Heat kills batteries here in Texas. I have been lucky to get 4 years from most. My wife's 09 Acadia has the battery under the 2nd row seat, avoiding engine heat. Does anyone have an idea how much this could increase battery life?
Battery, 09 Acadia
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JHZR2
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You could guesstimate it but really, this is where statistically significant data trends become important. There used to be a map from VW that showed the expected battery service life by area.
Simplest is that degrading chemical reactions double for each 8C temperature rise that occurs. So if you baseline some location, you can estimate net effects geographically by that. Operating time is just a small fraction, but you can arbitrarily penalize underhood batteries and keep in cab batteries alone. A good and complex mathematical algorithm would allow portions of time to be weighted and defined fully. Get coding if you want to figure that. Otherwise use ambient temperatures as a proxy.
Simplest is that degrading chemical reactions double for each 8C temperature rise that occurs. So if you baseline some location, you can estimate net effects geographically by that. Operating time is just a small fraction, but you can arbitrarily penalize underhood batteries and keep in cab batteries alone. A good and complex mathematical algorithm would allow portions of time to be weighted and defined fully. Get coding if you want to figure that. Otherwise use ambient temperatures as a proxy.
I thought maybe one with a lower CCA rating for the particular size might be better. Sears at least used to sell different North/South versions that were optimized for cold temperature performance vs high temperature longevity.
Possibly one where you can remove the caps and fill any lost water. I haven't really seen any screw caps in a while where there's also a fill level line on the battery - only with OEM batteries made in Japan. Those are usually somewhat translucent white. Most JCI batteries don't have glued-in caps, but there's no specific fill line.
Possibly one where you can remove the caps and fill any lost water. I haven't really seen any screw caps in a while where there's also a fill level line on the battery - only with OEM batteries made in Japan. Those are usually somewhat translucent white. Most JCI batteries don't have glued-in caps, but there's no specific fill line.
With most JCI batteries, the fill line is the bottom of that plastic piece that sticks down into the filler hole for each cell. It's quite easy to see the water when it's at or above the level of that plastic piece.
The JCI group 48 battery I bought a couple of years ago does not have glued in caps. They are snap-in caps, one per cell, flush with the battery top, and the label covers half of them. You can pry them out. JCI redesigned the group 48 battery sometime after 2010--the older design had two vent strips that each covered three cells and were easy to remove. The new design looks like a Varta battery.
The JCI group 48 battery I bought a couple of years ago does not have glued in caps. They are snap-in caps, one per cell, flush with the battery top, and the label covers half of them. You can pry them out. JCI redesigned the group 48 battery sometime after 2010--the older design had two vent strips that each covered three cells and were easy to remove. The new design looks like a Varta battery.
Originally Posted By: brianl703
With most JCI batteries, the fill line is the bottom of that plastic piece that sticks down into the filler hole for each cell. It's quite easy to see the water when it's at or above the level of that plastic piece.
The JCI group 48 battery I bought a couple of years ago does not have glued in caps. They are snap-in caps, one per cell, flush with the battery top, and the label covers half of them. You can pry them out. JCI redesigned the group 48 battery sometime after 2010--the older design had two vent strips that each covered three cells and were easy to remove. The new design looks like a Varta battery.
I was somewhat expecting the traditional design where it's one rectangular cap (with cut corners) per 3 cells, but group 48 is a really different shape. I found a photo of the Costco Interstate 29:
With most JCI batteries, the fill line is the bottom of that plastic piece that sticks down into the filler hole for each cell. It's quite easy to see the water when it's at or above the level of that plastic piece.
The JCI group 48 battery I bought a couple of years ago does not have glued in caps. They are snap-in caps, one per cell, flush with the battery top, and the label covers half of them. You can pry them out. JCI redesigned the group 48 battery sometime after 2010--the older design had two vent strips that each covered three cells and were easy to remove. The new design looks like a Varta battery.
I was somewhat expecting the traditional design where it's one rectangular cap (with cut corners) per 3 cells, but group 48 is a really different shape. I found a photo of the Costco Interstate 29:
That's it. That one you can pry the vent caps out. Also notice it has a place for two fold down handles, but the handles aren't installed.
This is what the old battery design looked like, red arrows point to the vent cap strips:
This is what the old battery design looked like, red arrows point to the vent cap strips:
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The JCI 48/91/H6 case design with the single, centered, oval-shaped vent port goes back a long way. I've used them in Diehard, Interstate, and Bosch (before it switched to Exide) form with no issues dating back to the late 80s. It has the siamesed vent caps that need to be pried out. There are even little slots to accommodate a flathead screwdriver.
A few years ago, they replaced it the one with the small center handle, and dual side vent ports, which looks like this.
The Walmart, NAPA, O'Reilly, Autozone, AAP and other chain store JCIs use this case design. I haven't owned one, but don't really see a way to check the water level unless one pries off the large strip to reveal the cell ports, which may or may not be doable without damage.
But there's an alternate double-handle case design like the Costco Interstate #29, with individual caps.
