[TusharK]

Exide has launched its new 'Epiq' range of automotive batteries in India. These come with a 6-year warranty and are available for all cars and SUVs sold in the Indian market.



The Exide Epiq battery uses corrosion-resistant penta-alloy and a special paste formulation for its positive and negative plates which is claimed to extend its service life. A double clad polyethylene and glass mat separation is further expected to improve reliability. The battery is claimed to be spill-resistant thanks to an omega type cover design fitted with venturi type chamber cover. The battery does not require a freshening charge for up to 6 months from its date of manufacture. Epiq batteries are available in 35 Ah, 45 Ah, 68 Ah and 74 Ah capacities.

Epiq is the flagship sub-brand of Exide and will be positioned above conventional automotive batteries. These will be manufactured at Exide's factories across India and will be sold exclusively at Exide Care outlets.

The company has also launched Exide Gold 4-wheeler battery with an 18-month warranty and Exide Cabby aimed at commercial vehicle operators and the taxi market.

Link to Team-BHP News

[ashis89]

OT:
Seeing this post, I wonder today, how many car owners look forward to keep their cars for 8-10 years and beyond?

Assumption: OEM battery lasts 2-4 years. Exide lasts 6 years and beyond.

[R2D2]

I was an Exide user for over 2 decades till I shifted to Amaron in '13.

I used Exide Matrix with mixed results in 2 different cars - in one vehicle the Matrix was replaced at about 40 months (average life of batteries in India) not because it failed but as a preventive measure against stranding. And in the other car it lasted over 6 years. This unit it would have probably pulled on longer had I been able to top off the distilled water. Kudos to Exide for that but I think it was an 'outlier'. Batteries cost me a bit less than 2 tankfuls of petrol so I don't mind replacements every few years. Better than being stranded or messing up the far more expensive to repair alternator.

The Amarons seem to put up with punishment (low running) better, I once started my car after 5 months (!!) and the battery cranked the engine which fired up within 2-3 seconds. The best part is the caps can be removed and DW topped up.

I just changed my car batteries in early and mid '17 with another set of Amarons and they are under the standard multi year warranty. I do not foresee being able to use the Exide Epiq any time soon. If the caps are removable and water can be topped up unlike the Matrix it would be a big plus point. This battery is at a Rs 500 premium over the Matrix. Not bad.

[greenhorn]

I wonder if this is really a more advanced battery, or just a dressed up regular battery with a slightly longer pro rata warranty

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by ashis89

OT:
Seeing this post, I wonder today, how many car owners look forward to keep their cars for 8-10 years and beyond?

Assumption: OEM battery lasts 2-4 years. Exide lasts 6 years and beyond.

The owners who decide to keep it 8 years and beyond, will surely shift to some other brand other than Exide as soon as possible.

Exide has to work on their reputation of being cheap unreliable batteries first.

[ashis89]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

The owners who decide to keep it 8 years and beyond, will surely shift to some other brand other than Exide as soon as possible.

Exide has to work on their reputation of being cheap unreliable batteries first.

Even I hold similar notion about Exide. I moved from OEM Exide to Amaron twice (1 car, 1 bike) but only after getting very good service from the OEM batteries.
The car OEM battery was replaced after 6 years. The one on my bike lasted 3.5 years and was replaced due to a wrong diagnosis, the battery was in good health.

What I experienced could be an exception or may be it's time for the market perception to change.

[greenhorn]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

The owners who decide to keep it 8 years and beyond, will surely shift to some other brand other than Exide as soon as possible.

Exide has to work on their reputation of being cheap unreliable batteries first.

Both my exides have lasted around 4 years, failing in both cases due to the car not being used for a long time, which i think is fair. And it helps that the exide guys will come over to jump start your car!

[ritz3645]

Warranty in automobile battery is usually replacement if dead within 1-2 years & a pro rata discount for later period. I may agree of this battery to be a game changer for Exide, but the 6 year warranty has a catch. Dead battery has some nominal value, plus pro rata is a catch for repeat business. This is how I look at it, especially with Exide, a brand I favor the least. Hope they do not expect a periodic check only at an authorized Exide dealership, for warranty claims.


Copy paste below of warranty terms from official website.

Link
http://www.exideindustries.com/produ...-warranty.aspx
_______________


Warranty Period: Comprises of FREE REPLACEMENT and PRO-RATA. The label on every Exide battery specifies the total number of months covered by the free replacement period and the Pro-Rata period for batteries fitted in private cars, multi-utility vehicles, two-wheelers, inverters, gensets and solar applications.
i. For commercial and metered taxis the warranty is 12 months.
ii. In all cases the warranty is applicable from the date of sale to the original purchaser.
iii. For a battery being replaced on Free of Cost basis the warranty commences from the date of sale of the original battery as stated in the original Warranty Card and not from the date of replacement given.
iv. For batteries purchased on pro-rata warranty settlement discount, a fresh warranty is applicable from the date of purchase.

