Batteries & D-Min story

[Augustus]

I need to buy new batteries for my truck, should I go to the Dodge dealer or will the local auto parts store have what I need? I only want the best for the truck.



DuraMin story- My boss just bought a 3500 crewcab dually. 700 miles on it, driving down the road the other day and all the guages quit working, fuses are all good, no idea what the problem is. Yesterday he calls me and says the thing is dumping diesel all over the parking lot, and I mean dumping. He had to call a tow truck and have it hauled back to the dealership. Told him he should have bought a Dodge.

 

[Bad340fish]

Gonna be Pricey!

First thing to remember when buying batteries is that you get what you pay for. Stay away from anything that does not have removable caps to add water. Since your from texas it gets hot enough that you will need to check the water every so often. The only true maintenence free battery is the Optima brand they are an excellent battery but they cost over $100 a piece. So even though the caps don't come off on some brands they will still need water. . you just can't put it in there.



Interstate Batteries I run a route for them here in Tulsa. I started in the warehouse and have charged, checked, tested,dropped, and broken any brand of Battery you can think of lol. And would never hesitate to put them in my truck when the batteries go dead on it. They are the second most expensive Battery out there but they are worth it. The number one selling OEM replacement. I have never surfed thier site before but there should be a way to look up the part number you need and locate a dealer near you.



The distributor for your area is Interstate Batteries of Austin



Thats my . 02

Clark

 

[EMDDIESEL]

I agree Optimas are a great batteries. Interstate has good batteries too. Sears "Die Hard' are made by Interstate so you cant go wrong with them either.

 

[illflem]

I started going with gel-cell batteries mainly because they last longer, don't need water and have no corrosion problems. The Optima's are great, the Interstate brand is the same. I have bought 6 Champion gel cell batteries for one CTD and 4 tractors in past year. They look just like an Optima, have been working fine and the best thing- the price, I only had to give $69/each for them. I'm sticking with gel cells from now on because of the service factor, on many pieces of equipment just checking the water can be a major ordeal or something you put off till it's too late = no start. There are now many different brands of them out there besides Optima, prices will continue to drop.

 

[Bad340fish]

Diehard is not made by Interstate. . but is made by Johnson controls which is who makes interstate Batteries. The Batteries are not the same but the Diehard is still a very good battery. However only the Diehard GOLD batteries are a Johnson Controls product. The others are EXIDE which IMHO is total junk.



Interstate Just recently purchased Optima. What sucks is now that no matter where you by an Optima Interstate gets the money for it they reduced the warranty. They used to carry 12 months more of warranty than the Optima Labeled battery... not anymore. So if you go with them your best price will be from jegs or summit

Clark

 

[larryq]

Oklahoma City Source for Optima Yellow Tops

Does anyone have a contact for Optima Yellow Tops for my 24 V??



I've been looking and want to get the best price for the "Optima" brand name.



I'm in Oklahoma City and would hate to have to drive all the way to tulsa unless I was going to save Mega Bucks.



One local guy wants 175. 00 each for the yellows with top terminals and I think he's trying to get rich off of me.



I'm on my original batts in my 1998. 5 and now that I live in warmer climes I want to change them out before they leave me stranded.





Thanks all for the help



Larry

 

[Bad340fish]

Right here

Interstate Batteries of OKC



Try them. I have no idea how much he will retail them for. I left my work truck at the warehouse this weekend or I could tell you the retail on them.



Try here

Jegs

Or here

Summit Racing



I am not sure what shipping would be on a 65lb battery though... two of them for that matter.

E-mail me if your going to ever be in Tulsa soon and I can sell you some at a fellow TDR member discout

Clark

 

[Bob Cochran]

I think it is Costco that has Optima for $99. 00. I hope it was Costco as I have a card for both Costco and Sam's Club and get them confused. Maybe some of the others can verify for sure which one.



I don't think Yellow tops are a good idea. Most deep cycle batteries really seem to improved by discharing deeply then recharging. Thats what they are built for and with our trucks even in the winter are not going to discharge them that much and keep them pretty much charged all the time. I think this will not let them perform as good in our application after awhile. So I think red tops are better. I am no battery expert by any means but in RVing have some experiance with deep cycle.

 

[larryq]

Now... thanks for smacking me in the face with that little bit... .



I'm still thinking like I live in New England!!!



