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need advice on a new battery...

Discussion in 'Northern California' started by thebaker, Aug 4, 2013.

  1. Aug 4, 2013 at 9:36 PM
    #1
    thebaker

    thebaker [OP] Well-Known Member

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    So the oem battery in my 2009 Tacoma is finally on its last leg. I noticed it a couple weeks ago that the start up wasn't as smooth as before. After my truck sat unused for 6 days, got in it this morning and it almost didn't start. After driving for a while and parking, I tried to start the engine again and it started right up. Parked for 10 hours and then was hard to start again.

    Anyone know of a good place in the bay area (prefer close to SF) that knows what their talking about in terms of batteries? I'm leaning toward the diehard platnuim as I write this but want to at least check out what else is avalible.
     
  2. Aug 4, 2013 at 9:48 PM
    #2
    Tacoyota

    Tacoyota senile member

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    4.56 gears, rear trutrac,DT header, 235/85r16 Duratracs, 2nd filter pulled, inter.wipers, Cruise control, Factory alum. whls/winter tires(2nd set), Afe pro Dry-S , Dumbo eared flaps cut down.
    Believe it or not, most are made by only 1-2 companies, exide corp being one of them.

    In other words a Diehard might be the same maker as Everlast etc, those places have no factory to make batteries. I'm sure the diehard is as good as any, so it just becomes a price game for the same 60 or72 months, CCA and reserve.

    Many times you will even find the name of the company that made the battery for them still on the battery somewhere. Johnson controls makes my oem Toyota battery for example. At that rate any Costco or battery sale could be just as good as any other auto shop.
     
  3. Aug 4, 2013 at 9:51 PM
    #3
    NutsTacoma

    NutsTacoma Active Member

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    Performance- winch,audio,lights,accessories,etc.
    Optima,Odyssey,Diehard Platnuim.

    Normal use- interstate,duralast,carquest.

    I personally have used the inerstate,carquest,and optima redtop.
    Just make sure you charge it before you install, use the 2 amp setting to top the battery off it will help you get the maximum life out of the battery.
     
  4. Aug 4, 2013 at 10:18 PM
    #4
    Bishop2Queens6

    Bishop2Queens6 Well-Known Member

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    I bought a Diehard Platinum from Sears for $220 back in January. I use a lot of accessories and tow so its worth every penny.

    I've heard that Optima quality has gone down hill, so I went with the DieHard platinum. It has the best warranty and best reviews I could find for a consumer available car battery.

    My buddy has had a duralast battery die on him every year for 3 years. Warranty at autozone covers it every time, but a car battery you want dependability. Spend the $$$ on it.
     
  5. Aug 4, 2013 at 10:21 PM
    #5
    Tacoyota

    Tacoyota senile member

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    I got my optima for $175 iirc. no problems even in the mountains/winter, red top model.
     
  6. Aug 5, 2013 at 7:15 AM
    #6
    Shadetree

    Shadetree Well-Known Member

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    For some tips on buying a replacement battery, please see Section 7 in the Car and Deep Cycle Batter FAQ on www.batteryfaq.org.
     
  7. Aug 5, 2013 at 7:19 AM
    #7
    nat

    nat Well-Known Member

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    Stay away from Optima, they are no longer that awesome.

    Diehard Platinum are the same as the Odyssey Batteries, that is the best.
     
  8. Aug 5, 2013 at 3:52 PM
    #8
    kalieaire

    kalieaire i didn't know they stacked sh*t that high.

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    There's always Costco.

    However, it sounds like you don't have the opportunity to drive your truck as much as you should. In that case, you should hook it up to a charger or battery tender. The deep discharges your battery is getting from not being topped up weekly or sooner is doing a lot of wear and tear on it.

    The other choice is a capacitor based battery like from maxwell (or build your own), those lose charge quickly and cost a pretty penny, but they're super fast to charge, it will likely outlive your vehicle and the next one you install it into.
     
  9. Aug 5, 2013 at 10:11 PM
    #9
    t4r4life

    t4r4life poptard and protein farts

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    I got costco, can't beat that 8 and a half year warranty
     
  10. Aug 7, 2013 at 10:51 AM
    #10
    aficianado

    aficianado Well-Known Member

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    back to bone stock.
    ^^this.

    now that i'm older and cheaper..i realize i am not the backcountry explorer i thought i was. i am reachable by AAA 98% of the time. Costco doesnt carry our group size for a 2006. sucks.

    but i think SAMS does. i bought my old lady neighbor a costco battery for her lancer. it was $70. for that kinda money, you can get 3, before you get to Sears Platinum money.

    i am going with a box store battery. saving the money.

    the OEM battery isnt anything special..and it lasted 7 years!!

    for the record, my 2006 battery is still kicking ass!!
     
