New car that's been sitting on the lot - ask for a new battery?

[y_p_w]

I was test driving a BRZ the other day (mentioned in the Automotive General forum) where all but one of the models available on the lot had a battery that would actually start. We ended up taking out one that was jumped started and that I stalled a block away from the dealer. Some of the replies I got were that it was inexcusable that someone didn't go out with a charger to keep the batteries in good shape, but it is what it is.

However, it sort of made me think what's to ask for in that case where I know the battery had died once before. The Subarus I saw on the lot all had Japanese-made batteries (don't remember the brand) with filler caps with knobs. I've always liked the idea of these just in case there's evaporation. I live in a fairly mild climate without cold winters and with mild summers. The factory batteries supposedly have thicker plates but don't necessarily put out as much output. Supposedly ideal for maximum longevity, especially in an application where it might sit used for months without being charged. I actually wish I could buy a battery like this, but they either cost too much or they're not available at all. I thought that a lot of times they specify this sort of battery understanding that it's more robust for vehicles that stay on a lot for a while - possibly in the heat.

I figure I could ask that a new battery be included, but it would probably be whatever replacement battery they sell at the dealer parts department. Probably an American made "maintenance free" or "low maintenance" battery with higher CCAs than the factory battery.

 

[Donald]

Cars coming from Japan often have dead batteries.

I would use the "new battery" as a last thing to close the deal. They will reuse the one in the car for a vehicle they are taking in as trade.

 

[Loi]

Subaru OEM battery is a Panasonic.

 

[JayhawkRoy]

If you are intent on obtaining that vehicle, absolutelyrequire a new battery. To me, a relatively fresh new battery is better than the dead old one, regardless of brand.

 

[bullwinkle]

If the Panasonic is like the one that came OEM on my xB, it's AGM-the one I had lasted 10 years until it started to test weak, then went ANOTHER 3 years in my brother's old ‘87 Tercel until he ran it dead & finally killed it. I would try for a new Panasonic one!

 

[das_peikko]

Is this the same car lot where they're too lazy to charge up the batteries and don't know how to drive a manual transmission?

 

[Vuflanovsky]

I think OEM battery situations vary so much that you should do what you feel is right. My current battery tested at 100 CCAs over rating when it was off loaded at Port Hueneme CA and it sat on the dealer lot for three months in the back behind two rows of cars. That battery will be six years in operation next month and I can assume it might not have been maintained.

Ultimately, I'm not sure it makes a difference until it's used every day as I've had crappy 3 year OEM batteries and ones like my current one. If it died once does that mean anything to something that will die at 36 months anyway?? A longer life / higher CCA battery at negotiation time might eliminate the questions.

 

[y_p_w]

Originally Posted by bullwinkle
If the Panasonic is like the one that came OEM on my xB, it's AGM-the one I had lasted 10 years until it started to test weak, then went ANOTHER 3 years in my brother's old ‘87 Tercel until he ran it dead & finally killed it. I would try for a new Panasonic one!

These are clearly flooded though. I guess it is a Panasonic. I don't remember the brand of my OEM battery for my 2004 WRX, but it wasn't Panasonic. It was a small company that I'd never heard of before I got the car.

Here's the battery from a photo I found on the web. Yep - Panasonic with those knobs.

 

[Job]

Better than if they are started and moved all the time. I have seen sales people abuse the new cars as much as they could. No one knows what they are doing out there back in the lots with the keys. Or fobs I guess it is now..

 

[eljefino]

How would you know you got a new battery vs a different one from a different new car that they spent 30 seconds wiping with Pledge(tm)?

 

[Randy_R]

Get a new battery if you can. The battery in my 08 Vue didn't last a year. The car was on the lot 4 months when I bought it. The replacement lasted nine years. It was a Delco Professional the dealer sells, not the Delco they sell at Menard's.

 

[y_p_w]

Originally Posted by eljefino
How would you know you got a new battery vs a different one from a different new car that they spent 30 seconds wiping with Pledge(tm)?

Because the factory batteries look nothing like the replacement batteries sold in the parts department. Here's a photo I found of one from a dealer website:

 

[RooflessVW]

Originally Posted by eljefino
How would you know you got a new battery vs a different one from a different new car that they spent 30 seconds wiping with Pledge(tm)?

The date code?

 

[y_p_w]

Originally Posted by rooflessVW
Originally Posted by eljefino
How would you know you got a new battery vs a different one from a different new car that they spent 30 seconds wiping with Pledge(tm)?

The date code?

I don't recall seeing a date code on a factory battery before. It would probably scare off a lot of owners.

Would an OEM replacement battery even have a readable date code or the date?

 

[dishdude]

I'd plan on replacing the battery myself and use the slow sales to concentrate on getting the best deal possible. Email all the dealers within driving distance, one will be smart enough to price it to move.

 

[Hootbro]

I bought a year model leftover new Nissan Frontier they had to jump for the test drive. Just negotiated the replacement battery on the "you owe, we owe" form. Dealership rolled it into service after the sale and did a warranty replacement for the battery and nothing out of their pocket and both parties were happy.

 

[ekpolk]

My car had been on the lot for a year (well, that, minus the boat ride across the Pacific) before I got it (100 miles on odo). The OEM battery was already gone in mine! Its replacement sometimes shows 11.x volts before startup, which alarmed me at first, but so far, it seems to be behaving well (coming up on three months). Of course, this 12v is smallish, being there essentially only to boot up the computer; it doesn't have to crank the engine. I hope if it dies, it gets around to it before the wty is gone. . .

I'd definitely press them for a new battery if the car has been sitting for any length of time.