Here In OKC I don't think my heaters are even going to run but 10-12 times a year.....



But that is a good debate... . And I think It's been broached here on the TDR...



So let's re-Hash... .





The age old question... Yellow Tops Versus Red Tops... . AND WHY...





In warmer climes are the reds a better way to go... . ????



In colder climes will Yellow tops be the preferred product?????





Larry

 

[KBlanchard]

When my batteries needed to be replaced, I went to NAPA and put in 2 bus & tractor batteries with 1000 cranking amps each. Nobody had 2 batteries with the poles the way I needed in stock and I needed them ASAP. The tractor batteries have poles in the middle which means I just turn them the way I needed. They are a little taller than the stock, so I had to modify the installation(had no problem with hood closing). So far so good.

 

[Dr.Evil]

Someone mentioned CHAMPION batterys. If the have GNB Technologies written in small print somewhere on them I would NOT BUY THEM. I had one short out internally, caused alternator to charge wide open, set wire harness in truck on fire. AND GNB refused to admit there was ANYTHING wrong with the 14 month old battery. Left Me saddled with 2 tows, a rebuilt alternator, replacement wire harness, and I even had to "BUY the replacement battery! They finally told me "To pursue this any further, You'll have to take US to court, We're not paying Your claim. " On the other hand, I've had excellent service from batteries made by Johnson Controls. And I'd put 2 OPTIMA RED TOPS in my truck in a heartbeat!

DENNY... ... ... ... ... ... ... .

 

[wrk2mtch]

I have to disagree with Bad340fish on this one. Comparing an Exide battery to junk is just not fair. I happen to have lots of junk lying around and all of it is better than any Exide battery! I haven't bought an Exide for a while though so maybe they are good enough now to be considered junk.

 

[Bad340fish]

LOL Terry H. They just bought GNB not to long ago so what Dr Evil said applies to both maybe?? Exide has been going downhill for awhile. They have closed several warehouses around the country also.



I have no degree in automotive batteries or anything, I have just been handling them for the last 3. 5 years and have learned alot. I do not sell to the public just to Auto shops, 4x4 shops, and Car stereo shops as well as some fleet stuff to. The red tops outsell the yellows 3:1 easily. And I warranty more yellows than reds. The red top has more warranty and is cheaper on top of that. Both of them test out WAY over the rated CCA on the label. A fresh red top will load test about 1600CCA on Average same goes for the yellow top. The optimas rock, I have one on my car and it sat for over a year unhooked and when i put a motor back in it the car cranked over just fine. . i was impressed. Just some oberservations I thought you guys might like to see

Clark

 

[EMDDIESEL]

I have had good results with Exide in the past, we have them in alot of our locomotives. I have not bought a car battery on about 2 years so i really cant say for sure how things have changed. When i am ready to buy new batteries, i am buying Optima Red Tops.

 

[1tuffram]

Awhile back consumer reports magazine did a report on auto batteries. Can't remember which was rated best, but I was surprised only about 3 or 4 outfits make all the batteries on the market (although each battery company can specify how they want each of their batteries made). One point the report made when purchasing a battery was to consider the FREE-replacement portion of the battery warranty and not so much the pro-rated portion. At the time Sears had one of the best warranties of 100 months total, with 36 months FREE replacement. I believe most batteries only have 12 mos FREE replacement.



Just another point to consider

 

[Great White]

I worked on yachts for many years. THE worst battery ever... Delco Voyager... MHO The best... ... . Sears Diehard Gold everything I own has one. I did see gel cell "short"internally it nuked the case and the battery box but did not explode.

Rich

 

[rono]

I also agree with the optimas. When mine go, they will be replaced with the Red Top Optimas. Warranty, Looks, No Maint. etc... all add up to GOOD in my book.

Ron

 

[Bad340fish]

Hmmmm

I wonder if it would be possible to get both optimas on one side of the truck?? They are shorter than the 27 group size thats in the truck now. What would we do with the cable?? It would sure clean up the engine compartment alot and leave room for something else... like anothet turbo

Clark

 

[Great White]

I was thinking that relocating the batteries to the driver's side under the truck would free up engine room space.

Rich

 

[Bad340fish]

For me under the truck would be to much work. I was thinking they could maybe both be put in a modified drivers side tray. Twas just a thought, haven't been out to my truck to look at it yet.

Clark