New battery Suggestions
Race Director
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 17,767
Likes: 3,695
From: The Sunshine State
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I went with the "If it's not broken don" fix it" approach. I replaced my original OEM AC Delco battery after 7 years with a new 7-year professional AC Delco battery. It's working fine as is now on its third season. It's a top mount 2004 model and I trickle charge it when the car sits for any extended period of time.
Last edited by MSG C5; Apr 2, 2014 at 10:24 AM.
Pro
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 666
Likes: 2
From: western springs illinois
Running a Diehard Platinum. No issues, long warranty, quote from CR - "Best battery we have ever tested". Good enough for me. BTW, you can leave your car parked for a long time with this battery with no tender. Left mine from early Jan to mid March - started right up.
Running MAXX from Wallies in our other vehicles - they work well, but then they are in vehicles that don't suck power when parked.
Running MAXX from Wallies in our other vehicles - they work well, but then they are in vehicles that don't suck power when parked.
Former Vendor
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 279
Likes: 20
From: Glendale Wisconsin
trbent, I wish most folks did know that deeply-discharging a battery was a bad thing. Unfortunately, that is not the case, as evidenced by the millions of people who do just that every year and believe the solution is a simple jump start. I didn't say reserve capacity wasn't important, because it is to some folks. However, proper voltage maintenance is far more important than reserve capacity. This is especially true considering all the posts made over the years by other C5 owners on this forum about alternator replacement and the seasonal use of so many of these cars.
To simply suggest that more reserve capacity is the answer ignores the reality most people face. Having more reserve capacity will allow a car to discharge a battery for longer periods of time, while still being able to deliver enough current to start the engine. However, when that happens, a tremendous strain is being placed on the vehicle's alternator, as it attempts to replace all the energy consumed during storage and starting. That load and the excessive heat it generates leads to the premature alternator failure so many people experience with vehicles that don't see regular use. A battery with more reserve capacity may address one issue, but it may also kick the can down the road and create another issue that has far more expensive consequences than the price of a replacement battery.
CalF suggested we moved most of our production to Mexico. That is false. We moved all of our production to our new facility in Monterrey and the quality has never been better. You did indicate earlier in this thread that another brand makes batteries for the military. They are not unique in that regard, in fact, far from it. The military has many battery contracts with many different manufacturers.
Jim McIlvaine
eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries
www.pinterest.com/optimabatteries
To simply suggest that more reserve capacity is the answer ignores the reality most people face. Having more reserve capacity will allow a car to discharge a battery for longer periods of time, while still being able to deliver enough current to start the engine. However, when that happens, a tremendous strain is being placed on the vehicle's alternator, as it attempts to replace all the energy consumed during storage and starting. That load and the excessive heat it generates leads to the premature alternator failure so many people experience with vehicles that don't see regular use. A battery with more reserve capacity may address one issue, but it may also kick the can down the road and create another issue that has far more expensive consequences than the price of a replacement battery.
CalF suggested we moved most of our production to Mexico. That is false. We moved all of our production to our new facility in Monterrey and the quality has never been better. You did indicate earlier in this thread that another brand makes batteries for the military. They are not unique in that regard, in fact, far from it. The military has many battery contracts with many different manufacturers.
Jim McIlvaine
eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries
www.pinterest.com/optimabatteries
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 2,012
Likes: 23
From: Anaheim CA
Melting Slicks
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 3,432
Likes: 74
From: KcMo.
2018 C5 of Year Winner
trbent, I wish most folks did know that deeply-discharging a battery was a bad thing. Unfortunately, that is not the case, as evidenced by the millions of people who do just that every year and believe the solution is a simple jump start. I didn't say reserve capacity wasn't important, because it is to some folks. However, proper voltage maintenance is far more important than reserve capacity. This is especially true considering all the posts made over the years by other C5 owners on this forum about alternator replacement and the seasonal use of so many of these cars.
To simply suggest that more reserve capacity is the answer ignores the reality most people face. Having more reserve capacity will allow a car to discharge a battery for longer periods of time, while still being able to deliver enough current to start the engine. However, when that happens, a tremendous strain is being placed on the vehicle's alternator, as it attempts to replace all the energy consumed during storage and starting. That load and the excessive heat it generates leads to the premature alternator failure so many people experience with vehicles that don't see regular use. A battery with more reserve capacity may address one issue, but it may also kick the can down the road and create another issue that has far more expensive consequences than the price of a replacement battery.
CalF suggested we moved most of our production to Mexico. That is false. We moved all of our production to our new facility in Monterrey and the quality has never been better. You did indicate earlier in this thread that another brand makes batteries for the military. They are not unique in that regard, in fact, far from it. The military has many battery contracts with many different manufacturers.
Jim McIlvaine
eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries
www.pinterest.com/optimabatteries
To simply suggest that more reserve capacity is the answer ignores the reality most people face. Having more reserve capacity will allow a car to discharge a battery for longer periods of time, while still being able to deliver enough current to start the engine. However, when that happens, a tremendous strain is being placed on the vehicle's alternator, as it attempts to replace all the energy consumed during storage and starting. That load and the excessive heat it generates leads to the premature alternator failure so many people experience with vehicles that don't see regular use. A battery with more reserve capacity may address one issue, but it may also kick the can down the road and create another issue that has far more expensive consequences than the price of a replacement battery.
CalF suggested we moved most of our production to Mexico. That is false. We moved all of our production to our new facility in Monterrey and the quality has never been better. You did indicate earlier in this thread that another brand makes batteries for the military. They are not unique in that regard, in fact, far from it. The military has many battery contracts with many different manufacturers.
Jim McIlvaine
eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries
www.pinterest.com/optimabatteries