I've seen this one with Costco Interstate, Interstate, Diehard, Delco, and Champion labels, often without handles which I guess reduces the cost.
In actuality, I think only the case tops have changed; the body casings all look to be the same.
I have one of the Costco #29 currently. Once the warranty expires, I'll have to see if it's possible to check water level without damage.
A few years ago, they replaced it the one with the small center handle, and dual side vent ports, which looks like this.
The Walmart, NAPA, O'Reilly, Autozone, AAP and other chain store JCIs use this case design. I haven't owned one, but don't really see a way to check the water level unless one pries off the large strip to reveal the cell ports, which may or may not be doable without damage.
But there's an alternate double-handle case design like the Costco Interstate #29, with individual caps.
I've seen this one with Costco Interstate, Interstate, Diehard, Delco, and Champion labels, often without handles which I guess reduces the cost.
In actuality, I think only the case tops have changed; the body casings all look to be the same.
I have one of the Costco #29 currently. Once the warranty expires, I'll have to see if it's possible to check water level without damage.
Originally Posted By: Carmudgeon
I have one of the Costco #29 currently. Once the warranty expires, I'll have to see if it's possible to check water level without damage.
That one is a little bit different because of the warranty. At the point where it starts to get flaky, it might make more sense to return it to Costco rather than try to fill it. I've never known Costco to test a battery. They always just took it back without any questions. I even got my 15% prorated warranty refund on a battery I had for 6 years.
Now if it were some battery with a 24 month-only warranty and you're 3 years into the battery, then it might make sense to add water since the warranty is no longer an issue. I'm also wondering if maybe there's some warranty rule about removing the caps. Certainly on the Costco battery it's kind of hard to do that without ripping off the labels.
I have one of the Costco #29 currently. Once the warranty expires, I'll have to see if it's possible to check water level without damage.
That one is a little bit different because of the warranty. At the point where it starts to get flaky, it might make more sense to return it to Costco rather than try to fill it. I've never known Costco to test a battery. They always just took it back without any questions. I even got my 15% prorated warranty refund on a battery I had for 6 years.
Now if it were some battery with a 24 month-only warranty and you're 3 years into the battery, then it might make sense to add water since the warranty is no longer an issue. I'm also wondering if maybe there's some warranty rule about removing the caps. Certainly on the Costco battery it's kind of hard to do that without ripping off the labels.
Originally Posted By: y_p_w
That one is a little bit different because of the warranty. At the point where it starts to get flaky, it might make more sense to return it to Costco rather than try to fill it. I've never known Costco to test a battery. They always just took it back without any questions. I even got my 15% prorated warranty refund on a battery I had for 6 years.
Now if it were some battery with a 24 month-only warranty and you're 3 years into the battery, then it might make sense to add water since the warranty is no longer an issue. I'm also wondering if maybe there's some warranty rule about removing the caps. Certainly on the Costco battery it's kind of hard to do that without ripping off the labels.
I got this battery after Costco switched from Kirkland to Interstate branding and a straight 42 mo replacement/no prorate warranty. I've generally had pretty good luck with my batteries (trunk mount helps) and never had one fail inside the free replacement period (aside from that one 35). So once the warranty expires, there is no risk except for damaging the caps.
I've never really bought into prorated warranties, and with my experience, I'd get next to nothing back anyway. So I actually prefer how Costco now does it. No hassle and no locked-in credit; just cash back. When I turned in the 35, they even refunded the recycling fee again.
Of course, that opens it up to abuse, and I've seen people mention that, but since it's a membership, and every purchased is recorded, I'd hope they have measures in place to prevent people from gaming the system and "subscribing" to batteries every ~3 years.
I chatted once with the owner of the local Interstate distributor, and asked him what he thought of maintenance-free batteries. He said there's no such thing.
That one is a little bit different because of the warranty. At the point where it starts to get flaky, it might make more sense to return it to Costco rather than try to fill it. I've never known Costco to test a battery. They always just took it back without any questions. I even got my 15% prorated warranty refund on a battery I had for 6 years.
Now if it were some battery with a 24 month-only warranty and you're 3 years into the battery, then it might make sense to add water since the warranty is no longer an issue. I'm also wondering if maybe there's some warranty rule about removing the caps. Certainly on the Costco battery it's kind of hard to do that without ripping off the labels.
I got this battery after Costco switched from Kirkland to Interstate branding and a straight 42 mo replacement/no prorate warranty. I've generally had pretty good luck with my batteries (trunk mount helps) and never had one fail inside the free replacement period (aside from that one 35). So once the warranty expires, there is no risk except for damaging the caps.
I've never really bought into prorated warranties, and with my experience, I'd get next to nothing back anyway. So I actually prefer how Costco now does it. No hassle and no locked-in credit; just cash back. When I turned in the 35, they even refunded the recycling fee again.
Of course, that opens it up to abuse, and I've seen people mention that, but since it's a membership, and every purchased is recorded, I'd hope they have measures in place to prevent people from gaming the system and "subscribing" to batteries every ~3 years.
