[R2D2]

Got the one of the batteries (MA45L) back from the dealer in a fully charged state. The DIN55 is being returned today. Hope these two batteries last at least another 6-12 months.

[SandyX]

Okay, my 04' non-selfstart Honda Unicorn is asking for a replacement battery these days. There is an almost 5 year old dead exide still stuck to it. Today only i read about the MgSO4 trick from here, so i will be trying it out in a week.

If the trick fails to revive the cells, can anyone suggest the the best brand i should go for as the replacement?

The batt shop guy told me it is a 7Ah batt that Unicorns use but a 9Ah rating for pulsars. What will be the effect on my stock bike if i go for the higher rated batt?

[Aroy]

Originally Posted by SandyX

Okay, my 04' non-selfstart Honda Unicorn is asking for a replacement battery these days. There is an almost 5 year old dead exide still stuck to it. Today only i read about the MgSO4 trick from here, so i will be trying it out in a week.

If the trick fails to revive the cells, can anyone suggest the the best brand i should go for as the replacement?

The batt shop guy told me it is a 7Ah batt that Unicorns use but a 9Ah rating for pulsars. What will be the effect on my stock bike if i go for the higher rated batt?

If they are physically same size, nothing. It will take longer to charge. Otherwise if it is bigger then may not fit.

[SandyX]

Originally Posted by Aroy

If they are physically same size, nothing. It will take longer to charge. Otherwise if it is bigger then may not fit.

The 9Ah is bigger and needs air filter box mods to fix it correctly, so gonna stick with the 7Ah only.

Which brand should i go for? The ones available around are Exide, SF and tata. Is Exide still pathetic?

[Aroy]

Originally Posted by SandyX

The 9Ah is bigger and needs air filter box mods to fix it correctly, so gonna stick with the 7Ah only.

Which brand should i go for? The ones available around are Exide, SF and tata. Is Exide still pathetic?

SF is an Exide company.
http://www.exideindustries.com/

Have no idea whether Tata make their own batteries or get it OEM, so Exide seems to be the best bet.

[SandyX]

They are called Tata Green batteries with tech from Yuasa. Have heard only bad things about Exide from many years. Since Amaron is not into 7A, its gonna be SF or Tata according to warranty. Tnx man.

[psvinay]

I was reading all these comments on Exide, and then it struck me that I have never changed the battery in my SX4 (bought in 2007 Jul), So went down and opened the hood. Hey, it has Exide battery. Then I remembered that, my earlier car (maruti-zen) also had an Exide, and it lasted several years (4+ yrs or so). We also have a 11+yrs old Wagon-R in the family. Currently it has an Amaron battery, and it is the second battery. The first one (I think it was an Exide) lasted more than 6 years for sure. The current one (Amaron) therefor is ~5years old.

Not sure what are we doing so special to get so many years from these batteries. Actually we do nothing...

[desertfox]

What is the conclusion ? Which is the best performing battery in India ?
Exide
Amaron
Tata

I have been useing GS batteries in the past in most of my Prados, Landcruiser, Coroalla and they used to last about 18 to 20 months.

I have also used AC Delco maintainace free battery to similar effect.

Currently my MM 550 battery is dead, but the issue is not exactly with the battery it is the alternator which is faulty. Need to plonk in a new one.

[Raccoon]

^^^My personal experiences aside, if you go thru Tbhp, you will clearly see that Amaron seems to be the favourite by far. Bosch may be similar (since it is made by Amara Raja too), but since they are not easily available, there are fewer takers, and hence fewer reviews.

Not a lot of people seem to have tried out Tata Green either, as its a relatively new brand. Hence not enough reviews to draw any conclusion. TG do manufacture their own batteries, AFAIK.

Exide has the highest rants compared to any brand.

Btw, does anybody know for sure if TG manufactures 7 Ah (2 wheeler) batteries? Seven Ah batteries somehow seem to be the least used in the 2 wheeler market, so only 2 brands I know make it for sure - Amco and Exide... and possibly SF. And I'm not inclined to buy any of these, given any other choice.

[Aroy]

Originally Posted by Raccoon

......

