"Shour, Aloof and Obnoxious" (shour)
07/24/2018 at 00:14 • Filed to: None
2
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"Shour, Aloof and Obnoxious" (shour)
07/24/2018 at 00:14 • Filed to: None | 2
| 10 |
Two and half years ago, on an I-35 far far away...
After buying the Lexus in San Antonio, I began driving it up to Plano. Somewhere between Temple and Waco, the dashboard lit up, warning me that the VSC (traction control) was malfunctioning, and had been deactivated. A cursory search of the Lexus forums said that this rarely had to do with the VSC, and was often a warning sign that the battery was dropping charge. The advice was to get the battery checked, as it might be going bad. Pulled into a Walmart service station in Waco at about 6:45, and their battery tester confirmed it: an old battery that was going bad.
I just needed to get to Plano. The cheapest battery on their shelf for the LS400 was a $120 EverStart. It blows my mind how expensive batteries have gotten...I remember buying decent batteries for my cars in college that were $40, and that was only...uh...twenty years...ago...huh.
Every year, as the heat in West Texas and Southern New Mexico starts hitting the 90s (April to October) and pushes well into the 100s (June to September), the old VSC pings here and there. I get the battery checked once or twice to see if it’s going bad, and the answer has been no, just a bit of a low charge. I go on my merry way. But now in the battery’s third year of life, and it being the cheapest off-the-shelf battery I could grab at the last minute, I have the sinking feeling that this black box will become an expensive paperweight sooner rather than later.
How do YOU battery, Oppo? I value your input more than just about anyone, especially because we all come from such different walks. I live in oppressive heat seven months of the year, and if I’m going to pony up more than $200 for a quality battery, it’d be nice if I could get more than three years out of it, too.
RWD 80's sexiness for your time.
aquila121
> Shour, Aloof and Obnoxious
07/24/2018 at 00:50 |
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I see Starion, I star. Sorry that I don’t have more substance to offer.
RiceRocketeer Extraordinaire
> Shour, Aloof and Obnoxious
07/24/2018 at 01:14 |
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Your post reminds me that I’ve push-started both my cars on separate occasions due to dying batteries , both times with the then-gf now-wife present and shaking her head in disbelief. Honda batteries are relatively cheap though.
TheHondaBro
> Shour, Aloof and Obnoxious
07/24/2018 at 01:23 |
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Classic NeverStart batteries.
SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media
> Shour, Aloof and Obnoxious
07/24/2018 at 01:54 |
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My VW Transporter is deep into its 18th year in my possession. It is well into its third battery, maybe 4th year. There’s only one battery type in this country that fits it and it is generally around AU$360...but is clearly well worth it. It's a Century DIN65L zero maintenance.
Echo51
> Shour, Aloof and Obnoxious
07/24/2018 at 02:46 |
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Ran the one that came in mine(already used) for another 5 years before having to change it. Bought a name-brand with a 3
year warra
nty.
On that note, car won’t start when driven for a while and stopped without sitting for a while to cool off. Gently rolled down a hill(lucky parking) yestaday and bump-started it with a trailer on the car. General assumption seems to be heatsoak of the starter since nothing happens when you turn the key. /shrug
TheD0k_2many toys 2little time
> Shour, Aloof and Obnoxious
07/24/2018 at 03:36 |
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I buy whatever is cheapest usually. Never had any issues but i also dont run batteries down and tend to keep them on a float charge if they are sitting.
jimz
> Shour, Aloof and Obnoxious
07/24/2018 at 05:48 |
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Find out what’s actually killing your battery.
pip bip - choose Corrour
> Shour, Aloof and Obnoxious
07/24/2018 at 05:51 |
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i buy AC-Delco. (but i’m biased as i work at a GM-Holden dealer)
FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com
> Shour, Aloof and Obnoxious
07/24/2018 at 08:47 |
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Texas is hell on batteries. I never got more ham a few years from mine in San Antonio. What I start d doing is just getting the “gold” level auto parts store brand batteries for $20 more with the 5-year warranty. However many months early they die they give you the remaining percent discount on the next one. I also have had better than average luck with Deka brand batteries.
I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker
> Shour, Aloof and Obnoxious
07/24/2018 at 13:09 |
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The Elantra that I drove for years (parents’ car) had the cheapest Walmart battery we could get. The factory one died in two years- the one my dad and I put in lasted from ~2012 until last month, when a tire shop (?) said we should change it and my mom did. Their test said it was discharging slow, just as NTB said a year previously when I had an oil change and they took it upon themselve to give it an inspection I didn’t ask for and graciously rotated my tires, just like I did a week before the oil change.
Still rattled about that. But yeah, 6+ years of Ohio summers and winters. Your battery will be fine.