My experience with adding a new Battery in my car

Sam Kapasi · 16th January 2007, 14:58

OK now, I had a good experience in Mumbai recently and figured somebody may benefit from it.

I got an Amaron Ding Dong lasts really freaking long battery as stock with my Lancer petrol exactly 4 years ago. Fantastic battery, very happy with it.

However, over the past 4 or 5 months, here are some strange things that happened.

1. The Sound of my ICE, especially the bass, seemed to have deteriorated. Not having the time really, to peek into my own bowels, i let it slide gradually over some time, accepting a slightly woollier bass as default.

2. My alternator whine increased from negligible, to a fairly loud *WHEE* in my car. Of course, loud is a matter of perception and relevance, HOWEVER, it took Rudra to point it out to me and make me realise that perhaps it had gotten to an unacceptable limit to those with slightly sensitive hearing.

3. Thrice, inexpicably, the car would not crank. I would just get a little whimper of a crank and then nothing. The first time it happened, i thought I would change my battery as it was already 3.5 years old, i took it to my guy, who insisted on "charching" it. It was fine again for a month.

Then inexpicably, once again it did the same thing. BUT after push starting the lancer, everything was fine again. Also i started feeling that the cold crank was not as powerful (if there is such a thing).

The night before i left for pune, the blasted thing refused to start and I decided enough is enough. Change the ding dong, 4 years is enough anyways. Better to have one week less of battery life than stand on the expressway begging for a push.

I was dying to try out the Bosch Silver battery and found the right dealer with the right attitude.
Pai Battery Clinic at Mahim shivaji park area (sorry i do not have a number) is the authorised dealer for Panasonic and Bosch batteries. There is a gentleman there called Bablu who is precise, through and knowledgeable.
He explained to me many details of batteries. I got an excellent price on the Bosch Silver, that he recommended over the panasonic. I paid Rs 2700/- for the battery. (He took my old battery of course)

Bablu's people were through, quick and clean. They washed the battery compartment, dried it out, connected my new battery, applied Vaseline on the terminals. They connected a voltmeter and checked it throughly.

After this Bablu remarked that my radiator and condensor had a lot of mud deposit and that wasn't a good thing. Of his own accord, he started up an air compressor and his people cleaned up my radiator by blowing it for a good 10 mins

, with mud flying everywhere etc and even wiped up and blew out all the muck from the engine. They refused to accept money for this service.

I left and someone came running behind me with the stamped Bosch warranty card. This dealer gets my two thumbs up.

The Results

1. Believe it or not, my bass is tight and loud again. It is a fantastic improvement.
2. Alternator whine is all but GONE!!
3. As I suspected, the car cranks like a female panda on heat, no matter what time of the day it is.

I am happy and satisfied. I hope my experience helps you too.

esteem_lover · 16th January 2007, 15:10

Jeez, i thought you really added a new battery for your ICE. thanks for the info though. will keep it in mind when i get to change my ding dong after 3 years.

P.S. i have never associated bad bass with the battery. already i get the feeling my battery could be low. will check that pronto

2L8uLoose · 16th January 2007, 15:11

As usual Captn. Sam..arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr(you know why)
A BRILLIANT WRITE UP.
BUTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

Quote:

As I suspected, the car cranks like a female panda on heat, no matter what time of the day it is.

How oh HOW do you know about female Panda's on heat????
On second thoughts.. I may not wanna know..

navdeep · 16th January 2007, 15:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by esteem_lover

P.S. i have never associated bad bass with the battery.

same here ...........

Sam Kapasi · 16th January 2007, 15:16

Gentlemen, it is very obvious. The better, faster and deeper (in terms of amperage) the current delivery of the Battery, the better quality your bass is. Trust me it is as simple as that.

sreenivass · 16th January 2007, 15:22

Wow thats a very rare expereince, I wish a similar battery dealer was available in Hyderabad. Who knows, may be I'll find one.

tsk1979 · 16th January 2007, 15:24

Sam I went for a 65Ah Amaron ding dong battery recently after my base terminal went kaput.
Standard is 60Ah, but I thought I would get 5Ah more.
what was your stock lancer battery(Ah) and how much is this one?
The numbers are etched on the top of the battery itself.

