I need a new battery and am looking for recommendations. What's a decent battery that I can buy at one of these local retailers:

- GM dealer
- Costco
- Kragen
- Napa
- Sears

My criteria:

- lasts at least a few years
- won't leak
- reliable
- least expensive

Thanks!

 

Optima Red Top. All of your requirements and then some. Advance auto parts 119.00 + Tax. Good Luck!

 

You can buy Optima batteries @ Pep Boys in Sacto.

They aren't the cheapeast. But I think the cheapest don't meet some of your other requirements.

 

I like the Optima Red Top that has been in my non-daily driver for over 2 years now without any issues

 

Do a search and you will find that many forum members have had troubles with the Optima batteries. It looks like the Excide Orbital is a better choice.

 

I went through A LOT of trouble with the Optima's. They would not want to warranty it and said that their batteries "don't go bad" Buy the Exide Orbital and save some $ and get a 2 year free replacement warranty.

 

Thanks for all the responses.

If I buy the Exide Orbital, what model am I looking for? Where do they sell these?

 

Do a web search to find Excide's web site. They have a list of dealers in all locations.

 

Most Carquest or Southern Auto stores carry Exide. That is where I always got mine!

 

Sam's Club carries the Exide spiral cell technology Under their NASCAR XLT brand .... and it has a 3 year guarantee.

 

Excide Orbital

 

GM recommends Delco battery #78-H6YR as the warranty replacement

for a leaking original battery. It is a 10" battery vs. 9" original.

It fits! I've had one for 2 years. No leaks. No problems.

 

Banks Chevrolet NH, replaced the Battery in my '99 FRC when I purchased the car with the 78-7yr Professional series. This model is supposed to be a Heavier Duty stronger cased version.I don't know the long term result but it fits and works fine.
Barrier

 

RED TOP No issues and it sits for weeks + at a time no battery tender

 

Kragen Auto Parts has them. I saw them at my local Kragen a few weeks ago. The Exide orbital may very well be the king of batteries, but be prepared to pay for their superior construction.

 

I have had a Red top Optima for two years, and now all of an sudden it will not keep a charge this winter......I can let my car sit for a couple of weeks and it will not start without a jump........

 

Lovin my Exide!

 

I have Red Tops in both the Vette and the Camaro and very happy so far.

I got mine at Costco $100

 

I bought the red top for mine back last fall and now regret it. I wish I had gone ahead and gone with the yellow top deep cycle unit. My battery has died four times this winter when we've had snow for extended periods and the car couldn't be driven.

If you have any aftermarket stereo equipment (I've got an aftermarket head unit, two amps, a sub and 4 three way 6.5 inch speakers), then go with the yellow top or the blue top and be done with it. Cost you a few more bucks, but it will be worth it in the long run.

Anyone local to me wants to buy mine, I'll go get a yellow top.

Mike

 

So this past weekend, I had a block of time to deal with the battery issue. I decided to pull the dead battery out first. To my complete horror, I quickly discovered that the positive terminal had cracked the casing and had separated! My worst fears were setting it quickly....all those posts on this forum of damaged computers, etc. With the battery out, I could see fluid sitting in the battery support "tray". I threw a box of baking soda on there and everything was bubbling. After cleaning that up, I removed the whole plastic battery support structure, and saw an even bigger mess. More acid down below, on the frame, on parts, everywhere! In the end, it took two cans of battery acid neutralizer spray, lots of towels, brushes, and rags to clean up the mess. What a complete disaster. Most of the damage looks to be cosmetic -- paint was eaten away on the frame. I went to my local Kragen and bought the Exide Orbital for $130 as some recommended and installed it to see if the car would even run, fearing that the wiring harnesses in the battery area may have been damaged. To my relief, everything worked fine. I think I narrowly missed an etremely expensive repair.

I've pulled the battery out again and will do some detailed cleaning this week. This weekend I'll probably repaint the areas around the frame and battery support where the acid removed the paint. What a pain.

As I was doing all of this, I was wondering why GM engineers overlooked such a critical detail. Why make a battery support platform that allows liquid to drain straight down into critical areas? Why didn't they integrate a simple tray into the design?

Moral of the story -- don't gamble with battery; replace with one that won't spill liquids everywhere.