My 2002 needs a battery - the six year old Interstate (Group 42) seems to have a dead cell. The car gets used from spring to fall, and lives in the garage for about 4-5 months per year. Cold starts aren't really an issue. I've not been terribly diligent about keeping a trickle charger on it, which may explain the dead battery. Anyway, I know there are options beyond the old lead-acid, but I know nothing about them. What sort of battery do I want for this type of use? Cost is a factor, but with a decent lead-acid replacement going for almost $200, I'm not getting away cheap no matter what.
If it matters, I've got the battery in the trunk, so there's a fairly long cable run to the starter. It's never been an issue before, but I figured I'd mention it in case it's a factor.
Vintage, limited use cars are my business. It is all we do 5 days a week, 52 weeks a year.
I purchase Napa "Legend" batteries for 99% of the builds here because their warranty is excellent, they are simple black cases that do not look out of place in a vintage setting and they last a very long time. I get about 8 years out of them.
75% of all battery problems I see here are related to Optima batteries. I do not recommend them period.
A battery tender is a good thing over the winter.
My Cayman has a battery issue, it dies every winter due to my inaction. Every spring I get a new battery on warrantee. It may not be right but I am not going to argue. This year will be my 2nd replacement since I bought one 3 springs ago.
I have the same problem with my Miata. Dead battery every time I try to fire it up for the first time in the spring. I do have a tender but the motorcycle sits on it for the same reason. I suppose I could switch it around every month or so...
thatsnowinnebago said:I have the same problem with my Miata. Dead battery every time I try to fire it up for the first time in the spring. I do have a tender but the motorcycle sits on it for the same reason. I suppose I could switch it around every month or so...
Or....buy a second one? It's not like they're expensive.
Honestly I think anything worth buying for a normal use car is going to be in the $150-200 range. It's just a question of whether you want another traditional lead acid or a slightly smaller AGM or a tiny lipo.
Old cars need old battery technology. I would top it off in the fall and disconnect it while it's in storage. I've also had bad luck with AGM batteries. I have a 40 year old battery charger/tender that I inherited and it is one of my favorite things in the garage.
In reply to dps214 :
Lol fair. The bigger problem is that the outlets on that side of the garage don't work, but that's not the battery's fault.
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