rks · 16th January 2007, 15:49

My Santro's stock battery is still going strong after 6 years. I am embarassed to admit that I have even forgotten what make the stock battery is (Standard Furukowa?) -- I know it is maintenance-free. I know there is plenty of charge left in this battery because I run my air compressor off the cigarette lighter outlet every two weeks (without starting the engine) for a considerable period of time. I am wondering if there will be any noticeable drop in power of headlights or horn if the battery is weak. I would like to replace the battery before the starter or alternator gets affected, as I don't want to damage the electrical parts. Maybe I will wait till end of 2007 and then throw out the battery in any case. I am sure if I take it now to one of the battery maintenance shops, they will insist that it has to be replaced -- but these guys might just bluff.

Psycho · 16th January 2007, 16:11

Well you had managed a lot of time to identify the issue and sort it out... am also amazed that you found time write about it too... Congratulations on the job well done...

n_aditya · 16th January 2007, 16:33

Quote:

Originally Posted by esteem_lover

will keep it in mind when i get to change my ding dong after 3 years.

your ding dong?

P.S. No offence meant bro...

esteem_lover · 16th January 2007, 16:41

Quote:

Originally Posted by n_aditya

your ding dong?

P.S. No offence meant bro...

None taken. i needed that badly. thanks

2L8uLoose · 16th January 2007, 17:03

Hey,
Maybe if someone's lucky and goes to an Amaron shop you can meet BOBBLEHEAD HIMSELF(NK) and smack him upside his head and make him say DING DONG!!!
BUTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT
If I do meet him again I am going to have to control myself BIG TIME from not doing that...

gamerno1 · 16th January 2007, 17:19

hey sam, great writeup

Quote:

Originally Posted by tsk1979

what was your stock lancer battery(Ah) and how much is this one?
The numbers are etched on the top of the battery itself.

would like to know the same

Sam Kapasi · 16th January 2007, 17:34

I didn't buy an upsized battery. Bought the lancer standard petrol model replacement battery from Bosch.

condor · 16th January 2007, 21:39

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2L8uLoose

BUTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

How oh HOW do you know about female Panda's on heat????
On second thoughts.. I may not wanna know..

__________________
I LIKE BIG BUTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTS
Saale dost se commission lenga kya..not giving you commission

And whether or not 2L8uLoose wants to know about the Panda's or not, he definitely likes the BIG BUTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTS

16th January 2007, 14:58	#1
Sam Kapasi Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Mumbai (but wat Posts: 6,997 Thanked: 2,378 Times View My Garage	My experience with adding a new Battery in my car OK now, I had a good experience in Mumbai recently and figured somebody may benefit from it. I got an Amaron Ding Dong lasts really freaking long battery as stock with my Lancer petrol exactly 4 years ago. Fantastic battery, very happy with it. However, over the past 4 or 5 months, here are some strange things that happened. 1. The Sound of my ICE, especially the bass, seemed to have deteriorated. Not having the time really, to peek into my own bowels, i let it slide gradually over some time, accepting a slightly woollier bass as default. 2. My alternator whine increased from negligible, to a fairly loud WHEE in my car. Of course, loud is a matter of perception and relevance, HOWEVER, it took Rudra to point it out to me and make me realise that perhaps it had gotten to an unacceptable limit to those with slightly sensitive hearing. 3. Thrice, inexpicably, the car would not crank. I would just get a little whimper of a crank and then nothing. The first time it happened, i thought I would change my battery as it was already 3.5 years old, i took it to my guy, who insisted on "charching" it. It was fine again for a month. Then inexpicably, once again it did the same thing. BUT after push starting the lancer, everything was fine again. Also i started feeling that the cold crank was not as powerful (if there is such a thing). The night before i left for pune, the blasted thing refused to start and I decided enough is enough. Change the ding dong, 4 years is enough anyways. Better to have one week less of battery life than stand on the expressway begging for a push. I was dying to try out the Bosch Silver battery and found the right dealer with the right attitude. Pai Battery Clinic at Mahim shivaji park area (sorry i do not have a number) is the authorised dealer for Panasonic and Bosch batteries. There is a gentleman there called Bablu who is precise, through and knowledgeable. He explained to me many details of batteries. I got an excellent price on the Bosch Silver, that he recommended over the panasonic. I paid Rs 2700/- for the battery. (He took my old battery of course) Bablu's people were through, quick and clean. They washed the battery compartment, dried it out, connected my new battery, applied Vaseline on the terminals. They connected a voltmeter and checked it throughly. After this Bablu remarked that my radiator and condensor had a lot of mud deposit and that wasn't a good thing. Of his own accord, he started up an air compressor and his people cleaned up my radiator by blowing it for a good 10 mins , with mud flying everywhere etc and even wiped up and blew out all the muck from the engine. They refused to accept money for this service. I left and someone came running behind me with the stamped Bosch warranty card. This dealer gets my two thumbs up. The Results 1. Believe it or not, my bass is tight and loud again. It is a fantastic improvement. 2. Alternator whine is all but GONE!! 3. As I suspected, the car cranks like a female panda on heat, no matter what time of the day it is. I am happy and satisfied. I hope my experience helps you too. Last edited by Sam Kapasi : 16th January 2007 at 15:06.
	() Thanks

