New Battery - which brand??
 

Hello,

My 2009 has 35k on it and the battery is the OEM so im thinking of getting a new one.

Which brands/models are you using?

I was thinking of getting a Champion or Bosch....

Everstart Max by Wal-mart. No I am not kidding.

LOL....thats actually on my list too. I was too embarrassed to mention it. :)

i would get a maintenance free one which ever it may be.

i think first choice for me would be the red top....but then again, my 04 G is on stock battery still. :p

Costco or Optima


Optima batteries are great, but at Costco you take it in every 35 months and get a new battery for free, no BS pro rating if done within 3 years

I'm thinking the same thing myself. It seems that batteries last about 48 months and die almost without notice, so I plan on doing a preemptive strike and replacing the one in my '09 which has about 30K miles on it now and is 3 1/2 years old.
There are a few recent good threads on Bob Is The Oil Guy about battery quality:

Duralast Platinum Battery - Bob Is The Oil Guy

Optima Batteries.... who makes them? - Bob Is The Oil Guy

Which Battery Is Better Auto-Zone Or Advance - Bob Is The Oil Guy

Do you leave the windows up or down when you disconnect the battery?
I forget

Hi AJC1884,

I would stick with OEM.

+1 optima

well...i actually decided on a walmart EVERSTART MAXX, so i went to pick one up and they were all sold out. Do you believe that????
So i had to get a Champion. Wish me luck.

Gl

I used to sell Optima batteries. They are very popular but I would not put one in my car. Look for something with good warranty and buy from a reseller that will be there to look after you in a few years.

I work at East Penn Mfg, makers of the Deka brand lead acid batteries. I am a Quality Auditor and I will tell you that Optima batteries are certainly the prettiest battery on the market, but they are junk otherwise. When they first came out we ran some major engineering tests on them because our owner wanted to see if the "6pack" tech was worth looking into. The only test that those batteries beat our wet acid filled batteries in was "shake" testing. We still resell them to NAPA (we reboost them almost always once), but NAPA is slowly moving over into our AGM line. We have developed AGM batteries that cannot be beat in in anyway. AGM = absorbed glass mat - instead of acid sloshing around in the cell each plate is separated by a diaper like material that is saturated in the acid electrolyte. If you wanna put a great battery in your car look for a 9A35/85.

We also make batteries for Sears, Sams Club, Auto Zone, OReily's, NAPA, Carquest, and Advanced Auto after-market companies....arguing which of these guys makes a better battery is like comparing a Pepsi out of a bottle to Pepsi poured into a glass. The batteries are the same, only thing different is the label.

Everstart Max by Wal-mart
 

Just read back in November that the Everstart battery is the Consumers Report recommended best buy

Was this for the battery specifically or the entire purchase experience? Like others have said, buying from someplace that will standby the purchase with a warranty is clutch. A lot can go wrong in the production of these things, the tiniest hole (and I'm talking you would need to lay the separator on a light to see a pinhole) in the separator can cause a short in a cell.