

The one that causes the problem is on the right, negative side. I covered with it grease to try to protect as long as possible. It does not matter which position I put the gasser in it still leaks and corrodes the negative terminal.

 

[Gary Allan]

Screw PVC pipes into the service holes. Move the caps up 6-12" (whatever the battery box allows.)

(it would naturally require the battery to use the right thread).