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I just bought an Autocraft battery 1000 CA, 800 CCA, 115 RM from Advance Auto Parts for $66.99 with a $40 off online coupon. Their batteries are made by Johnson Controls who makes the batteries for Sears, Auto Zone, Walmart, Interstate, Kirkland and others.
Sams Eveready 7 year guarantee 3 year free replacement
Still using the Sams battery which replaced the leaky Delco. Had to replace all the vacuum hoses and check valve and wash with baking soda from the Delco. No problems with the Sams club battery.
There has not been any leaking issues since the lead acid battery cases were redesigned in 2004. I'd say leaks are essentially a dead issue.
I don't believe that's always the case... I picked up my FRC from a friend last fall and he had installed a new Bosch Premium battery (exclussively sold at Pep Boys) and I just had to replace it because it had leaked and made a mess of my battery tray, frame, PCM and other stuff in that area. I stepped up to an Optima Red Top.
I don't believe that's always the case... I picked up my FRC from a friend last fall and he had installed a new Bosch Premium battery (exclussively sold at Pep Boys) and I just had to replace it because it had leaked and made a mess of my battery tray, frame, PCM and other stuff in that area. I stepped up to an Optima Red Top.
Everyone has a battery story. Some from their fathers, uncles, friends or whatever. I bought my 2003 and when I read about leaking positive terminals, leaking or not, I called County Corvette and we installed a Optima Red Topand I've never had a problem since . I'm sure everyone insists on this type or that type just like the endless Motor oil treads here. I wanted a AGM battery and the Optima was just the ticket for me. But I must say I'm kinda neurotic when it comes to battery care. The car is always on a float charger like a Ctek or Voc Battery-minder when it's not in use. I'm not looking for an argument, it's just my way of taking care of a battery in a C5.
Everyone has a battery story. Some from their fathers, uncles, friends or whatever. I bought my 2003 and when I read about leaking positive terminals, leaking or not, I called County Corvette and we installed a Optima Red Topand I've never had a problem since . I'm sure everyone insists on this type or that type just like the endless Motor oil treads here. I wanted a AGM battery and the Optima was just the ticket for me. But I must say I'm kinda neurotic when it comes to battery care. The car is always on a float charger like a Ctek or Voc Battery-minder when it's not in use. I'm not looking for an argument, it's just my way of taking care of a battery in a C5.
The funny thing is that your 2003 came with an AGM battery from the factory! Many folks mistakenly swapped out their AC Delco AGM battery for an Optima during 2001-2003. Luckily, I noticed the AGM designation on my battery. It lasted more than 7 years.
Sometime before 2004 AC Delco switched to Johnson Controls to make their non-AGM batteries. Since then, I have seen more leaky Optima posts in this forum than I have leaky AC Delcos (2004 and newer). And the few other battery manufacturers who make non-AGM batteries have stregnthened their battery cases so that leaky terminals, while rare before, are now almost non-existant.
Guys, the leaky battery scare is long gone. Don't let an old ghost make you spend far more for a battery than you have to.
$63 for a Johnson Controls battery (Kirkland) is all you need to go 5+ years. Now if you are off-roading in a rail or dune buggy, an AGM battery is a no-brainer. Also, if you like run-flats, an AGM may make you feel good as well.