Btw, does anybody know for sure if TG manufactures 7 Ah (2 wheeler) batteries? Seven Ah batteries somehow seem to be the least used in the 2 wheeler market, so only 2 brands I know make it for sure - Amco and Exide... and possibly SF. And I'm not inclined to buy any of these, given any other choice.

7AH is a standard size for smaller UPS, so check out with UPS suppliers. As the dimensions may not be same as a standard 2 wheeler battery you have to ascertain whether SMF battery will sit in the enclosure provided.

[desertfox]

The Tata batteries are also made by GS Yuasa collabration and GS is a very reliable brand, in fact they are OE suppliers to Boeing as well, including the infamours 787 dreamliner fiasco.

GS comes as OE on most Toyota cars in the Middle East, followed by Panasonic, AC Delco also sells well, i am tempted to try Tata green this time.

[Raccoon]

Originally Posted by Aroy

7AH is a standard size for smaller UPS, so check out with UPS suppliers. As the dimensions may not be same as a standard 2 wheeler battery you have to ascertain whether SMF battery will sit in the enclosure provided.

But those are made for indoor UPS use! Though I'v heard people using the dry UPS batteries in 2 wheelers, and also heard of them getting a pretty long life from the batteries. Do you think its advisable to do so? Further, the connectors will differ - my bike as clamps which connect to the battery wires using nuts and bolts. But UPS battery terminals will surely be different. Also the battery dimensions will very likely be different. I'm pretty sure it won't fit in my bike's battery cage.

On a different note, as I'm looking for a replacement battery for my APC Back UPS ES 500, which also needs a 7 Ah battery, I got a quote of Rs. 1,000 from APC. On the other hand, dealers quoted anywhere form 700 to 800 for a Exide UPS battery. So still looking... Any idea if Sukam, Wipro or any other well known brands make 7 Ah UPS batteries?

Originally Posted by desertfox

The Tata batteries are also made by GS Yuasa collabration and GS is a very reliable brand, in fact they are OE suppliers to Boeing as well, including the infamours 787 dreamliner fiasco.

GS comes as OE on most Toyota cars in the Middle East, followed by Panasonic, AC Delco also sells well, i am tempted to try Tata green this time.

But that is true about Yuasa. We are talking about Tata + Yuasa. One can always trust Tata to botch things up. Reminds me of Amoco Yuasa. They used to make really great batteries. But after the collaboration/partnership ended, Amco has gone to the dogs, like Exide (leaky batteries, etc). But if the choice is between Exide/SF/Amco, I'd go for Tata Green without even a 2nd thought.

[R2D2]

After decades of buying Exide the time came to say good bye and try something new.

Just replaced my in-warranty Exide Matrix purchased in June 2010 (38 months old) with an Amaron Pro 55B24LS.

The Exide was under a pro-rata warranty but I decided to skip paying for a new battery after pro rata discount and went in for a brand new Amaron.

The Exide gave me pretty good service but I think the battery was sulphated as my car was not used for extended periods of time courtesy my travels.

My Dad's car still uses a Matrix and it has been sent for charging as a pre-emptive measure. It too will be replaced by an Amaron when the time comes.

[arunnn]

The Exide battery (OEM battery) in my UVA (petrol) lasted for exactly 6 yrs.

It never gave any starting trouble till date. After a week of rest, it failed to start the car in the morning. Took it to an Exide authorised dealer and the voltage was 10V. Even after charging it dint improve. He tested the specific gravity of acid and told me that two cells has gone.

Replaced with a Exide Max DIN50 (18 month warranty) and costed Rs.5000 (with old battery buy back)

A query to battery experts. Will the battery fail suddenly or will it show weakness over a period indicating its time to change. What's the common failure mode ?

[Aroy]

Originally Posted by arunnn

The Exide battery (OEM battery) in my UVA (petrol) lasted for exactly 6 yrs.

.....
A query to battery experts. Will the battery fail suddenly or will it show weakness over a period indicating its time to change. What's the common failure mode ?

Both are possible. If the active material is shedding then there will be a sudden failure, else it is gradual degradation. I have never experienced all the cells deteriorating simultaneously, it is always one or two which fail.