I chatted once with the owner of the local Interstate distributor, and asked him what he thought of maintenance-free batteries. He said there's no such thing.
Originally Posted By: Carmudgeon
Originally Posted By: y_p_w
That one is a little bit different because of the warranty. At the point where it starts to get flaky, it might make more sense to return it to Costco rather than try to fill it. I've never known Costco to test a battery. They always just took it back without any questions. I even got my 15% prorated warranty refund on a battery I had for 6 years.
Now if it were some battery with a 24 month-only warranty and you're 3 years into the battery, then it might make sense to add water since the warranty is no longer an issue. I'm also wondering if maybe there's some warranty rule about removing the caps. Certainly on the Costco battery it's kind of hard to do that without ripping off the labels.
I got this battery after Costco switched from Kirkland to Interstate branding and a straight 42 mo replacement/no prorate warranty. I've generally had pretty good luck with my batteries (trunk mount helps) and never had one fail inside the free replacement period (aside from that one 35). So once the warranty expires, there is no risk except for damaging the caps.
I've never really bought into prorated warranties, and with my experience, I'd get next to nothing back anyway. So I actually prefer how Costco now does it. No hassle and no locked-in credit; just cash back. When I turned in the 35, they even refunded the recycling fee again.
Of course, that opens it up to abuse, and I've seen people mention that, but since it's a membership, and every purchased is recorded, I'd hope they have measures in place to prevent people from gaming the system and "subscribing" to batteries every ~3 years.
I chatted once with the owner of the local Interstate distributor, and asked him what he thought of maintenance-free batteries. He said there's no such thing.
I've returned a couple of batteries at Costco, and both were the Kirkland Signature branded ones with the 36 month full refund and was it an 100 month prorated warranty. Mine might have been 7 years old and I got 15% of my original purchase price back, although I think I only paid about $55 for it in 2009. I only got my core deposit back because when they looked up my info I never brought one back. I'd just dropped it off at a local recycling center. My wife's however had a tendency to abuse her battery. She'd leave the maps lights on, and there was a problem with the door chime warning because the door sensor wasn't making the full connection. That thing was shot after less than 2 years, but by then out Costcos no longer had any. I got a JCI-made Die Hard super cheap, and that thing lasted for over 7 years with about the same kind of abuse, although I did install LEDs to reduce the map light drain. All of those batteries I pulled out the caps and added a bit of distilled water. It just seemed like a good idea, and it was impossible to tell that they'd ever been removed.
The thing about the East Penn batteries is that there doesn't seem to be any practical way to get into the cell. Nobody seems to think any worse of them because of it.
Originally Posted By: y_p_w
That one is a little bit different because of the warranty. At the point where it starts to get flaky, it might make more sense to return it to Costco rather than try to fill it. I've never known Costco to test a battery. They always just took it back without any questions. I even got my 15% prorated warranty refund on a battery I had for 6 years.
Now if it were some battery with a 24 month-only warranty and you're 3 years into the battery, then it might make sense to add water since the warranty is no longer an issue. I'm also wondering if maybe there's some warranty rule about removing the caps. Certainly on the Costco battery it's kind of hard to do that without ripping off the labels.
I got this battery after Costco switched from Kirkland to Interstate branding and a straight 42 mo replacement/no prorate warranty. I've generally had pretty good luck with my batteries (trunk mount helps) and never had one fail inside the free replacement period (aside from that one 35). So once the warranty expires, there is no risk except for damaging the caps.
I've never really bought into prorated warranties, and with my experience, I'd get next to nothing back anyway. So I actually prefer how Costco now does it. No hassle and no locked-in credit; just cash back. When I turned in the 35, they even refunded the recycling fee again.
Of course, that opens it up to abuse, and I've seen people mention that, but since it's a membership, and every purchased is recorded, I'd hope they have measures in place to prevent people from gaming the system and "subscribing" to batteries every ~3 years.
I chatted once with the owner of the local Interstate distributor, and asked him what he thought of maintenance-free batteries. He said there's no such thing.
I've returned a couple of batteries at Costco, and both were the Kirkland Signature branded ones with the 36 month full refund and was it an 100 month prorated warranty. Mine might have been 7 years old and I got 15% of my original purchase price back, although I think I only paid about $55 for it in 2009. I only got my core deposit back because when they looked up my info I never brought one back. I'd just dropped it off at a local recycling center. My wife's however had a tendency to abuse her battery. She'd leave the maps lights on, and there was a problem with the door chime warning because the door sensor wasn't making the full connection. That thing was shot after less than 2 years, but by then out Costcos no longer had any. I got a JCI-made Die Hard super cheap, and that thing lasted for over 7 years with about the same kind of abuse, although I did install LEDs to reduce the map light drain. All of those batteries I pulled out the caps and added a bit of distilled water. It just seemed like a good idea, and it was impossible to tell that they'd ever been removed.
The thing about the East Penn batteries is that there doesn't seem to be any practical way to get into the cell. Nobody seems to think any worse of them because of it.
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