What to avoid when buying a battery?

My battery died (can't get above 10.5V, loosing voltage while sitting etc) and I need to get a new one. What should I look out for? There are a lot of different types of them like AGM, Lithium Iron, Flooded Acid etc

Car is Integra (1998)

20 points · 9 comments · view on lemmy.world

9 Comments

sleepmode@lemmy.world · 15 pts · 3y (5 replies)

Lead acid is fine. I’d get the cheapest one you can find with OEM- level cold cranking amps. Otherwise they’re almost all the same and made by basically 3 or so companies. Ignore the marketing.

AGMs are very durable and tolerant of poor maintenance but you pay for it.

DominicHillsun@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 3y (3 replies)

Hmm, it seems that the situation with three companies are in USA. I am from Europe, been looking into Varta batteries

haych@lemmy.one · 2 pts · 3y

I ran Varta on my Corsa, no complaints. I got it for a good price and never failed me.

sleepmode@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 3y (1 reply)

Varta makes the Bosch batteries we get. I think they’re owned by Johnson Controls, but that’s their only involvement. Solid bet IMO. Well-made and reliable.

spider@lemmy.nz · 1 pts · 3y
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Synthead@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 3y

Just make sure to keep it charged and use it occasionally. The electrolyte will crystalize to the lead if the battery is left in a discharged state for a long time, which will make the battery weaker or inoperable. If you keep it charged, your battery will last for decades.

Schmuppes@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 3y (1 reply)

I'm not knowledgeable to get into the specifics of the differences, but for your older Integra with a gasoline engine, a regular lead-acid battery will suffice. You don't need lean angles (like AGM for motorcycles or off road applications) and you don't need other special properties that vehicles with Start-Stop would require. Basically all you need to look for is the specified amperage/capacity and form format. Don't spend a whole lot; the right battery for your car will probably be under 100 Dollars and last somewhere between 5 and 10-12 years, depending on which price bracket and quality level you opt for.

ThatRocco@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 3y

I'd just like to add to this and recommend interstate batteries. They are a little bit more than house brand, but are much higher quality. For example: Every duralast brand battery I've bought started leaking after ~ 3 years. The last interstate I bought lasted for ~ 8 years/90k miles and was like $40 more than the cheapest battery