Which Battery ?

Sam Kapasi · 28th July 2007, 20:38

In May 2005, I had put a Prestolite battery in my girlfriend's esteem. It had a 2 year warranty.
It died last week. Fully dead, like with it's tongue hanging out and everything. Lasted 2 years and under 2 months. How annoying is that?

The battery shop had two options, Amaron and Bosch. The Amaron was 4400/- MSRP and the Bosch was 3700/- MSRP.

We got Rs. 250/- back for the old dead presto and a 250/- discount on the battery. Paid 3200/- cash for the Bosch.

rr_zen · 28th July 2007, 21:12

I wouldnt recommend Exide from the experience I have had. It barely lasted for less than 2 years on my Esteem despite regular maintenance from my end. Have switched over to AC Delco for about 18 months now and its been pretty good. No problems whatsoever.

pjbiju · 28th July 2007, 22:19

The exide battery I had in my Pulsar 180 lasted almost 5 years. But in general I am hearing better things about Amaron these days.

BlackPearl · 28th July 2007, 23:31

exide cannot be that bad, I have been running OEM Exide freedom in my Baleno for almost 2 and a half years and its still kicking. I have not tried Amaron before so not in a position to compare though.

wolfinstein · 28th July 2007, 23:40

Your choice- Amaron and Exide are the best brands to choose from, Offlate BOSCH is doing good.

My vote is for Exide, anyday !

drpullockaran · 29th July 2007, 00:22

The Exide in my Palio GTX (bought on June 30th 2003) is 4 years old and running and has not missed a beat as yet. It came originally with the car and three years ago had converted to lpg and during the days of tinkering with the kit had to start the car often.
Even with such credentials I have put in a new Amaron for my

Junkindica. It now starts with just 4 sec heating in the morning when earlier it was starting with a 10 sec heating. I had to change the glowplug timer 3 years ago and thence put in a timer with variable timing of 4,6,8,10,12,16 seconds. The battery dealer who happens to be my patient vouches for the quality of the Amaron though he deals in both the brands and the profit he makes from both is the same so he need not push any particular brand especially since his wife and kids are my patients. His argument for the Amaron is that the specific gravity of the Amaron in fully charged state is much higher than the Exide which gives a proof of quality of the internals of the battery. He also claims that Bosch is made at the Amaron plant but I am not very sure about this information but yes the plastic casing of the two brands are exactly the same.

Bye and wear your seat belts.

sreenivass · 29th July 2007, 01:18

My OEM battery is Amaron, 2.5 years no serious problems. The battery took a beating twice because the alternator unit conked off more than a year ago, after recharging its going without problems.

Sam Kapasi · 29th July 2007, 02:02

Quote:

Originally Posted by drpullockaran

He also claims that Bosch is made at the Amaron plant but I am not very sure about this information

I've mentioned this fact before. I believe it to be true. I do not think MICO or Bosch has a battery making unit in India. They make excellent batteries, but it is assembled at the Amara Raja factory.

zzzehar · 29th July 2007, 07:24

I got AcDelco by GM Motors for Rs 1950 (2 years warranty) in exchange for my old battery. The dimensions of the battery looks ditto same as Amaron except for the stickers. Dealer suggested to go for Ac Delco As both are manufactured by Amaron. Not sure, but It is working absolutely fine for the last 2 years.

330xi · 29th October 2009, 11:52

Apologies for renewing an old thread but instead of starting a new thread i thought this could be a good placeholder for battery issues.
I was wondering if someone could provide advice on what battery (specs) i should buy for my 6 yr Accent Viva petrol. Amaron seems to be the brand one many prefer so the brand is not a major decision making item for me.
I am also a bit confused about the low maintenance/zero maintenance debate.
Any websites with a decent technical discussion would also be great. Most of the stuff on indian batteries seems to be very high level.

cheers

sgiitk · 29th October 2009, 16:22

I changed the Exide (OE) in my seven year old Accent to Amaron with no hassles a year ago.

