Wonderful Toyota battery

[Built_Well]

On second thought, I believe I'll stick with the 24F, since I think the 35 is mostly used for Corollas, not Camrys.

By the way, I just learned that Toyota does brand a battery; it's called the Toyota TrueStart battery and True-2, but I doubt it's actually made by Toyota. I'll stick with the Duracell at Sam's if the corrosion returns, but so far so good!

 

[circuitsmith]

Originally Posted By: Built_Well
Group 35 is smaller, has about 100 to 150 fewer CCA (an advantage for longer life probably), and is $2 less at Sam's: $97 versus the 24F's $99 price. Both sizes carry the 3-year replacement warranty. Would folks here select 24F or 35 for a Camry?


The CCA rating of the group 35 battery is lower because the plates in the group 35 are physically smaller.
With the same plate thickness the larger battery will have more CCA and reserve.
The group 35 battery is a better value because it has about 25% more battery for about 2% more cost.

Unless weight is critical it's better to use the biggest battery that will fit.
I plan to replace the original group 35 bat in my Matrix before next winter with a 24F if will fit, as some say.

 

[Doog]

I just buy the gold top AAP or Autozone battery that is specified for my car in their computer. They usually last 3-4 years and after the original Panasonic 6-7 years...it's time to trade the car in. But I always add distilled water once a year.

 

[Yup]

Mine has a Honda sticker on top...so I assume made for, or made by, Honda. My original lasted 10 years and was still good. I replaced due to fear it was old. My latest is about 4 years. I add water once a year, too. It's always low in a couple cells when I do it. Don't think most people/shops do that. My battery size is so odd it's easier to just buy a Honda battery, too. My wife's Honda, sold a few years ago, had a Honda battery that was 9 years old when we sold it. Just talked with people that bought it and they said same battery in it. In my Nissans as a teenager had Optima because my dad is a classic car guy and was sold on them up until a few years ago. Not sure what he and his car club buddies use now but he says Optima doesn't have the same following in his opinion.

 

[Tones]

3 Toyotas starting in 2001 and every one of the OEM batteries leaked. They seem to leak around the terminals and corrode the clamps.

 

[Built_Well]

Originally Posted By: Tones
3 Toyotas starting in 2001 and every one of the OEM batteries leaked. They seem to leak around the terminals and corrode the clamps.

You might want to add a little bit of vaseline / petroleum jelly to the metalic clamps, nuts, and post at the battery termninal. The treated felt pads seemed to stop some corrosion where the pads are located, but just millimeters away from the pads, corrosion returned after just a couple days--lots of pillowy blue corrosion. So I cleaned the corrosion off again, and applied vaseline.

I think it's been about 9 days now since applying vaseline, and I've seen no corrosion at all return. So the vaseline seems to work better than the pads. I guess the battery's leaking hydrogen gas interacts with the metal, but the vaseline stops the invisible gas from reaching the metal. My battery terminal looks very clean now.

I was worried the vaseline would melt and make a mess all over the battery once temperatures rose under the hood after driving the car for a while, but the vaseline has stayed where I applied it, making no mess at all and preventing corrosion. The stuff works great.

My battery started leaking after 9 years, so I'm very happy with the OEM Panasonic battery. Hopefully I can keep it for years to come. I've never had to add distilled water to it. Not sure I even can add water since the battery is labeled as "Maintenance Free," but perhaps if I pull away the rectangular "Maintenance Free" sticker, there may be a port under the sticker to add water--not sure. But I don't want to pull away the sticker unless I have to.

The Panasonic battery's sides are translucent so I can see the fluid inside slosh around if I rock the car a bit, and the fluid (with sulphuric acid as the electrolyte probably) is still well above the low mark.

I learned the vaseline trick in Chilton's Camry manual.

 

[ecotourist]

The battery in my 2007 Honda Accord V6 just quit. I replaced it with a battery from Costco. A good battery for a reasonable price - nothing like $250.

The fact your first battery lasted a long time suggests you have a situation where long life is possible - by the time it fails, you'll most likely be outside any replacement warrantee anyway.

But, if you can find a battery with a lifetime replacement warrantee that would be good too. I had a Canadian Tire battery replaced free after about 9 years. I actually felt bad about it for a few minutes. But they're the ones who offered the warantee. And I'm the one who kept the paper work all those years.

 

[CharBaby]

The OE Panasonic in my wife's Lexus lasted over 8 yrs. I only change it because winter was on it's way and didn't want any issues. The WearEver Gold replacement has already been replaced!

The Panasonic in the Mazda3 in my sig also lasted a long time and was only replaced because it was 6 yrs old. And it's long enough!

Though the Panasonic in my 04 Altima only lasted 6 yrs and died completely!

 

[bullwinkle]

Originally Posted By: Built_Well
Originally Posted By: Tones
3 Toyotas starting in 2001 and every one of the OEM batteries leaked. They seem to leak around the terminals and corrode the clamps.

You might want to add a little bit of vaseline / petroleum jelly to the metalic clamps, nuts, and post at the battery termninal. The treated felt pads seemed to stop some corrosion where the pads are located, but just millimeters away from the pads, corrosion returned after just a couple days--lots of pillowy blue corrosion. So I cleaned the corrosion off again, and applied vaseline.

