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View Poll Results: Which battery brand?
Amaron 239 77.35%
SF Sonic 12 3.88%
Exide 58 18.77%
Voters: 309. You may not vote on this poll

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Old 11th August 2021, 11:25   #31
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Re: The 2021 Battery Thread | Amaron vs SF Sonic vs Exide

Amaron.

I had left my car unused for a year. The battery had drained by then. It charged enough to crank in 4-5 km.

The battery still works well after 4 years now.

I am told that there are many manufacturers who produce duplicate Exide batteries. This is a serious concern in Exide.

My previous Exide batteries failed days after the warranty expired.
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Old 11th August 2021, 11:42   #32
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Re: The 2021 Battery Thread | Amaron vs SF Sonic vs Exide

Team bhp got me tilted towards Amaron, in particular the Harvester for my Mm550. Lasted me almost 4 years. The second one was also a Harvester but this was troublesome and lasted me just 3 odd years. This could however be attributed to my very low usage at the time. Since it was barely 3 years got a 33% discount from the vendor and since then possibly its 3 plus years and the jeep has been fine. In small city Mangalore the guy comes by for a free jump start. My V cross has been on an Exide and 4 years almost now (touchwood) no issues as yet. The mechanic tells me it's courtesy those unnecessary extra lights that I have not yet faced any issues. Though for a replacement will definitely have an Amaron and in particular the Harvester if it fits in the bay. The vendor however does his best to tag me the "hiway". Hope the size of the bay does not get me to change to anything other than the Harvester
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Old 11th August 2021, 11:47   #33
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Re: The 2021 Battery Thread | Amaron vs SF Sonic vs Exide

I have experience with just one brand and that is Exide. So, I won't give my brand preference. However, I would like to share my experience with Exide.
The OEM fitted Exide in our nearly 5 year old Grand i10 ran out of juice recently (less than a month ago). Though it gave some indications beforehand like occasional cranking issues, one day it went dead suddenly.
I think long downtime for a couple of months was to blame here. So, after starting the car manually (the old Indian push from behind), I went to the nearest Exide dealer since my old battery too was Exide. They checked and replaced it in a jiffy.
Now the important part. It cost me Rs.3700 in exchange of my old battery for the 40Ah part. The warranty was of 55 months. They said they would provide free service every six months for the warranty period and in case it malfunctions, it would be replaced with a new one (they had done so for our old bike).
Since many members in this thread have spoken of significantly lesser warranty of Exide, have they changed their warranty policy recently?
Now that they are providing this long warranty, would any of you change your mind because of it?
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Old 11th August 2021, 12:04   #34
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Re: The 2021 Battery Thread | Amaron vs SF Sonic vs Exide

Automotive - Amaron (has lasted me 6+ years).

Home inverter - Exide 9 years, Amaron ~5 years.

Voted Amaron as this poll is car specific.
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Old 11th August 2021, 12:23   #35
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Re: The 2021 Battery Thread | Amaron vs SF Sonic vs Exide

Quote:
Originally Posted by SideView View Post
Please only vote if you have used the brand and have first hand info.
Whichever brand offers a no questions asked warranty is what you should go for.

Exide is an established brand and OES for many car manufacturers and that is why it seems to be priced a little higher. Had my fair share of dealing with Exide battery replacements for my RE Thunderbird and the AWD Duster. But have mostly stuck with Exide too.

In remote places I have seen Amaron having better market penetration.

Have only used SF Sonic battery in kick start scooters which lasted really long.


Lastly, I have learnt, many manufacturers have started mentioning Maintenance Free Battery which is essentially false. Any Lead-acid battery will need maintenance and if the car is parked in the sun / open, it goes a long way if you get the specific gravity checked and distilled water topped-up accordingly every year.
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Old 11th August 2021, 12:26   #36
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Re: The 2021 Battery Thread | Amaron vs SF Sonic vs Exide

Amaron recommended.

I did not have the chance to vote. However, out of my experience I would definitely recommend Amaron.

I use Amaron in my car as well as scooter - very reliable, even in hot and humid conditions as well as during monsoon.

I never had to top it with distilled water over the past 4.5 years in my Amaron Flo car battery. These are maintenance free batteries, I was told by the vendor. BTW, it might help you. I ordered my replacement battery from https://www.batterybhai.com/
I exchanged my old battery with them and got the new battery at a lesser price.
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Old 11th August 2021, 12:37   #37
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Re: The 2021 Battery Thread | Amaron vs SF Sonic vs Exide

Voted for Amaron.

Exide batteries in our diesel cars never lasted beyond 2 years, which is not the case with Amaron. I made the switch a few years back and found the longevity of Amaron to be much better than Exide in the same car. (3 years plus and counting). Here I am comparing batteries of similar rating and similar cost - we typically go for the mid-budget ones and not the top of the line ones.

Hence my vote is for Amaron, at least when it comes to batteries for diesel cars, that require a higher input power. We are still using Exide in our other (petrol/LPG) car and in my bike as well, and have found those batteries to be quite durable, unlike the Exides made for diesel cars. However, as my experience with Amaron has been really good, I will probably go for it in my other vehicles too, the next time.

