Which Battery ?

sukiwa · 11th July 2012, 14:44

Folks from pune: Which dealers stock Amaron batteries in pune? Or should I just contact toll-free number for a new battery?
Location of Amaron Pitstop centers in pune is far-off from my home.

sourabhzen · 11th July 2012, 15:37

My 4 years old Amron (supplied as OEM) in Swift started giving trouble from last week. It would not crank after, say a engine off for 10 or so minutes but gave no problems after a few hours of parking. I found it strange as i thought that the battery will not get discharge just after engine switch off.

Anyways i got it checked and it was giving 8.5V during cranking. Got it changed around half an hour ago with Amron Flo 24+24 months guarantee @ 3150/-(including old battery exchange) delivered at doorsteps.

Raccoon · 12th July 2012, 01:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by sukiwa

Folks from pune: Which dealers stock Amaron batteries in pune? Or should I just contact toll-free number for a new battery?
Location of Amaron Pitstop centers in pune is far-off from my home.

Like sourabhzen, I too had them home deliver it. I'm sure they will do in your city too. So just call their toll-free no. and ask for phone nos. of dealers in your city. Actually, they should be contacting the dealers themselves, but the level of service on Amaron helpline has been poor in my experience. You could also refer to yellow pages like Justdial.

You should be able to get batts of other brands the same way. So the availability factor cannot be a reason to settle for a crappy Exide.

amit_purohit20 · 21st November 2012, 18:47

Quote:

Originally Posted by Raccoon

This theory about battery ...
taxing your already weak battery with the parking lights. Also jump-starting and expecting the car to fully charge the battery is not the way to go, except perhaps in an emergency. You should bench charge the battery properly. Now that its done, its most likely that you battery needs replacement... but you could still fully bench-charge it and test to see if you can get a bit more life out of it.

Why do you say that its not good to jump start a battery and then charge it by driving the car? I have done this two three times. My battery Exide MF50Z lasted 3 year 7 months in my Indica Vista TDI (Indigo Engine). Do you think this life is less for a Diesel car? Battery dealers always say that for Diesel cars the battery life is near 3 years and for Petrol it can go upto 5 years. How true is this statement?

Raccoon · 23rd November 2012, 03:10

^^^The issue is less about your battery getting damaged than your car's charging system. Basically, the charging system is designed to keep the battery charge topped up and not for recharging a deep discharged battery. Doing so can really tax the charging circuit, and it may not show immediately but it is likely to reduce its life.

As for battery life and other things, do you think you'll ever get any worthwhile info form dealers and the like? Fact is that you can't really put a figure on it. Dealers have some kind of conspiracy to make you believe that batteries cannot last over 3 years, even for petrol cars and 2 wheelers. Nonesense. You can't put a figure on it because different bands are of different quality and operate and very varying conditions. If those conditions are favorable and quality is good, it can last well beyond 5 years. Some tbhpians have also mentioned that they have had batteries going beyond 5 years.

Here is one more trick your dealer may have played - he said your Diesel cars battery will last only 3 years because he knows you have a diesel car.. and it looks convincing when he says it that way. To a petrol car owner he very well be saying it can last only 3 years (like most other dealers).

That said, Diesel car batteris are known to last less, so it sounds even more plausible.

rajivanoj · 7th December 2012, 22:15

Never ever go for "cHAMPION" brand from Federal Mogul, I bought it for my bike bajaj CT 100, as it is well known brand in US and an MNC, but the terminal wire came off within 6 months, I bought on may 2012, butthe contact inside the battery got loose and within 6 months, and its dead, full of salt formation in the contacts, and acid leakage around the side cover, the over flow tube fell off. it was mess inside the battery cabinet, as like i am using an local brand battery.

But i have used local brand battery for almost 1.5 yrs. I did not expect champion to lose its life so soon. But i agree, it might be manufacturing defect, and we should not blindly scream on company.

Then came the shocker, i emailed to their email id, which was in their warranty card. customercare.india@federalmogul.com , 5 days back, still no response, or not even an courtesy acknowledgment, that may sooth our mind.

I took it to the automobile spare parts shop, aditya auto stores P ltd, there they took it and gave to the champion dealer i suppose, and asked me to come in saturday. (tomorrow). hope they will honour the warranty. but i am very much disappointed with the Federal mogul head office in New Delhi, where the email had been received.