Raccoon · 29th October 2009, 17:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by 330xi

Apologies for renewing an old thread but instead of starting a new thread i thought this could be a good placeholder for battery issues.
I was wondering if someone could provide advice on what battery (specs) i should buy for my 6 yr Accent Viva petrol. Amaron seems to be the brand one many prefer so the brand is not a major decision making item for me.
I am also a bit confused about the low maintenance/zero maintenance debate.
Any websites with a decent technical discussion would also be great. Most of the stuff on indian batteries seems to be very high level.

cheers

Manufacturers are not using accurate terms. As for Amaron, Low maintainence (or even no maintenance) means it does require infrequent topping up. Zero maintenance means no topping up should be required in normal conditions, for the life of the battery.

Besides Amaron, BOSCH and Base Terminal/Panasonic are also good options.

gigy · 29th October 2009, 19:39

I think we can put it in this way. All battery which have a opennable vent will need maintenance one day.
Do we have a fully sealed car battery?

R2D2 · 29th October 2009, 20:24

Quote:

Originally Posted by gigy

I think we can put it in this way. All battery which have a opennable vent will need maintenance one day.
Do we have a fully sealed car battery?

The Exide Matrix is fully sealed and requires 'zero' maintenance for the life of the battery which I assume is for about 5 years as it has CA/CA plates. The warranty is also 4 years with a pro rated clause taking effect after 30 months.

Tata Greens use the same chemistry but have vent plugs and are expected to last for about 100k kms which in normal use of about 1k kms/month would translate to about 8 years of life. Tall claim? Dunno. It may be because TG is largely untested.

The Optimas (Red) are obviously fully sealed but cost a stratospheric 15K. Not worth it.

Cheers!

condor · 29th October 2009, 20:59

A battery is Zero maintenance, only when it says "Zero". Not if it says maintenance free or Low Maintenance.

VRLA sealed batteries are what most current batteries are.

Tata Green: dont go for it yet.

Bosch : only 15 month wty. Others like Amaron give a 2 year full + 2 year pro-rated.

Cummins is available - they claim a USP of much higher CCA, & hence you can use a lower AH rated battery costing lesser than other brands - this is what they say.

28th July 2007, 20:38	#16
Sam Kapasi Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Mumbai (but wat Posts: 6,997 Thanked: 2,378 Times View My Garage	In May 2005, I had put a Prestolite battery in my girlfriend's esteem. It had a 2 year warranty. It died last week. Fully dead, like with it's tongue hanging out and everything. Lasted 2 years and under 2 months. How annoying is that? The battery shop had two options, Amaron and Bosch. The Amaron was 4400/- MSRP and the Bosch was 3700/- MSRP. We got Rs. 250/- back for the old dead presto and a 250/- discount on the battery. Paid 3200/- cash for the Bosch.
	() Thanks

28th July 2007, 21:12	#17
rr_zen Senior - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Chennai, India Posts: 1,799 Thanked: 400 Times View My Garage	I wouldnt recommend Exide from the experience I have had. It barely lasted for less than 2 years on my Esteem despite regular maintenance from my end. Have switched over to AC Delco for about 18 months now and its been pretty good. No problems whatsoever.
	() Thanks

28th July 2007, 22:19	#18
pjbiju Senior - BHPian Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Pune Posts: 1,357 Thanked: 1,092 Times	The exide battery I had in my Pulsar 180 lasted almost 5 years. But in general I am hearing better things about Amaron these days.
	() Thanks

28th July 2007, 23:31	#19
BlackPearl Team-BHP Support Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Calcutta/London Posts: 3,608 Thanked: 16,998 Times View My Garage	exide cannot be that bad, I have been running OEM Exide freedom in my Baleno for almost 2 and a half years and its still kicking. I have not tried Amaron before so not in a position to compare though.
	() Thanks

