[R2D2]

Originally Posted by Sawyer

Given a battery semi discharged - say as in after a car has not been used for a month - how much approximate driving time in the daytime does it take for it to be fully charged again by the alternator?

Batteries self-discharge when idle @ about 5-10% per week depending on ambient temperature in tropical environment. Which is why battery manufacturers recommend batteries should not be kept idle for more than 8-12 weeks or 2-3 months.

It's worse when fitted in cars since there's always a parasitic draw that accelerates discharge.

So my guesstimate is an automotive battery would be approx. at about 60-80% SOC after being idle for a month.

How fast it would charge back up would depend on a few things:

a) Alternator capacity
b) Battery capacity
c) State of charge after idle period
d) Battery condition (age and sulphation etc)
d) Time spent driving at highway speeds where engine RPM >2000-2500 for a majority of the time.

Assuming the battery to be at about 80% SOC (after a month of being idle in Pune's 'winter' temperatures) it would be up to full charge within 30-60 minutes at highway speeds.

[Sutripta]

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

The specific gravity was fine, and then they ran a load test, with the battery showing 11.9v unloaded. During the load test, the voltage crashed to 6.1v momentarily, and recovered to 12.0v immediately after the end of test.

High internal resistance. Suddenness suggests link failure between two cells.

Regards
Sutripta

[SS-Traveller]

Originally Posted by Sutripta

High internal resistance. Suddenness suggests link failure between two cells.

How frequently have you personally experienced this kind of failure (especially given that you use more batteries in a year than some do in a lifetime)?

[Sutripta]

Separator failures where a cell suddenly shorts out were/ are common enough. Symptoms almost the same, but the open circuit voltage shows a dip. Yours did not. (I'm sure when you measured the 'open circuit' voltage, there was actually some slight load).

Send a PM to Sudipto!

Regards
Sutripta

[Jaggu]

Santro battery was giving up slowly, one battery was showing low specific gravity for a while now and the workshop recorded 8.x Volt at cranking last week. It is an auto box and i was not in a mood to take any chance since it's a lady driven car. Was browsing for cheapest brands out there since the car itself is reaching 15 years and yet to decide if we would keep it for long or not.

Came across this:
http://www.batterybhai.com/car-batte.../805/21/1/35/1

Some discount code also was applied and got delivered and installed at INR 2750. Warranty: 48 Months (27 Months Free Of Cost + 21 Months Pro Rata)

[bhaskar.guru]

Hello all,

I have a Tata Nano XT Twist(2014-Sep) which has run a little over 40k kms. Recently I had a situation during my trip to Hyd, my car stopped once I reached home and refused to start. When I consulted the local tech, he started the car with the help of a different battery and checked the water levels.

Once I was back to Bangalore, I got my car checked in the Concorde service center, and they suggested to replace the battery.

I need help on getting to know which is the best brand for the battery for Nano?
The tech in Hyderabad suggested SF-Sonic.

The options I have seen are SF-Sonic(INR 3600 on exchange), Exide(INR 3700-4000 on exchange), Amaron(INR 3800 on exchange) and Tata Green(yet to check).



Thank you in advance.

Regards,
Bhaskar

[comfortablynumb]

Originally Posted by bhaskar.guru

I need help on getting to know which is the best brand for the battery for Nano?

Please refer this thread, it might have the info you need:

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techni...-brand-60.html

Cheer,
Vikram

[dailydriver]

Originally Posted by bhaskar.guru

The options I have seen are SF-Sonic(INR 3600 on exchange), Exide(INR 3700-4000 on exchange), Amaron(INR 3800 on exchange) and Tata Green

As you would have seen, there is a general feel-good factor about Amaron batteries, here on the forum and rightly so - specially in case of replacements. Exide seems to be beset with one problem or the other although they are trying hard to improve. SF-Sonic is a sub brand of Exide, preferred mostly by car manufacturers and rarely as a replacement battery. That said, mine is still going strong in its eighth year and hence I have no reason to contradict the service center's recommendation.

However, I would suggest you to pick an Amaron with maximum warranty. It is rumored to come with no trouble and peace of mind, free of cost .

The following threads can help you decide.
1,2,3,4,5,6

[bhaskar.guru]

Thank you Vikram and dailydriver!

Will go through the threads and pick up the battery over the weekend.

[saket77]

In my family's overall ownership of cars, we have seldom run into trouble with any of the good brands. I have had good experiences with Exide (mainly matrix), Amaron, SF-Sonic or be it the original Standard Furukawa (way back in mid-90s before it became SF-Sonic).
However, the only batteries to die prematurely for me was SF-Sonic & one amaron; both on my motorcycle. Amaron replaced the battery free of cost under warranty since it failed in a year and three months.