I think it's been about 9 days now since applying vaseline, and I've seen no corrosion at all return. So the vaseline seems to work better than the pads. I guess the battery's leaking hydrogen gas interacts with the metal, but the vaseline stops the invisible gas from reaching the metal. My battery terminal looks very clean now.

I was worried the vaseline would melt and make a mess all over the battery once temperatures rose under the hood after driving the car for a while, but the vaseline has stayed where I applied it, making no mess at all and preventing corrosion. The stuff works great.

My battery started leaking after 9 years, so I'm very happy with the OEM Panasonic battery. Hopefully I can keep it for years to come. I've never had to add distilled water to it. Not sure I even can add water since the battery is labeled as "Maintenance Free," but perhaps if I pull away the rectangular "Maintenance Free" sticker, there may be a port under the sticker to add water--not sure. But I don't want to pull away the sticker unless I have to.

The Panasonic battery's sides are translucent so I can see the fluid inside slosh around if I rock the car a bit, and the fluid (with sulphuric acid as the electrolyte probably) is still well above the low mark.

I learned the vaseline trick in Chilton's Camry manual.
I use the felt pads, add extra white lithium grease to them & also on top of the clamps, & hit the battery top & metal retainers once a year or so with battery protectant spray-usually never have to take clamps off to clean them!

 

[HTSS_TR]

Originally Posted By: Char Baby
The OE Panasonic in my wife's Lexus lasted over 8 yrs. I only change it because winter was on it's way and didn't want any issues. The WearEver Gold replacement has already been replaced!

The Panasonic in the Mazda3 in my sig also lasted a long time and was only replaced because it was 6 yrs old. And it's long enough!

Though the Panasonic in my 04 Altima only lasted 6 yrs and died completely!

Car battery construction/manufacture is very basic, why Panasonic made in Japan lasted very long, many reported more than 5-6 years, but batteries made in US by reputable companies like JCI, Deka ... don't last as long ?

 

[CharBaby]

I've not been getting the longevity out of the second batteries such as the,
Walmart's EverStart MAXX or, Advance Auto's AutoCraft GOLD. Even with proper maintenance(cleaning posts/if needed & checking acid levels).

Although they're strong right to the end(winter/summer), they just fail to start one day...I'll also have'em load tested before replacing them, just to be sure!

I used to get 5-7 years out of a replacement car battery but now, only ~ 4-5 years then they're completely dead!

 

[HerrStig]

Terminals should be just tight enough that they can't be easily moved. Leaning on the terminal nuts can break the seal between the battery top and the terminal. Then acid leaks out. The felts can only neutralize so much of it. If the "technician" leaned on the nuts on your replacement battery you're beaten before you start, however I don't think I have ever seen a torque figure in a shop manual so just use good judgement, not a 1/2 inch drive.

 

[joegreen]

So a little weird but maybe you can ask if you can buy the toyota battery out of a car on the dealership lot. Or someone who does not care what battery they have maybe you can buy them a new battery and take their almost new toyota battery.

 

[HTSS_TR]

Originally Posted By: joegreen
So a little weird but maybe you can ask if you can buy the toyota battery out of a car on the dealership lot. Or someone who does not care what battery they have maybe you can buy them a new battery and take their almost new toyota battery.

Only the made in Japan Toyota (and Honda and may be other Japanese vehicles)) have made in Japan Panasonic battery.

Japanese name vehicles made in USA don't have made in Japan Panasonic battery.

 

[Built_Well]

Japan makes the best cars in the world, and the best toilet bowls. When our old toilet had problems, I researched toilets and toilet installation for a month, then bought and installed a TOTO toilet. TOTO is a Japanese company that makes the best toilet bowls in the world--it will probably last 40 or 50 years or more. Now the U.S.A. makes the best computers, but Japan makes the best cars and the best krappers.

Only Toyota and TOTO for me.

The TOTO toilet was a bit pricey but well worth it. $300 with free shipping from a Georgia-based company I never heard of before called National Builder Supply. Amazon also sells TOTO. You won't go wrong with Toyota and TOTO.

 

[andyd]

Maybe Panasonics last longer due to their long sea voyages. Like IPA.

 

[carock]

The Panasonic company philosophy for a commodity item like a battery is to hit a similar price point as the competition and differentiate themselves by offering a longer lasting product. They do this as part of a global strategy to lower environmental impact and save the consumer money over the long term.

 

[kschachn]

Originally Posted By: HTSS_TR
Only the made in Japan Toyota (and Honda and may be other Japanese vehicles)) have made in Japan Panasonic battery.

Japanese name vehicles made in USA don't have made in Japan Panasonic battery.


It's unfortunate you can't seem to buy them here. The one in my Japan-made ECHO lasted about 12 years.

 

[Quest]

Some of the best foreign made wet cell batteries (rechargeable lead-acid batteries, AGM, sealed L-A type, etc.) are from Japan. Makers such as Yuasa, Panasonic (National) and FB (Futaba) are some of the best in-town.

In moderate climate, automotive type Japanese brand batteries typically last 6~8yrs.

In my case: my Panasonic Jpn battery from my Mazda B-6 lasted 7.5yrs before changing out; my dinky golf-cart sized Honda fit (size 151R) Yuasa lasted 7.5yrs before changing out (installed a Napa).

Even when it comes to other applications such as UPS (which I tend to deal with alot), These aforementioned brand names of SLA would outlast any Indian/chinese brands by a large margin, in terms of serviceable time.

Q.