Looking at batteries and noticed the AGMs are about double the price of the regular batteries. Do the AGM Provide a longer life than the conventional battery in an automobile?
Are AGM Batteries worth the extra $
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They don't corrode the cables.
I would not spend the extra money.
I don't think they are worth it for general vehicle use.
They are suppose to be good for rough environments like boats that bounce up and down on the water. The plates in a standard style battery can break off after repeated bouncing. They would also be good for 4 wheeling and racing. Custom car owners who rarely drive their cars will use them because they hold their charge longer and there is less chance of acid vapors being released from the battery and damaging under-hood chrome, aluminum, or paint.
I had a red top optima in my Porsche. It went bad, and I got it replaced under warranty. That one lasted about 8 years.
I think you need a special charger to charge AGM or GEL batteries which doesn't make sense because all those batteries in a car would get charged by the same alternator.
They are suppose to be good for rough environments like boats that bounce up and down on the water. The plates in a standard style battery can break off after repeated bouncing. They would also be good for 4 wheeling and racing. Custom car owners who rarely drive their cars will use them because they hold their charge longer and there is less chance of acid vapors being released from the battery and damaging under-hood chrome, aluminum, or paint.
I had a red top optima in my Porsche. It went bad, and I got it replaced under warranty. That one lasted about 8 years.
I think you need a special charger to charge AGM or GEL batteries which doesn't make sense because all those batteries in a car would get charged by the same alternator.
For a vehicle that sits (like a plow) its worth it.Most regular batteries will die after just a few months of non use,and if you keep letting that happen and recharge it,it wont take it for long.I got 2003-2011 out of a plow truck AGM battery.Normally it would be 3-4 years only.
Sometimes a regular battery charger wont sense a very run down agm battery. The trick is to hook jumper cables to a wet battery and the agm to get the charger working.
Originally Posted By: Chris142
Sometimes a regular battery charger wont sense a very run down agm battery. The trick is to hook jumper cables to a wet battery and the agm to get the charger working.
not always, search for my thread here about agm battery that the manufacturer actually responded on the forum and pm'd me,
1 year, 160$, down the drain, batt has bad cell.
Sometimes a regular battery charger wont sense a very run down agm battery. The trick is to hook jumper cables to a wet battery and the agm to get the charger working.
not always, search for my thread here about agm battery that the manufacturer actually responded on the forum and pm'd me,
1 year, 160$, down the drain, batt has bad cell.
I buy them for my Corvette, since the car's computer is below the battery, a leak can be VERY costly.
You have to be careful to keep them charged, if you severely discharge one, it will lose some capability. I use a battery maintainer when not driving it for 3 days or more. On a daily driver, this would not be a problem.
You have to be careful to keep them charged, if you severely discharge one, it will lose some capability. I use a battery maintainer when not driving it for 3 days or more. On a daily driver, this would not be a problem.
Originally Posted By: stockrex
Originally Posted By: Chris142
Sometimes a regular battery charger wont sense a very run down agm battery. The trick is to hook jumper cables to a wet battery and the agm to get the charger working.
not always, search for my thread here about agm battery that the manufacturer actually responded on the forum and pm'd me,
1 year, 160$, down the drain, batt has bad cell.
ya but no battery will take a good charge if its got a bad cell. I meant a good battery run down as in left the lights on. You may not be able to charge that one unless you hook a wet battery up to it to trick the charger
Originally Posted By: Chris142
Sometimes a regular battery charger wont sense a very run down agm battery. The trick is to hook jumper cables to a wet battery and the agm to get the charger working.
not always, search for my thread here about agm battery that the manufacturer actually responded on the forum and pm'd me,
1 year, 160$, down the drain, batt has bad cell.
ya but no battery will take a good charge if its got a bad cell. I meant a good battery run down as in left the lights on. You may not be able to charge that one unless you hook a wet battery up to it to trick the charger
Dieter charges about 120 bucks for the battery in my bike. I found an AGM which fits for about 45 bucks delivered. More cranking power, a slightly higher resting voltage and lower leakage current. No more worry about a mess in the battery box. The airhead site I frequent gave it high marks. My son's looking for an AGM for his Honda.
The Hawker Odyssey AGM batteries are superior in many ways to a typical wet-cell. I've just swapped to my second one after using the first one for 9 years. I don't see how spending money on a wet-cell is a good decision unless you're only interested in a cheap/quick fix. I had the Odyssey battery so long that I swapped it into my next vehicle.
Smaller/lighter
- degrades less with time so you don't need to oversize nearly as much
- use an Odyssey of 1/4 to 1/2 the CCA of your OE battery
No corrosive off-gassing
- cables don't go bad
- metal won't corrode
- no chance of explosion
Shipping is easy
- no hazardous concerns, charges, handling
Mounting is easy
- any orientation
- anywhere you want
More useful power
- the voltage output tends to be more stable and droops less than wet-cells.
- will rebound from multiple complete discharges no-problem
So with all these benefits I have also saved 9 years of fuel transporting 25lbs less weight around. AGM (if done right) is a win-win-win scenario. Would highly recommend.
