I have a 2000 accord EX - and last replaced my battery in 2005 with a mid range Duralast battery that lasted just about 4 years on the spot.

It was the mid range Battery 710 Cranking Amps - 575 Cold Crank Amps

The battery has worked fine for 4 years and this winter I've had the battery fail to start my car twice in the past 3 weeks - and thinking I may be in the market for a new battery - and I need to choose.


1) Is 4 years good life on battery or short life - I live in Midwest with cold winters.

2) Is there anything else I should check to eliminate the battery being the problem - alternator / etc?

3) Can I go with Duralast again - < have $20.00 Warranty left on current battery > or should I get a different brand?

4) Living in the midwest, with winters being cold the past 2 years - Should I buy same battery

Duralast RED
$65.00 ( $85.00 - $20.00 )
575 Cold Cranking Amps
( 710 Crank Amps )
7 Yr Warranty ( got me the $20.00 Trade in value )
2 yr replacement

- OR -

Duralast Gold -
$75.00 ( $95.00 - $20.00 )
650 Cold Cranking Amps
( 800 Crank Amps )
1 year extra replacement
8 yr warranty ( more trade in value ultimately )
3 yr replacement

Thanks

 

I put a duralast in mine, the red you listed above I believe. And I had it fail to start for me one really cold night. But the battery wasn't the problem, it was this gel stuff they gave me to put on the connectors that had frozen up and pushed everything apart a bit. That and everything wasn't tight enough.

I'd make sure everything is good and tight, and if the problem persists I'd look into a new one. AutoZone will test it for you, let you know what percentage it is running at and if a replacement is necessary.

If the price is only $10 bucks difference and it really does get super cold there I would go for the gold one. 4 years isn't bad on a battery, although I've had batteries in other cars last for 10 years or so, just depends really.

 

Go for the Yellow top Duralast, it's the better battery,I have that in 2 of my own cars...

 

Thanks,

I put a Duralast GOLD in last night - was planning on using their Gel later - they gave me a small pouch full. Looks like I'll pass on that - any other suggestions.

I did a little reading re: batteries the past couple of days - and came across the trickle charging / maintenance concept. Is it recommended that I should get a charger and top off my battery periodically - or is that a waste of time for a new battery. I've never done it in the past - but always open to new ideas if they will help my car parts get some extra life.

 

A "maintenance charger" is supposed to be safer than a trickle-charger for long-term storage. It's smarter, so it doesn't over-charge your battery if you just leave it plugged in for 2 months.

But that's only if you're storing the battery (storing the car over winter for example). When you regularly drive the car, you don't need to do that stuff at all.

My charger has a de-sulfurizing cycle which I've used a couple times. Don't know whether it actually prolonged the life of a battery, but at least it didn't destroy a battery.

 

I used to put 30k miles a year on the highways - I do alot of short distance local driving now - which I understand doesn't charge the battery very much after the start. That's where my interest in maintenance charger comes from. That and the fact that my battery went dead twice in the last month .

I saw a solar maintenance charger that plugs on your dashboard - lighter - that looked interesting.

Thanks

 

Depending on where you got your battery you should have a replacement plan. Meaning that if your battery fails to work they will replace it free of charge. I understand your concern, I just personally think it's a bit overboard. Perhaps if you had a million LED's running off of the battery inside the car and a huge audio/video system, than a charger may be good for maintenance.

If your battery constantly goes dead, you probably have an electrical problem somewhere. Every battery I've ever had that lasted around 10 years was a cheap wal-mart battery and all I did was drive to and from work, maybe to friends houses as well. I wouldn't put much thought or worry into it, perhaps you just had a dud before.

 

Maintenance charger is for long-term storage.

You can probably just get any normal charger. If you drive a lot of small trips, it doesn't sound like you leave it parked for months at a time. If the voltage goes low from the short trips, just hook up the charger for an hour. Don't leave the charger hooked up for weeks.