Whatever the brand, or an US company, please stay away from company which has no place for customer, once the battery have been sold.

rajivanoj · 8th December 2012, 21:44

update:

I got the replacement New battery, which shows 12.5v in the volt meter, and i am happy with the local dealer from whom i bought the battery, and the local champion battery distributor, who replaced it within 2 days.

But i am not happy with Federal Mogul customer care from head office, till now no reply. Hope this replacement works good.

I incurred Additional cost of Rs.20 as Fees for charging the battery from the shop where i bought,But i did not mind to get deep in to that, since the transaction was smooth, with no questions asked.

rajivanoj · 22nd May 2013, 22:42

again this battery is dead, the battery i got as replacement in warranty. it is exactly 12 months , its dead, worst battery, champion brand

mjumrani · 23rd June 2013, 08:34

Posting on behalf of a friend,

The battery in his Mercedes C200 CGI (Petrol), AGM, just conked off after 3.5 years and he is wondering which battery he should get.

He is also looking at a particular brand, Varta, though not restricted to it.

I'm not of much help as I do not know about car batteries nor do I know their cost.

Please advise

Thanks

saket77 · 16th January 2014, 17:07

Replaced my car's 4.5 year old battery with Exide Matrix. Battery price Rs. 5280/- , Discount Rs. 500/-. Old battery refund- Rs. 500/-. Paid 4200/- bucks for a battery which promises a 5 year warranty with first 2.5 years in for complete replacement.

BLACNWYTE · 28th May 2020, 09:07

Bumping up an old thread.

My Activa's (125) battery is about to die it seems. Very difficult to self start and the speedo is behaving erratically doing full sweeps during travel. It has lasted a shade over 3.5 years now. Is this the normal life of scooter batteries. I use the scooter about 600-700 kms every month and averages about 20 kms a day. I'm using the kick start mechanism for cold starts now. But it is not convenient to do that at long signals and the self start has failed me a couple of times now.

Now my question is which will be the best suited replacement battery for my scooter?
Thanks in advance.

2000rpm · 28th May 2020, 09:42

Quote:

Originally Posted by BLACNWYTE

Bumping up an old thread.

Very difficult to self start and the speedo is behaving erratically doing full sweeps during travel.
Now my question is which will be the best suited replacement battery for my scooter?
Thanks in advance.

Looks like a wiring issue and not a battery issue.

Get the wiring checked before you change the battery.

Leoshashi · 28th May 2020, 10:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by BLACNWYTE

Very difficult to self start and the speedo is behaving erratically doing full sweeps during travel.

Might not be a battery issue. I have faced exact same symptom in a P150 when some ignition coil terminal had deposits, and that made bike starting troublesome and the tacho used to randomly dance all over the place.

I don't think a weak battery can make Activa's speedometer needle do full sweeps while travelling. As BHPian 2000rpm said, get the wiring checked first.

Regards,
Shashi

InsaneSpeed · 3rd June 2020, 12:57

Hi Guyz,
I am facing this peculiar problem of a drained battery in my Chevy. Due to the lockdown situation i was unable to check on the car and the vehicle was left untouched for over 2 months. I tried cranking the engine few days back, but it would not start and immediately the battery sign on the console showed up. The shops in my area are still closed and hence getting a spare battery setup for charging would be difficult. Is there any means by which i could bring the almost dead battery to life? Your inputs would be helpful.

Thanks.

BLACNWYTE · 19th June 2020, 11:44

update:

Gave the scooter for servicing at HASS two weeks ago and specifically asked them to check the wiring and battery for any damage. I got it back the next day with the diagnosis that battery is dead and not charging and there is no issues with wiring. I asked them to double check and they did and still didn't find any issues.
I asked them to leave the battery be as I had a new one lying with me at home. I thought I will replace it myself. Other works done were rear brake shoe replacement (original one lasted almost 32k kms), spark plug replacement, engine oil replacement, and gearbox overhaul. Also they opened the engine and then put new gasket in. Don't know why they did it, it's not a usual service job. I was not happy with that and told them but it was already done. Thankfully the engine is still smooth and running fine.

Received the scooter on 4th June after all works and was running on a dead battery for good two weeks before I got tired of kickstarting it all the time and decided to swap the battery. Finally got around to it this Wednesday. It took some time but everything was done as said in the user manual. Tested it and everything was working fine. Next day when I took it to go to office, the speedometer started to behave all funny. The needle was dancing around all over the place. I was doing decent speed and the needle was showing zero and the next moment it will jump to 40 then come down to 20. This happened for about 5-10 mins. Then everything was normal. I was apprehensive that I have put a non compatible battery in but then I had checked online and confirmed it before the swap.