______________________

The Service Record in the Warranty Booklet must be filled in regularly by an authorised dealer of the Company as proof of specified maintenance. Without the record, your claim if any, is liable to be held invalid.

[Sebring]

This is truly Epic. A 72-month warranty is unprecedented and could put the manufacturer to test. I moved to Amaron long time back and have never been disappointed. Car starts flawlessly, every time, even after long absences. If this battery does last the mile I don't mind trying it!

[hrman]

In my honest opinion, Automotive Battery warranty is one of the biggest misnomers around. How can they call it warranty when there is a cost involved for bringing back the product to workable condition or condition before the malfunction?

Most white goods we purchase have a warranty, whereby any repairs will be done FOC for parts and labour within the warranty period, subject to the product not being misused.
In automotive batteries, the true traditional warranty is actually only for 18-24 months. The rest of the period is a discount on the purchase of new batteries, which is not really a warranty by any means. This also stifles the choice of the customer to go for another brand when replacing the battery.

I don't think any amount of extended additional proportionate warranty is really going to work, unless it is within the traditional definition of warranty.

My personal experience with Amaron has been great, no shifting to Exide for now.

[skchettry]

I am happy with Exide batteries compared to Bosch ones which are much hyped ones. Both these brands lasted nearly 4 years each on my Honda City. I am happy because my car stands still totally unmoved and uncranked for a month at a stretch every alternate month as I go out to work.

[sgiitk]

I wish we had the split in the warranty. What is the full replacement period, three years I guess. Then it goes pro-rata which is really not worth it, since batteries are normally discounted, and these dynamics work of the list price.

[ghodlur]

The fact that Epiq is still a Lead Acid battery and requires distilled water topping at regular intervals underscores it when compared to the gel technology of Amaron which is spill proof too. Even though 6 years warranty is eyeball catcher actually there are two types of warranty: Free replacement and pro rata type. It is not clear how many months the free replacement is valid for, it is said this info is available on individual. battery.

I would opt for Exide Advanz over Epiq if I ever have to go for Exide because the choice of capacity is more.

[R2D2]

Originally Posted by ghodlur

The fact that Epiq is still a Lead Acid battery and requires distilled water topping at regular intervals underscores it when compared to the gel technology of Amaron which is spill proof too.

Maintenance free is a misnomer here. It should actually be called low maintenance. Also, which Amaron automotive battery has gel technology? They are all flooded except for the Optima models that Amaron used to offer many years ago at a hefty premium.

Most modern day batteries are low (not zero) maintenance. Gel or AGM batteries for e.g. Optima, the true maintenance free parts, haven't caught on here and frankly I think it's for the best since our tropical heat will mess them up. And to top it off they are more expensive than the flooded versions.

Best to have batteries that can take a DW top up. I say this from experience with an Exide Matrix, which while not AGM/Gel, is still sealed 'for life'. My 6+ year old Matrix may have lasted longer had I been able to top off the DW.

I would opt for Exide Advanz over Epiq if I ever have to go for Exide because the choice of capacity is more.

But the warranty for the Advanz model is only 15 months. Come to think of it the Epiq and Advanz are just renamed Matrix batteries with different warranty terms and prices.

[GTO]

Am not a fan of Exide (I usually buy Amaron), but longer warranties are always .

Yeah, the pro-rating in the warranty sucks, but everyone does it so we can't blame Exide alone. Plus, I'd rather have a 6-year prorated warranty over a 5-year one.

Originally Posted by greenhorn

I wonder if this is really a more advanced battery, or just a dressed up regular battery with a slightly longer pro rata warranty

Someone once told me that the battery industry designs its batteries to fail exactly after the warranty period is over. I don't know if this is true or whether it's even possible, but don't even make me count the number of times that my batteries have failed within months of the 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 year warranty expiring.

Originally Posted by hrman

In my honest opinion, Automotive Battery warranty is one of the biggest misnomers around. How can they call it warranty when there is a cost involved for bringing back the product to workable condition or condition before the malfunction?

Totally agreed . But that's the case with insurance too, no? Where they count wear & tear (on some parts, you lose 50% in a very short while). Similarly, in some cases where tyres have been replaced under warranty, I have heard of pro-rated price adjustments by the manufacturer.