  11. Aug 7, 2013 at 11:14 AM
    #11
    kalieaire

    kalieaire i didn't know they stacked sh*t that high.

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    If you really don't go wheeling much and don't use much of your battery much when you do, a 24F should fit just fine and that's available at costco. It should have same if not better CCA but only has a 19% hit in capacity. (135minutes vs 165 minutes)

    I would comfortably change out my 27f for a 24f. But then again, I'd probably get two 24Fs and another set of batteries for my bed since I do use my batteries up. However I'd use an isolator to keep my deep cyclers separated from my startup battery.
     
  12. Aug 7, 2013 at 11:22 AM
    #12
    hawker25

    hawker25 Well-Known Member

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    see lots of hate on optima lately, not sure why. Anybody owned a few and had lots of problems cause all I ever hear is second hand stuff like my buddies buddies type of crap. I have a yellow top on my 08 that is 3 years old. Powers winch, lights and all kinds of other stuff. Have left all cabin lights on, on accident over night and still started right up. Family lives in leadville, co and i have started this truck in -30 degree F with no problems multiple times after sitting more 12 hours or more. Truck see multiple 100 degree F days in the summer too and has never failed me.
     
  13. Aug 13, 2013 at 9:14 AM
    #13
    aficianado

    aficianado Well-Known Member

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    back to bone stock.
    i bought an optima. for my chevy truck. the truck battery kept dying. like something was left on..for weeks i chased the drain. one fuse at a time..etc. kept recharging the optima. i gave up and took the truck to the dealer. he told me i had a bad section of my wiring harness and took $300 of my money to build me a new one. took the truck home, and was happy.

    next morning. brrrriippp.. dead battery! i gave up and took the optima back (pep boys) and had them test it, recharge it. they hook it up and tell me it is okay and proceed to charge it up. i leave to buy lunch. come back later, and the guy said..right when it was about to get full charge..it just crapped out. he said something was very weird about the battery. just sitting on the counter, if you test the volts..it was just trickle off. the volt meter would just tick down. he offered me a new optima..but i got my cash back.

    dumped in a regular cheap battery and never had another issue. fuck!! all that time, effort..the money. never again.

    on the flip side, i dug an early optima out of our early bronco to start my mom's car. i bet that battery was 11 years old. it started the car!! what a beast. this optima was when they first came on the scene. late 80's. amazing battery.
     
  14. Aug 13, 2013 at 9:18 AM
    #14
    Mad Man Marty

    Mad Man Marty Well-Known Member

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    Sears or for $ savings costco.
     
  15. Aug 13, 2013 at 9:33 AM
    #15
    Tmill

    Tmill Well-Known Member

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    My 07 is still running the stock battery. I've let my truck sit for a few weeks in an Alaska winter (temps in the -20 to -30 area) and it started right up when I came back. I have to agree that it's not always about name branding. We could sit here and go story for story on why to go Costco or Optima but it really comes down to what you want to spend and what you are using it for/ environment it's in. I personally will be headed to Costco or SAMs for my next one.
     
  16. Aug 13, 2013 at 9:36 AM
    #16
    Tmill

    Tmill Well-Known Member

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    Oh you could also look at using a battery conditioner. Did that to a friends car battery that kept losing juice and he has had zero problems since then.
     
  17. Aug 13, 2013 at 10:00 AM
    #17
    SCSPerformance

    SCSPerformance Stealth Custom Series™ Vendor

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    My brother has a Yellow top Optima battery that he's been using for around 6yrs now. The top of the battery is starting to get wavy so we think that it's about to go bad.

    Personally, I wouldn't spend that kind of money on a battery when its going to last just as long as any $60 unit.
     
  18. Aug 13, 2013 at 11:39 AM
    #18
    nat

    nat Well-Known Member

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    Lots of Optima hate because they are no longer the battery they were. My observation was based on my own personal experience with them dying and not lasting. Same with my wheeling buddies.
     
  19. Aug 14, 2013 at 8:01 PM
    #19
    thebaker

    thebaker [OP] Well-Known Member

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    I think i'm going to pick up a duralast gold tomorrow morning. Decent warranty and they have the 27f that will an exact fit.
     
  20. Aug 14, 2013 at 8:15 PM
    #20
    Newlife

    Newlife Well-Known Member

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    Best battery and I know I will catch crap for it. But my mustang's original motorcraft battery. Same battery from the day it rolled off the factory floor to the day I traded it in. Ran my HID's upgraded stereo and all my other little goodies and never ever failed me. Car was built in winter of 04 sold it in 2013. I have owned optima yellow and red top never had an issue just only lasted around 2 years each. I'm assuming the battery in the tacoma is the original from the factory and still feels strong. So we will see.
     

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