Anyway all's well that ends well. I have done about 50 kms on the new battery and still all the electricals work and I have not burned down the scooter. The speedometer problem has not surfaced since that first day. I'll call it a win.

Original Battery - Exide ETZ-4
Replacement Battery - Amaron AP-BTZ-4L

Once again thanks to DBHPian Leoshashi and BHPian 2000rpm for the pointers.

11th July 2012, 14:44	#91
sukiwa Senior - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: pune Posts: 2,378 Thanked: 2,562 Times	Re: Which Battery ? Folks from pune: Which dealers stock Amaron batteries in pune? Or should I just contact toll-free number for a new battery? Location of Amaron Pitstop centers in pune is far-off from my home.
	() Thanks

11th July 2012, 15:37	#92
sourabhzen Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: GURGAON Posts: 1,591 Thanked: 1,401 Times View My Garage	Re: Which Battery ? My 4 years old Amron (supplied as OEM) in Swift started giving trouble from last week. It would not crank after, say a engine off for 10 or so minutes but gave no problems after a few hours of parking. I found it strange as i thought that the battery will not get discharge just after engine switch off. Anyways i got it checked and it was giving 8.5V during cranking. Got it changed around half an hour ago with Amron Flo 24+24 months guarantee @ 3150/-(including old battery exchange) delivered at doorsteps.
	() Thanks

23rd November 2012, 03:10	#95
Raccoon Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Poona Posts: 1,851 Thanked: 116 Times	Re: Which Battery ? ^^^The issue is less about your battery getting damaged than your car's charging system. Basically, the charging system is designed to keep the battery charge topped up and not for recharging a deep discharged battery. Doing so can really tax the charging circuit, and it may not show immediately but it is likely to reduce its life. As for battery life and other things, do you think you'll ever get any worthwhile info form dealers and the like? Fact is that you can't really put a figure on it. Dealers have some kind of conspiracy to make you believe that batteries cannot last over 3 years, even for petrol cars and 2 wheelers. Nonesense. You can't put a figure on it because different bands are of different quality and operate and very varying conditions. If those conditions are favorable and quality is good, it can last well beyond 5 years. Some tbhpians have also mentioned that they have had batteries going beyond 5 years. Here is one more trick your dealer may have played - he said your Diesel cars battery will last only 3 years because he knows you have a diesel car.. and it looks convincing when he says it that way. To a petrol car owner he very well be saying it can last only 3 years (like most other dealers). That said, Diesel car batteris are known to last less, so it sounds even more plausible.
	(1) Thanks

7th December 2012, 22:15	#96
rajivanoj BANNED Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Coimbatore Posts: 398 Thanked: 52 Times View My Garage	Re: Which Battery ? Never ever go for "cHAMPION" brand from Federal Mogul, I bought it for my bike bajaj CT 100, as it is well known brand in US and an MNC, but the terminal wire came off within 6 months, I bought on may 2012, butthe contact inside the battery got loose and within 6 months, and its dead, full of salt formation in the contacts, and acid leakage around the side cover, the over flow tube fell off. it was mess inside the battery cabinet, as like i am using an local brand battery. But i have used local brand battery for almost 1.5 yrs. I did not expect champion to lose its life so soon. But i agree, it might be manufacturing defect, and we should not blindly scream on company. Then came the shocker, i emailed to their email id, which was in their warranty card. customercare.india@federalmogul.com , 5 days back, still no response, or not even an courtesy acknowledgment, that may sooth our mind. I took it to the automobile spare parts shop, aditya auto stores P ltd, there they took it and gave to the champion dealer i suppose, and asked me to come in saturday. (tomorrow). hope they will honour the warranty. but i am very much disappointed with the Federal mogul head office in New Delhi, where the email had been received. Whatever the brand, or an US company, please stay away from company which has no place for customer, once the battery have been sold.
	() Thanks

8th December 2012, 21:44	#97
rajivanoj BANNED Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Coimbatore Posts: 398 Thanked: 52 Times View My Garage	Re: Which Battery ? update: I got the replacement New battery, which shows 12.5v in the volt meter, and i am happy with the local dealer from whom i bought the battery, and the local champion battery distributor, who replaced it within 2 days. But i am not happy with Federal Mogul customer care from head office, till now no reply. Hope this replacement works good. I incurred Additional cost of Rs.20 as Fees for charging the battery from the shop where i bought,But i did not mind to get deep in to that, since the transaction was smooth, with no questions asked. Last edited by rajivanoj : 8th December 2012 at 21:45. Reason: To include Additional cost i incurred
	() Thanks