I have not used any other brands so can't comment on those.
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Old 11th August 2021, 13:41   #38
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Re: The 2021 Battery Thread | Amaron vs SF Sonic vs Exide

We are using Exide batteries for our 2W, cars & Tractors too.

All of the batteries last minimum of 4 years & we bought with 5 or 6 year warranty.

In batteries, the warranty terms are different though. After few years they take batteries at Certain percentage.
Ex: Exide is given full warranty replacement for 3 years & from 4th year, it goes like 75%, 50%, 25% replacement cost for new battery.

I had been seeing these battery for 20years now (from my father time to now) & all I would say is proper care (checking level of electrolyte, proper vaseline or oil application to avoid fungus) & nominal running of vehicle with low/no electrical loads at least once in a month is needed if we look for battery life >4years.
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Old 11th August 2021, 14:25   #39
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Re: The 2021 Battery Thread | Amaron vs SF Sonic vs Exide

I have used Amaron in both petrol and diesel cars and found it to be superior by a fair margin.
My vote is for Amaron.
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Old 11th August 2021, 16:03   #40
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Re: The 2021 Battery Thread | Amaron vs SF Sonic vs Exide

Voted amaron. For whatever, reason, the exide batteries ALWAYS failed within 1-2 months of the end of the warranty period. It's as if a timer is installed in the battery !
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Old 11th August 2021, 16:21   #41
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Re: The 2021 Battery Thread | Amaron vs SF Sonic vs Exide

It was Exide before 2011 and Amaron there onwards for me.
My experience with Amaron started with bitter experience of OEM Exide battery leaving us stranded on highway within 3 years during Patna-Hazaribagh trip in Dec 2011, without any prior indication.
I ended up replacing it with Amaron at this point and never had to look back.
We replaced it on first indication of cranking problem in Sep 2017, otherwise I am pretty sure that it would have done at least 6 more months easily.

At this point, All 3 cars and 2 bikes in family are on Amaron.
The overall experience and battery life with Amaron till now has been satisfactory.
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Old 11th August 2021, 16:32   #42
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Re: The 2021 Battery Thread | Amaron vs SF Sonic vs Exide

My Amaron 35AH battery died down at 5.5 year mark after months of very low usage last year - got the car jump started and idled for 30 mins - its been working fine since then.
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Old 11th August 2021, 16:59   #43
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Re: The 2021 Battery Thread | Amaron vs SF Sonic vs Exide

Amaron has multiple models of batteries with different quality(or at least warranty). I think only Pro, Flo and Go are targeted at private passenger vehicles.

Here are the ones available for my petrol Esteem (35AH) as per their website. Listing them in descending order of price

Priciest Option 1
Battery Name : Pro
Battery Type : 50B20R
Free Warranty (in Months) : 30
Pro-rata Warranty (in Months) : 30

Option 2
Battery Name : Flo
Battery Type : 42B20R
Free Warranty (in Months) : 24
Pro-rata Warranty (in Months) : 24

Option 3
Battery Name : Go
Battery Type : 38B20R
Free Warranty (in Months) : 18
Pro-rata Warranty (in Months) : 18

Option 4
Battery Name : Black
Battery Type : BL400RMF
Free Warranty (in Months) : 18
Pro-rata Warranty (in Months) : 0

Cheapest Option 5
Battery Name : Fresh
Battery Type : FR400RMF
Free Warranty (in Months) : 12
Pro-rata Warranty (in Months) : 0

I had Amaron Pro on my daily driver Esteem with its 30 + 30 month warranty. The battery lasted me roughly 5 years. I think it give up a few months before completing 5 years. Did not bother with the pro-rata warranty. Replaced it with Amaron Flo in late 2019, and it has been serving me well. The car is now used only once a week or once a month with minimal running, thanks to the wretched virus. The battery is still strong.

I have never done any maintenance on any car battery other than keeping the terminals clean and top surface clean. I have an after market 100w relay and headlight bulb, and a small 80w rms audio class AB amplifier working all the time at moderatly low volume. Maybe the Amaron Pro would have served me better if I bother to check the water level or specific gravity or got rid of the powerful headlamp.

Last edited by AntPaul : 11th August 2021 at 17:02. Reason: correcting typo
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Old 11th August 2021, 18:11   #44
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Re: The 2021 Battery Thread | Amaron vs SF Sonic vs Exide

I am using Power Zone battery (Orange color Amaron abttery) which is a sub-brand of Amara Raja Industries, the owners of Amaron brand. The battery had been far better than Exide I had had earlier.
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Old 11th August 2021, 19:26   #45
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Re: The 2021 Battery Thread | Amaron vs SF Sonic vs Exide

Amaron - any day !

I have used both Exide and Amaron batteries in my bike and car. Even though Exide was good while it served, based on the input on this wonderful forum as well as friends, I went for Amaron batteries and experience was superb.

Go for Amaron, you will not regret it.

Regarding input from the dealer, they might be looking at their profit so their input can be a bit biased towards their preferred brand. Do your own research and go for it.
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