[centaur]

Got the exide on my ride replaced with Amaron yesterday. I have had a good experience with Amaron and kind of bad with exide in the past. The exide lasted less than 4 years while I have been taking care to extend its life but this was disappointing. When the guy was changing the battery, I just asked him which one is he selling more these days, and his reply was Amaron. He said it sells a lot more than exide and is better too.

[SS-Traveller]

Originally Posted by lapis_lazuli

"Bigger battery, shorter life, all other conditions identical": An emphatic Yes, in cases of repeated sub-optimal charge replenishment (one of the main causes), that too, while being simultaneously exposed to high ambient temperatures (aiding the earlier cause in brackets) in the engine bay, whence the cumulative degradation is more pronounced.

What do you mean by "it will run hotter?" Being exposed to high ambient temperature in its day to day life? HEAT is another CAUSE to the effect of degradation.

Originally Posted by Sutripta

So if I've understood it properly this time, the bigger battery will have a shorter life because
a) the (engine/ battery) bay temperatures will be higher (won't make the mistake of saying battery will run hotter),
and
b) the battery will be 'suboptimally' charged.

The debate of "Bigger battery = Shorter life" seems to have fallen by the way without definitive answers.

From what I have understood (and not understood - mentioned in brackets alongside):

- Bigger battery = suboptimal charging. (Why? Given that my car runs adequately, why should suboptimal charging be an issue? And why would my smaller battery be optimally charged if I have drained it as much as a bigger battery?)

- Heat kills batteries. Whether endogenous or exogenous heat. (How about batteries placed away from the engine bay? Do they last longer?)

- Bigger battery = greater heat. (If charged with a higher current, yes, all batteries produce endogenous heat - so my smaller battery would heat up more than my bigger battery if the alternator output remains the same, isn't it?)

- Greater heat + suboptimal charging = reduced life of bigger battery. (So how about dual battery systems? Do both batteries die a premature death?)

Kindly continue the debate, gentlemen. I need my answers.

[Sutripta]

^^^
SS, I too am waiting to be educated!
Waiting for LL (the originator of the proposition) to agree, or modify this:
"If an OE battery is replaced by a somewhat larger battery, the life of the larger battery will be shorter because
a) the engine bay temperatures will be higher
and
b) the bigger battery will be suboptimally charged. "

If you remember first I had understood that battery temperatures would be higher, but then LL said that engine bay temperatures will be higher. So I want to get the statement correct first. We can continue the discussion after that.

Pls. note that higher temperatures, and improper charging regimes WILL ruin a battery. That is not in doubt. The question is why fitting a slightly bigger battery will lead to these two conditions.

Regards
Sutripta

[CANPUSH]

How is 'Hella' battery for Car?

Has anyone tried?

[Screwdriva]

My Bosch battery in my W124 E Class died after 3 years. Quite disappointing for a German brand.

I've decided to go in for an Amazon Pro. The warranty itself is reassuring but I wanted to ask if there was a better battery for Indian conditions. I've removed Optima gel batteries from consideration for many reasons.

[gpa]

Originally Posted by Screwdriva

I've decided to go in for an Amazon Pro. The warranty itself is reassuring but I wanted to ask if there was a better battery for Indian conditions.

Amaron is one of the best brands in the market. I'm currently on an Amaron which is 4+ years and still going strong.

[subhro1988]

The Exide battery in my Alto 800 went dead prematurely after 21 months of purchase of the car. Can anyone highlight any reason for such premature death?

Also wanted to understand that since this has happened within 21 months of purchase of vehicle, do I get the replacement free of cost? Sai Service is quoting Rs. 4000 less Rs. 100 discount for replacement of battery.

[SwiftSD]

Originally Posted by subhro1988

The Exide battery in my Alto 800 went dead prematurely after 21 months of purchase of the car. Can anyone highlight any reason for such premature death?

Also wanted to understand that since this has happened within 21 months of purchase of vehicle, do I get the replacement free of cost? Sai Service is quoting Rs. 4000 less Rs. 100 discount for replacement of battery.

I do not recall if I got a battery warranty card when I bought my car so can't comment on how to determine the purchase date but if you have one you can use it as a reference if not would suggest you get the battery serial number and check with Exide if they can provide the manufacturing date.

I would assume the Exide battery would have around 48/36 months warranty e.g. for 48 months it would be first 24 months free replacement and if something goes wrong in the remaining 24 months you would get a discount for a new battery on a pro-rata basis.

As you have mentioned 21 months, I assume based on the total warranty you would get a significant discount for a new battery if not a free replacement.


..SD

[R2D2]

Originally Posted by subhro1988

The Exide battery in my Alto 800 went dead prematurely after 21 months of purchase of the car. Can anyone highlight any reason for such premature death? Also wanted to understand that since this has happened within 21 months of purchase of vehicle, do I get the replacement free of cost? Sai Service is quoting Rs. 4000 less Rs. 100 discount for replacement of battery.