In our old cars like the Fiat and Amby (which used a dynamo), none of the batteries crossed the 3 year mark ever. However, since the newer cars had much better designed electronics and charging system, I have never had to replace the batteries before 5 years. Be it the cheaper SF-Sonic or the slightly expensive Matrix or Amaron Flo.

Since, Amaron replaced my motorcycle battery recently under warranty, I may go for Amaron in future because of that extra level of confidence in their service. However, in my personal experience, I haven't found much difference in logetitivity with increase in price of batteries.

A similar discussion is going on here that how it is only for the longer warranty period that some brands charge higher prices for batteries: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techni...ml#post4384476

Regards,
Saket

[R2D2]

Originally Posted by bhaskar.guru

The options I have seen are SF-Sonic(INR 3600 on exchange), Exide(INR 3700-4000 on exchange), Amaron(INR 3800 on exchange) and Tata Green(yet to check).

Any one of these brands should be fine as they make good quality batteries. I've had good experiences with SF, Exide (my default choice for decades) and since 2014 with Amaron. I no longer prefer to buy a permanently sealed wet battery like the Exide Matrix.

Be sure to get your car's charging system checked before fitting a new battery.

[self_driven]

Hello members,

The stock Amaron battery of my 2014 Swift Zxi has started acting up now. There are no problems in cranking and even cold starts are convincingly fast. However, when we use blower or music system even a bit (say, 2-3 minutes) after turning off the engine, the car takes a longer time to crank. Otherwise if we shut off the engine and then start without using blower or any electricals, the battery works just fine.

Last week, I had to push start the car twice because the battery drained completely but that was because of 8-10 minutes of continuous fan blower use. The fan was still working but the car wasn't able to start.

The car has barely done 22k kms but 75% of that has been in city driving with stops every 10-15 kms or so. Given the conditions the car has been driven in, I guess the battery life has been good. Is it okay to replace the battery before it dies completely? Or shall I wait till the car starts taking longer time for normal cranks?

Anyway, which brand would you recommend for a replacement? I have sticked to Amaron or Exide for most of my vehicles in the past. Is it possible/advisable to use a higher capacity battery so that I can use electronics (blower, music, cabin light, etc) for a longer time after switching off the engine?

If anyone has experience on buying battery from online vendors (such as BatteryBhai), please share.

[dailydriver]

Car batteries are offered with a variety of warranties ranging from 12 to 60 months. The cost also varies accordingly. However, given the fact that the original batteries that came with the car had just a 12 month warranty but have in most cases lasted longer,

1. Do we really need a replacement battery that has a longer warranty cover?
   
2. Are the internals of the batteries with different warranties significantly different? (most important point)
   
3. Are we paying extra bucks for the warranty or the actual quality?

Once the free replacement period is over, the pro rata warranty replacement cost is calculated on the MRP and not the (significantly lower) selling price of the battery. So, does it really make sense to purchase a 30+30 month warranty assured battery at nearly 2x the price of a 12 month alternative?

[R2D2]

Originally Posted by dailydriver

Car batteries are offered with a variety of warranties ranging from 12 to 60 months. The cost also varies accordingly. However, given the fact that the original batteries that came with the car had just a 12 month warranty but have in most cases lasted longer, Do we really need a replacement battery that has a longer warranty cover?

Well, yes and no, yes because it covers a replacement till the free replacement period and pro rata thereafter. No because you pay extra for it.

Are the internals of the batteries with different warranties significantly different? (most important point)

They are the same as far as I know. Formulations are a secret.

Are we paying extra bucks for the warranty or the actual quality?

For the warranty.

Don't be fooled into believing that a battery with a 5 year warranty is superior in performance or longevity to one with a 3 or 4 year warranty.

I think your queries will be answered here: Battery warranties (The Exide Advanz with battery life indicator. EDIT: Now about battery warranty too)

[Bhargava_sr]

I am planning to replace battery on my 2012 Scorpio (Mhawk). Battery has not troubled so far as it was regularly maintained. Now that it is 7 years old, do not want a take any chance.


Running with Exide 65AH as OEM. I am exploring options to replace with Amaron 85AH, however one of the Mahindra mechanic suggested not to go with 85AH to avoid any excess voltage to ECU, that might create electrical issues and malfunctions. He suggested to stick with 65AH.


Appreciate inputs from experts here, on their experience in 65AH to 85AH battery upgrades. Would like to know some best options around.




Options
1) Amaron Flo 105D31R 85AH (Hoping no mods during the fitment).

2) Amaron AAM-GO-00095D26R 65AH.