Smaller/lighter
- degrades less with time so you don't need to oversize nearly as much
- use an Odyssey of 1/4 to 1/2 the CCA of your OE battery
No corrosive off-gassing
- cables don't go bad
- metal won't corrode
- no chance of explosion
Shipping is easy
- no hazardous concerns, charges, handling
Mounting is easy
- any orientation
- anywhere you want
More useful power
- the voltage output tends to be more stable and droops less than wet-cells.
- will rebound from multiple complete discharges no-problem
So with all these benefits I have also saved 9 years of fuel transporting 25lbs less weight around. AGM (if done right) is a win-win-win scenario. Would highly recommend.
JHZR2
Staff member
Depends upon the application. For a vehicle where the battery is enclosed, like in a trunk, definitely.
For other applications, some seem to corrode and look terrible in short time, others look perfect until they go out of service. If the vehicle is easy on batteries, I dont see the benefit.
They do gas far less, like 1% of what a flooded battery would. Is this a huge thing? Depends upon how the battery is used. Trapped acid is nice though for long term maintenance, though if the battery is used in a heavy way, they cannot be serviced.
For other applications, some seem to corrode and look terrible in short time, others look perfect until they go out of service. If the vehicle is easy on batteries, I dont see the benefit.
They do gas far less, like 1% of what a flooded battery would. Is this a huge thing? Depends upon how the battery is used. Trapped acid is nice though for long term maintenance, though if the battery is used in a heavy way, they cannot be serviced.
gathermewool
Site Donor 2023
I've had good and bad luck with wet cells WRT corrosion, but all of my previous cars were either old or cheap, so the added rust and corrosion didn't make much of a difference, especially ince I kept the area clean. So, while I was interested in AGM batteries, it never made financial sense to me.
That all changed after the OEM Subaru battery began leaking and causing early corrosion issues. Subaru checked the charging system and battery and said both were good, so they wouldn't replace it due to top post corrosion. The battery hold-down was rusting, and the paint beneath and around the battery was beginning to bubble. This is with routine cleaning of the battery.
I put out the money for a nice AGM battery from Sears and couldn't be happier. I haven't noticed any corrosion and I never have to check it or clean it. The extra reserve and respectable CCA were nice benefits, too. We'll see how well it lasts, but the yellow top that came with one of my old cars has lasted for a long time, even after being recharged from fully dead maybe 4 times.
I'm still on the fence about whether or not to buy one for my wife's Civic, when it comes time to replace her's (OEM Honda,) but another AGM might be in the cards. She drives a lot (a lot of highway on top of that,) which lends itself for a long-living wet cell; however, she also spends time in the city and tends to aim for every pot hole in the road, which make an AGM the better choice in the long run.
That all changed after the OEM Subaru battery began leaking and causing early corrosion issues. Subaru checked the charging system and battery and said both were good, so they wouldn't replace it due to top post corrosion. The battery hold-down was rusting, and the paint beneath and around the battery was beginning to bubble. This is with routine cleaning of the battery.
I put out the money for a nice AGM battery from Sears and couldn't be happier. I haven't noticed any corrosion and I never have to check it or clean it. The extra reserve and respectable CCA were nice benefits, too. We'll see how well it lasts, but the yellow top that came with one of my old cars has lasted for a long time, even after being recharged from fully dead maybe 4 times.
I'm still on the fence about whether or not to buy one for my wife's Civic, when it comes time to replace her's (OEM Honda,) but another AGM might be in the cards. She drives a lot (a lot of highway on top of that,) which lends itself for a long-living wet cell; however, she also spends time in the city and tends to aim for every pot hole in the road, which make an AGM the better choice in the long run.
My mother's 2010 Altima is due for a battery soon, and the various "premium" Group 35 batteries are all priced at $120 + tax locally.
I can get an Optima Red Top for $165 shipped, which appears to be a better value. However, I am a bit concerned about the charging issues with AGM batteries on certain applications.
I can get an Optima Red Top for $165 shipped, which appears to be a better value. However, I am a bit concerned about the charging issues with AGM batteries on certain applications.
Originally Posted By: NHGUY
For a vehicle that sits (like a plow) its worth it.Most regular batteries will die after just a few months of non use,and if you keep letting that happen and recharge it,it wont take it for long.I got 2003-2011 out of a plow truck AGM battery.Normally it would be 3-4 years only.
So you paid twice the price and got twice the life time. Hmmm.
For a vehicle that sits (like a plow) its worth it.Most regular batteries will die after just a few months of non use,and if you keep letting that happen and recharge it,it wont take it for long.I got 2003-2011 out of a plow truck AGM battery.Normally it would be 3-4 years only.
So you paid twice the price and got twice the life time. Hmmm.
I have had great service out of AGM batteries. I had one in a Harley I owned last over 6 years. I ended up changing it out out of fear of being stranded in the boonies. I put another AGM right back in it.
The warranty is the same as flooded cell, so what is the point. Maybe if you had a boat or RV where the batteries were a pain to get to check it might be worth it.
Originally Posted By: Donald
The warranty is the same as flooded cell...
Warranty is not the same, not even close.
The warranty is the same as flooded cell...
Warranty is not the same, not even close.
I bought regular battery from a Ford dealer with 3 years free replacement and 100 months pro-rated, what are the warranty for AGM ?
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