No, I doubt you'll get a battery replacement free of charge. Your OEM battery probably has a warranty of 12 months. Please check the warranty T&C included with your car. The battery may even have a separate warranty card.

In my experience most OEM batteries are built to a cost and do not last as long as the same after-market part.

Longer warranty is also one of the reasons why an after market battery is more expensive. Given 2 batteries from the same manufacturer and with the same capacity (AH), the longer the warranty the more you pay. The materials used and cost of manufacture are almost the same.

I'd recommend you go in for an Exide or an Amaron low maintenance battery. Remember, the term 'maintenance free' is a misnomer here. These batteries require topping up with distilled water at 1-2 year intervals depending on the use, charging voltage and temperature.

[subhro1988]

Originally Posted by SwiftSD

I do not recall if I got a battery warranty card when I bought my car so can't comment on how to determine the purchase date but if you have one you can use it as a reference if not would suggest you get the battery serial number and check with Exide if they can provide the manufacturing date.

I would assume the Exide battery would have around 48/36 months warranty e.g. for 48 months it would be first 24 months free replacement and if something goes wrong in the remaining 24 months you would get a discount for a new battery on a pro-rata basis.

As you have mentioned 21 months, I assume based on the total warranty you would get a significant discount for a new battery if not a free replacement.


..SD

Originally Posted by R2D2

No, I doubt you'll get a battery replacement free of charge. Your OEM battery probably has a warranty of 12 months. Please check the warranty T&C included with your car. The battery may even have a separate warranty card.

In my experience most OEM batteries are built to a cost and do not last as long as the same after-market part.

Longer warranty is also one of the reasons why an after market battery is more expensive. Given 2 batteries from the same manufacturer and with the same capacity (AH), the longer the warranty the more you pay. The materials used and cost of manufacture are almost the same.

I'd recommend you go in for an Exide or an Amaron low maintenance battery. Remember, the term 'maintenance free' is a misnomer here. These batteries require topping up with distilled water at 1-2 year intervals depending on the use, charging voltage and temperature.

Thanks for your valuable inputs guys. So basically haggled a bit with the dealer and the dealer spoke to Exide and decided to replace the battery free of cost.

I don't know whether I should thank Maruti or Sai Service or Exide or all. Anyways feels good.

[R2D2]

Originally Posted by subhro1988

I don't know whether I should thank Maruti or Sai Service or Exide or all. Anyways feels good.

That's a bonus alright. Glad it worked out for you. I think you should thank the dealer first and Exide next

[stanjohn123]

One word for car Batteries. AMARON ! Lasts really really long, worth every penny you spend on it.

The OEM Exide's that came with my car's never really lasted more than 2.5 years even after I kept it disconnected while not using them much.

But After replacing them with Amaron and using similarly it's lasting more than 7 year's and it's still going strong.

[fazonater1911]

I got my grand i10 diesel serviced at Hyundai dealer today. The service advisor told me that "the battery report" shows that the battery in my car has to be replaced. He even showed me that report. How does this battery reporting work? BTW the oem battery in my car is exide. I used it for 50k kms and three years. Isn't it too short life time for a battery ? I haven't been experiencing any problems with the current battery. Should I change it as advised by the service advisor or should I just wait. Can I really believe this "battery report"?

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by fazonater1911

The service advisor told me that "the battery report" shows that the battery in my car has to be replaced.

Can you post that copy of battery health report here so we can understand what it is trying to convey?

Best is to get a multimeter and check it yourself to know how the battery is OR go to any battery dealer and ask them to check it in front of you.

Are you facing any issues like delayed cranking, warning lights on cluster?

See this video and do it yourself with a multimeter IMO:

http://youtu.be/COJr7OB23Hw

[R2D2]

Originally Posted by fazonater1911

BTW the oem battery in my car is exide. I used it for 50k kms and three years. Isn't it too short life time for a battery ? I haven't been experiencing any problems with the current battery. Should I change it as advised by the service advisor or should I just wait.

Actually 3 years is quite good for an OEM battery. In our weather conditions expect battery life of about 2-4 years. Actually a battery lasting in excess of 3 years is a bonus. Why do you think battery manufacturers provide replacement warranty up to 3 years and a pro-rata warranty thereafter.

Can I really believe this "battery report"?

Yes you can. They use an electronic tester which given the battery's capacity ratings measures the current capacity/CCA and internal resistance of the battery to derive it's overall health. This is a test to caution you of the possibility of impending failure. Changing the battery or not on the basis of this report is your decision. I'd change it if I were you because batteries can sometimes fail at the most inopportune moment and without warning.