Car battery

ifiddles

ifiddles

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I have a 2013 Hyundai Elantra GT with 65,000 km and original battery...did a test on it last Christmas before driving to Tallahassee and the voltage was good (can't remember exact numbers, but around the 95% mark of optimum IIRC).

My car has been sitting a lot since Covid, however, it still starts right up regardless (not on a tender).

Hubby says I should get a new one just based on the fact that it's over 7 years old.

What brands are good? I've found Motomaster, Napa (power smart, legend), AC Delco and Interstate. Looked at reviews, but not much out there (mostly US brands that I can't find up here).

Will call Hyundai tomorrow, just looking for good alternatives.

TIA
 
Just get the Costco one works well and inexpensive or what I would do is wait for the old one to die. Get a load test and if it is good leave it alone for another year.

Sent from my moto g(8) plus using Tapatalk
 
why would you buy a new battery? if you have a concern that it's going to be a problem take it to canadian tire and have them load test it

need to be quicker on the keys i guess...lol
 
I've had good service with the costco brand,
they die about as fast as the rest.

I need a lawn tractor sized one now. ... I don't think they want your old battery though, some places do.
 
@lucky that's what I said to hubby...he's been on vacation this past month and we take his truck everywhere...when school starts I'll be driving a whole 2.9 km to work...LMAO...I'll do another test and see what the numbers are...he believes in being proactive instead of reactive (and he leaves for work at 7 am, while I leave around 8 am, so if it were to die, he wouldn't be around to boost it)
 
I guess if it's going to ease his mind, i had a battery in my bike that lasted 5yrs and never tender, after it died i replaced with the same make that lasted only 2yrs. so one never knows how long it will last
 
I'm honestly surprised you got 7 years out of it.

I wouldn't bother with the dealership though, any brand with correct cca will suffice and be much cheaper than original.
 
We got lazy and had CAA swap ours out for $200. Their batteries seem pretty good. Only issue was my car then hit a pothole and the subframe broke and that was bye bye Ford. At that point, the battery was the most valuable part of the car.
 
I was at the Delco plant in Oshawa once and Canadian Tire batteries were coming down the line.

I had an alternator test at Canadian Tire and they said it failed. Being doubtful I double checked at an alternator shop and they said it was good. Never had a problem after.
 
easy to test your alternator for proper output if you have a multi-meter and know how to read it,, or know someone who does
 
Trials said:
I've had good service with the costco brand,
they die about as fast as the rest.

I need a lawn tractor sized one now. ... I don't think they want your old battery though, some places do.
Click to expand...

Costco adds the $10 battery fee if you don't give them your old battery.
 
ifiddles said:
@lucky that's what I said to hubby...he's been on vacation this past month and we take his truck everywhere...when school starts I'll be driving a whole 2.9 km to work...LMAO...I'll do another test and see what the numbers are...he believes in being proactive instead of reactive (and he leaves for work at 7 am, while I leave around 8 am, so if it were to die, he wouldn't be around to boost it)
Click to expand...
To check a battery you need to load test it. Checking voltage checks the charging system in your car but not the battery. I have some dead batteries that read 12.5 volts and battery chargers say they are charged but when you put any load on them drop to <<5 volts.
 
@jc100 I saw that about CAA...any idea what brand they're using out of curiousity?

@GreyGhost and @lucky2 I have a multi meter and I'm sure YouTube can teach me how to do both properly (I forget how I checked the battery last time) LOL...if I only do something once, I won't remember...
 
ifiddles said:
@jc100 I saw that about CAA...any idea what brand they're using out of curiousity?

@GreyGhost and @lucky2 I have a multi meter and I'm sure YouTube can teach me how to do both properly (I forget how I checked the battery last time) LOL...if I only do something once, I won't remember...
Click to expand...
Multimeter won't cut it on its own. The home-gamer battery tester is fundamentally a combination heater and voltmeter so you can measure the voltage with a big load on the battery. Conceivably you could watch the multimeter while "hubby" cranks the car to get an idea but that I wouldn't have a lot of faith in using that measured voltage to assess battery health (unless you were trying to diagnose a no start and the voltage absolutely tanked). Alternatively, CT will test it for you for free. A pass would calm down the spouse.
 
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ifiddles said:
@jc100 I saw that about CAA...any idea what brand they're using out of curiousity?

@GreyGhost and @lucky2 I have a multi meter and I'm sure YouTube can teach me how to do both properly (I forget how I checked the battery last time) LOL...if I only do something once, I won't remember...
Click to expand...

No idea sorry. I didn’t see any obvious branding but we’ve done this about three times or so with different cars and always been happy.
 
lucky2 said:
easy to test your alternator for proper output if you have a multi-meter and know how to read it,, or know someone who does
Click to expand...

Park where you can see your headlights and start the vehicle. Turn on all the accessories at idle. Rev the engine. If the lights get brighter the alternator is charging. This may not work for LED's.
 
GreyGhost said:
To check a battery you need to load test it. Checking voltage checks the charging system in your car but not the battery. I have some dead batteries that read 12.5 volts and battery chargers say they are charged but when you put any load on them drop to <<5 volts.
Click to expand...

A dying battery has an increased internal resistance. It has the same effect as putting a series resistor in the circuit.

A voltmeter will have a load resistance of millions of ohms and won't create enough draw to affect the reading.

There is a calculation to give the internal resistance and comparing it to what it should be. Basically that's what a battery tester does. Every battery size / type will have its own standard.

Sometimes a person will say a battery doesn't have enough power to do a job when in reality it has the power but can't deliver it. An analogy is you can put out a campfire with a 5 gallon pail of water but you have to dump the whole pail. A drip at a time doesn't work.
 
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If you travel with the car get an Interstate battery. AFIK the only one that will warrantee the battery where you are, not where you bought the battery.
If your battery starts your car and puts out 12.7 volts at rest you're PROBABLY golden.
You can do a simple load test with a multimeter/voltmeter (just checking the voltage isn't enough to diagnose a battery, you NEED load) by recording the battery voltage as you start the car (the starter is the largest load your battery sees).
The battery voltage should not drop below 10 volts in 10 seconds.
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