16th January 2007, 15:10	#2
esteem_lover Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Madras/Py Posts: 7,556 Thanked: 502 Times View My Garage	Jeez, i thought you really added a new battery for your ICE. thanks for the info though. will keep it in mind when i get to change my ding dong after 3 years. P.S. i have never associated bad bass with the battery. already i get the feeling my battery could be low. will check that pronto
	() Thanks

16th January 2007, 15:16	#5
Sam Kapasi Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Mumbai (but wat Posts: 6,997 Thanked: 2,378 Times View My Garage	Gentlemen, it is very obvious. The better, faster and deeper (in terms of amperage) the current delivery of the Battery, the better quality your bass is. Trust me it is as simple as that.
	() Thanks

16th January 2007, 15:22	#6
sreenivass BHPian Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Bangalore India Posts: 932 Thanked: 44 Times View My Garage	Wow thats a very rare expereince, I wish a similar battery dealer was available in Hyderabad. Who knows, may be I'll find one.
	() Thanks

16th January 2007, 15:24	#7
tsk1979 Team-BHP Support Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: San Jose, CA Posts: 23,717 Thanked: 22,825 Times View My Garage	Sam I went for a 65Ah Amaron ding dong battery recently after my base terminal went kaput. Standard is 60Ah, but I thought I would get 5Ah more. what was your stock lancer battery(Ah) and how much is this one? The numbers are etched on the top of the battery itself.
	() Thanks

16th January 2007, 15:49	#8
rks BANNED Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: ?? Posts: 1,238 Thanked: 17 Times	My Santro's stock battery is still going strong after 6 years. I am embarassed to admit that I have even forgotten what make the stock battery is (Standard Furukowa?) -- I know it is maintenance-free. I know there is plenty of charge left in this battery because I run my air compressor off the cigarette lighter outlet every two weeks (without starting the engine) for a considerable period of time. I am wondering if there will be any noticeable drop in power of headlights or horn if the battery is weak. I would like to replace the battery before the starter or alternator gets affected, as I don't want to damage the electrical parts. Maybe I will wait till end of 2007 and then throw out the battery in any case. I am sure if I take it now to one of the battery maintenance shops, they will insist that it has to be replaced -- but these guys might just bluff.
	() Thanks

16th January 2007, 16:11	#9
Psycho Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,043 Thanked: 110 Times View My Garage	Well you had managed a lot of time to identify the issue and sort it out... am also amazed that you found time write about it too... Congratulations on the job well done...
	() Thanks

16th January 2007, 17:03	#12
2L8uLoose BANNED Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Bombay Posts: 628 Thanked: 6 Times View My Garage	Hey, Maybe if someone's lucky and goes to an Amaron shop you can meet BOBBLEHEAD HIMSELF(NK) and smack him upside his head and make him say DING DONG!!! BUTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT If I do meet him again I am going to have to control myself BIG TIME from not doing that...
	() Thanks

16th January 2007, 17:34	#14
Sam Kapasi Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Mumbai (but wat Posts: 6,997 Thanked: 2,378 Times View My Garage	I didn't buy an upsized battery. Bought the lancer standard petrol model replacement battery from Bosch.
	() Thanks