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Winter battery recommendation?

J

Jumpem

Lifer
My car has been failing to start sometimes. I only have a few months left on the lease, so I keep debating whether to replace it. Perhaps if I get something better than OEM, I can reuse it again in my next vehicle.

Thoughts?
 
Nope. New car come with new battery. Would seem silly to shop for a used vehicle based on you current cars battery size/group wouldn't it?
 
Jumpem said:
Ugh. They aren't a standard size for the most part with sports cars and trucks being different?
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Nope. Some group sizes will fit more vehicles but in the end it's not going to be a good idea to base a future car purchase on your battery. If your talking about buying the same or very similar vehicle then it's possible it would fit. Guessing that whatever you wind up buying will already have a fully functional battery anyways so it's a moot point really.

Just pray it lasts the last couple of months or just go cheap on the replacement battery is your best option.
 
Jumpem said:
Ugh. They aren't a standard size for the most part with sports cars and trucks being different?
Click to expand...

The terminal position/type can be a pita if not an exact match. If you're in a garage, I'd put a trickle charge on the battery, and hope it lasts til you trade it in. HarborFreight has decent jump boxes for ~$40 as extra insurance.
 
Jumpem said:
My car has been failing to start sometimes. I only have a few months left on the lease, so I keep debating whether to replace it. Perhaps if I get something better than OEM, I can reuse it again in my next vehicle.

Thoughts?
Click to expand...
Failing to start or failing to turn over? Big difference.
 
lxskllr said:
The terminal position/type can be a pita if not an exact match. If you're in a garage, I'd put a trickle charge on the battery, and hope it lasts til you trade it in. HarborFreight has decent jump boxes for ~$40 as extra insurance.
Click to expand...

The terminal position is what I am afraid of. The positive connector on my car is "L" shaped and has several wires attached to it. If the replacement battery terminal is too far in from the edge the positive connector will not fit.

I have been charging in the garage (not 24/7 every day) but my wife has been stranded twice. She bought jumper cables a couple times ago, but we don't have one of those portable self jump boxes.
 
I got the cheapest battery at Advance Auto that was the correct group size. 575 CCA versus 390 CCA of the OEM. I can't even buy a battery as low quality as the OEM.
 
JulesMaximus said:
Is this a Jeep? How long was the lease? 5 years? I've never had a vehicle toss a battery in the first 5 years of ownership.
Click to expand...

It is a Subaru. About thirty-three months in.

I think the problem originated from the headlights not turning off if the key is left in the ignition. At daycare we would turn the car off and go inside and get the kids. After a couple years of this the car wouldn't start one day at daycare. Now we manually turn the lights off each time we turn the car off.
 
Wow; you allowed your wife to get stranded twice to save $75 on battery?

First jump and drive straight to pick up a new battery. There should be zero discussion.
 
Jumpem said:
It is a Subaru. About thirty-three months in.

I think the problem originated from the headlights not turning off if the key is left in the ignition. At daycare we would turn the car off and go inside and get the kids. After a couple years of this the car wouldn't start one day at daycare. Now we manually turn the lights off each time we turn the car off.
Click to expand...

Whenever you leave the keys in the ignition the proper thing to do is just leave it running. Helps the thief make a quicker getaway....Saves a couple of seconds.
 
Jumpem said:
The bumper to bumper warranty ended about 13K miles ago. Even then the dealer insisted that it met the minimum levels when they tested it.
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Where are you located? Minimum levels may be fine for a warm start, but totally deficient for a cold-start in a wintry climate.

For the sake of your family, just bite the bullet on a new one or force the dealer to replace. Nothing is worse with a car than wondering if it will start when you need it to...
 
Kenmitch said:
Whenever you leave the keys in the ignition the proper thing to do is just leave it running. Helps the thief make a quicker getaway....Saves a couple of seconds.
Click to expand...

I have never known anyone that has had their car stolen. If it is well below freezing I do leave it running while inside getting the kids.
 
exar333 said:
Where are you located? Minimum levels may be fine for a warm start, but totally deficient for a cold-start in a wintry climate.

For the sake of your family, just bite the bullet on a new one or force the dealer to replace. Nothing is worse with a car than wondering if it will start when you need it to...
Click to expand...

I am in central NY.
 
Jumpem said:
I have never known anyone that has had their car stolen. If it is well below freezing I do leave it running while inside getting the kids.
Click to expand...

LOL, this.

Before key-fobs were everywhere, it was very common (and still is) for folks up here in MN to leave their car running when at the gas station, grocery store, etc. I guess if someone is wandering around in sub-zero (F) temps and needs a car, they probably need it more than me.
 
I have factory remote start on my 08 Jeep, so there's no key in it when/if I leave it running.

A little story which you can skip:

My brother bought a 2015 Jeep GC with the keyless ignition.

About two weeks later, I began to notice that he seemed to only have one FOBIK.
I questioned him about it, because I knew that a GC Limited came with two.
He said he only got one, so I said he should go back to the dealer and get the other one.

A few minutes later I began to wonder...
I told my brother to leave his fob in the building and follow me outside.
I went to his Jeep, touched the door handle, and it unlocked for me.
I got in, started it up, and drove off.

The second FOBIK was in the glove box, bundled with the manuals.
Anyone could have simply driven off with his new Jeep.
 
I cannot fathom a world in which I walk away from my car with the key in the ignition.

That said, if we're dealing with the kind of person who is too lazy to take out a key, AND too lazy to switch off the lights when leaving the car, I'm not terribly surprised we're dealing with a person who is too lazy to replace their car battery, even though it's dead and it's winter.

Also, did you seriously just throw away $5000 by leasing, and now you're going to quibble over a $75 safety item?
 
thomsbrain said:
I cannot fathom a world in which I walk away from my car with the key in the ignition.

That said, if we're dealing with the kind of person who is too lazy to take out a key, AND too lazy to switch off the lights when leaving the car, I'm not terribly surprised we're dealing with a person who is too lazy to replace their car battery, even though it's dead and it's winter.

Also, did you seriously just throw away $5000 by leasing, and now you're going to quibble over a $75 safety item?
Click to expand...

I didn't throw anything away. I paid for the depreciation, the same as if I had purchased the vehicle and returned it after three years.

Where I grew up it is common for people to leave keys in the vehicle. Likely out of the ignition, and in the center console. Most people don't lock there doors either. I could walk down the road as a kid and go in any of my relatives houses if I had a reason. I never even had a key to my house growing up.
 
thomsbrain said:
I cannot fathom a world in which I walk away from my car with the key in the ignition.

That said, if we're dealing with the kind of person who is too lazy to take out a key, AND too lazy to switch off the lights when leaving the car, I'm not terribly surprised we're dealing with a person who is too lazy to replace their car battery, even though it's dead and it's winter.

Also, did you seriously just throw away $5000 by leasing, and now you're going to quibble over a $75 safety item?
Click to expand...
He needs to buy a recent Toyota. They shut everything down when turned off and when the parking brake is depressed after the vehicle is turned on, they turn the headlights automatically. Perfect for forgetful folks (including myself) 😀
 
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