22nd May 2013, 22:42	#98
rajivanoj BANNED Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Coimbatore Posts: 398 Thanked: 52 Times View My Garage	Re: Which Battery ? again this battery is dead, the battery i got as replacement in warranty. it is exactly 12 months , its dead, worst battery, champion brand
	() Thanks

23rd June 2013, 08:34	#99
mjumrani BHPian Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Does it matter. Posts: 500 Thanked: 762 Times View My Garage	Posting on behalf of a friend, The battery in his Mercedes C200 CGI (Petrol), AGM, just conked off after 3.5 years and he is wondering which battery he should get. He is also looking at a particular brand, Varta, though not restricted to it. I'm not of much help as I do not know about car batteries nor do I know their cost. Please advise Thanks
	() Thanks

16th January 2014, 17:07	#100
saket77 Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: Ranchi Posts: 4,395 Thanked: 12,014 Times	Re: Which Battery ? Replaced my car's 4.5 year old battery with Exide Matrix. Battery price Rs. 5280/- , Discount Rs. 500/-. Old battery refund- Rs. 500/-. Paid 4200/- bucks for a battery which promises a 5 year warranty with first 2.5 years in for complete replacement.
	() Thanks

28th May 2020, 09:07	#101
BLACNWYTE BHPian Join Date: Apr 2020 Location: COK/TVM Posts: 270 Thanked: 782 Times View My Garage	Re: Which Battery ? Bumping up an old thread. My Activa's (125) battery is about to die it seems. Very difficult to self start and the speedo is behaving erratically doing full sweeps during travel. It has lasted a shade over 3.5 years now. Is this the normal life of scooter batteries. I use the scooter about 600-700 kms every month and averages about 20 kms a day. I'm using the kick start mechanism for cold starts now. But it is not convenient to do that at long signals and the self start has failed me a couple of times now. Now my question is which will be the best suited replacement battery for my scooter? Thanks in advance.
	() Thanks

3rd June 2020, 12:57	#104
InsaneSpeed BHPian Join Date: Dec 2018 Location: Mumbai Posts: 30 Thanked: 54 Times	Re: Which Battery ? Hi Guyz, I am facing this peculiar problem of a drained battery in my Chevy. Due to the lockdown situation i was unable to check on the car and the vehicle was left untouched for over 2 months. I tried cranking the engine few days back, but it would not start and immediately the battery sign on the console showed up. The shops in my area are still closed and hence getting a spare battery setup for charging would be difficult. Is there any means by which i could bring the almost dead battery to life? Your inputs would be helpful. Thanks.
	() Thanks

19th June 2020, 11:44	#105
BLACNWYTE BHPian Join Date: Apr 2020 Location: COK/TVM Posts: 270 Thanked: 782 Times View My Garage	Re: Which Battery ? update: Gave the scooter for servicing at HASS two weeks ago and specifically asked them to check the wiring and battery for any damage. I got it back the next day with the diagnosis that battery is dead and not charging and there is no issues with wiring. I asked them to double check and they did and still didn't find any issues. I asked them to leave the battery be as I had a new one lying with me at home. I thought I will replace it myself. Other works done were rear brake shoe replacement (original one lasted almost 32k kms), spark plug replacement, engine oil replacement, and gearbox overhaul. Also they opened the engine and then put new gasket in. Don't know why they did it, it's not a usual service job. I was not happy with that and told them but it was already done. Thankfully the engine is still smooth and running fine. Received the scooter on 4th June after all works and was running on a dead battery for good two weeks before I got tired of kickstarting it all the time and decided to swap the battery. Finally got around to it this Wednesday. It took some time but everything was done as said in the user manual. Tested it and everything was working fine. Next day when I took it to go to office, the speedometer started to behave all funny. The needle was dancing around all over the place. I was doing decent speed and the needle was showing zero and the next moment it will jump to 40 then come down to 20. This happened for about 5-10 mins. Then everything was normal. I was apprehensive that I have put a non compatible battery in but then I had checked online and confirmed it before the swap. Anyway all's well that ends well. I have done about 50 kms on the new battery and still all the electricals work and I have not burned down the scooter. The speedometer problem has not surfaced since that first day. I'll call it a win. Original Battery - Exide ETZ-4 Replacement Battery - Amaron AP-BTZ-4L Once again thanks to DBHPian Leoshashi and BHPian 2000rpm for the pointers.
	() Thanks