28th July 2007, 23:40	#20
wolfinstein BHPian Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: New Delhi Posts: 994 Thanked: 20 Times	Your choice- Amaron and Exide are the best brands to choose from, Offlate BOSCH is doing good. My vote is for Exide, anyday !
	() Thanks

29th July 2007, 00:22	#21
drpullockaran BHPian Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: ERNAKULAM Posts: 962 Thanked: 385 Times	Amaron gets my vote. The Exide in my Palio GTX (bought on June 30th 2003) is 4 years old and running and has not missed a beat as yet. It came originally with the car and three years ago had converted to lpg and during the days of tinkering with the kit had to start the car often. Even with such credentials I have put in a new Amaron for my Junkindica. It now starts with just 4 sec heating in the morning when earlier it was starting with a 10 sec heating. I had to change the glowplug timer 3 years ago and thence put in a timer with variable timing of 4,6,8,10,12,16 seconds. The battery dealer who happens to be my patient vouches for the quality of the Amaron though he deals in both the brands and the profit he makes from both is the same so he need not push any particular brand especially since his wife and kids are my patients. His argument for the Amaron is that the specific gravity of the Amaron in fully charged state is much higher than the Exide which gives a proof of quality of the internals of the battery. He also claims that Bosch is made at the Amaron plant but I am not very sure about this information but yes the plastic casing of the two brands are exactly the same. Bye and wear your seat belts. Last edited by drpullockaran : 29th July 2007 at 00:25.
	() Thanks

29th July 2007, 01:18	#22
sreenivass BHPian Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Bangalore India Posts: 932 Thanked: 44 Times View My Garage	My OEM battery is Amaron, 2.5 years no serious problems. The battery took a beating twice because the alternator unit conked off more than a year ago, after recharging its going without problems.
	() Thanks

29th July 2007, 07:24	#24
zzzehar BHPian Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Gurugram Posts: 277 Thanked: 73 Times	I got AcDelco by GM Motors for Rs 1950 (2 years warranty) in exchange for my old battery. The dimensions of the battery looks ditto same as Amaron except for the stickers. Dealer suggested to go for Ac Delco As both are manufactured by Amaron. Not sure, but It is working absolutely fine for the last 2 years.
	() Thanks

29th October 2009, 11:52	#25
330xi Newbie Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Mumbai Posts: 5 Thanked: 0 Times	Apologies for renewing an old thread but instead of starting a new thread i thought this could be a good placeholder for battery issues. I was wondering if someone could provide advice on what battery (specs) i should buy for my 6 yr Accent Viva petrol. Amaron seems to be the brand one many prefer so the brand is not a major decision making item for me. I am also a bit confused about the low maintenance/zero maintenance debate. Any websites with a decent technical discussion would also be great. Most of the stuff on indian batteries seems to be very high level. cheers
	() Thanks

29th October 2009, 16:22	#26
sgiitk BANNED Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Gurugram Posts: 7,969 Thanked: 4,788 Times	I changed the Exide (OE) in my seven year old Accent to Amaron with no hassles a year ago.
	() Thanks

29th October 2009, 19:39	#28
gigy Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: mumbai Posts: 1,321 Thanked: 47 Times	I think we can put it in this way. All battery which have a opennable vent will need maintenance one day. Do we have a fully sealed car battery? Last edited by gigy : 29th October 2009 at 19:46.
	() Thanks

29th October 2009, 20:59	#30
condor Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Speed-brkr City Posts: 15,864 Thanked: 16,015 Times View My Garage	A battery is Zero maintenance, only when it says "Zero". Not if it says maintenance free or Low Maintenance. VRLA sealed batteries are what most current batteries are. Tata Green: dont go for it yet. Bosch : only 15 month wty. Others like Amaron give a 2 year full + 2 year pro-rated. Cummins is available - they claim a USP of much higher CCA, & hence you can use a lower AH rated battery costing lesser than other brands - this is what they say.
	() Thanks