New Battery - Anyone Have experience with Duralast Gold ?

lookforjoe

lookforjoe

True Classic
I'm used to using Interstate batteries - they typically last the full 5 years for me. I need to replace the battery in my C30 soon, and the MTP-94R H7 is not readily available, however I can get a Duralast Gold H7-DLG 94R locally with no problem. Pricing is similar, Duralast a little lower cost.

I can't find any reliable reviews - and since I tend to trust the experiences on here - does anyone on here have experience with them?
 
I’ve generally had a good experience with them, but I’m pretty fastidious about keeping my X1/9 batteries charged with a trickle charger because the cars often go for long periods without being driven (2-3 months). Not a lot of bandwidth these days. I have a duralast gold in an MR2 Spyder that gets driven about one weekend out of four and it’s been going strong for over three years. From where are you buying? I’ve found that Costco is actually a great place to buy batteries. Interstate is their preferred brand and batteries are on average $20 cheaper than the typical auto parts stores.
 
We have seven motos here, all seven of them have Optima yellow or red batteries in them. They seem to go year after year problem free. Think the oldest Optima here is over 7 years old. After dealing with the digested sheet metal in the Scorpiacarlo and the Brit cars in the battery area, never going to allow any battery in any of the motos here unless it is sealed. There have been times when one of the seven is not driven for months, after all that sitting, no problem with a cold start.

Any cost savings is not a savings at all if digested sheet metal or more is involved.


Bernice
 
I had 2 Optima yellow top on myx19. When the first died, I blamed myself and bought another one. Merely last 2 years. Here in Québec, our summer car are garaged 5 or 6 months a year, and I was using trickle chargers. Now I'm staying away from Optima batteries. Maybe if you are using them 12 months a year they will stay alive longer. I had good experience with Interstate batteries in the past. Now I got Napa in all my cars, but just because I had a Napa nearby.
 
lookforjoe said:
Duralast Gold
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I had a G27 Duralast in my other vintage car that lasted 11 years! Really good battery! I had to change it this year, but unfortunately it died this year. Had to buy a local battery for it, doubt it will last 11 years. (Duralast isn't sold in Canada). If the border wasn't closed, I would have gone and got one in NY state.

I do agree that AGM batteries are much better - I have an Exide G24 AGM in my X1/9 (it was not cheap!) - but my nephew has gone through three Optima batteries in four years - all defective - all covered by warranty - apparently the quality of the newer ones isn't so great any longer (?!?! anecdotal evidence, but search for recent Optima reviews and things aren't so great) He's switched to an G24 AGM and it's much better (Canadian Tire brand).
 
I was going to see what Consumer Reports had, but they haven't reported on auto batteries since January 2016. Probably not enough room due to the reports on driver data privacy, self driving cars, and auto insurance price discrimination.

No wonder I let my subscription lapse.
 
I just went and bought an G35 AC Delco for my sister's daily - 30 month professional. I have one in my daily and it's been great for 6 years so far.
 
Something to consider with any battery, what is the condition of the moto's alternator and charging circuit?

Many times problems with batteries are rooted in problems with the alternator or charging system. If the charging voltage at the battery is less than 13.5 volts at idle or running, the battery will be unhappy and likely never be properly charged. IMO, this has been the cause of SO many battery problems (AGM batteries tend to be more charge-system voltage sensitive, get this wrong, they fail). Vintage cars like the exxe are specially prone to problems with their alternators (yes, later 1500cc/5sp exxe have Bosch alternators and they can and are often a problem). All of the vintage cars here have been converted to Denso 90A alternators, that have GOOD charge and system voltage regulation as these modern alternators are designed for electronics intensive modern cars. They have been in the cars for years totally problem free. The other plus, these Denso alternators are small and compact for their level of performance.

Check this,
Bernice
 
Rupunzell said:
All of the vintage cars here have been converted to Denso 90A alternators
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I bought one of these "TopDon" battery/charging testers on Amazon. Not the "best" but seems to be better than my load tester so far. I haven't tested my '82 X1/9 yet, which of course has a Bosch alternator. The bearings are going in it again... hmm.. So far, I've been able to diagnose a battery that was indeed starting to go, and identify charging issues with my daily.

Now, I just changed my Denso 80A alternator in my daily driver - bought a new OEM AC Delco/Denso (for my Pontiac Vibe which is a Toyota Matrix of course) - anyhow, it has an offset top ear, similar to the X1/9. I haven't found your conversion thread, but this is something I'd consider. I saw the bottom bracket that you modified, but perhaps it was someone else's mod that they used rod ends for the adjustment. I'm not 100% sure, but perhaps the Toyota Matrix/Vibe 80 or 90A version would work with the original bracket, to some degree. I kept my old one, so I'll size it up. My Bosch isn't doing so great - and it might be time to ditch it.

Sorry - I'm derailing the thread, somewhat! :)

1604084327125.png

offset alternator bracket. These come in 80A and 90A. (90A if you had ABS for my car, which I don't)
1604084653159.png
 
I know we've discussed batteries many times. A couple of the key points have always been:

1) They certainly are not made nearly as well as they used to be. Particularly since the regulations on lead was changed in the US (and much of Europe) and production for nearly ALL batteries went elsewhere (Mexico and China). One brand (among many others) that suffered significantly was InterState. Prior to the changes they were considered one of the top products, but that's no longer so.

2) Mostly as a result of #1, almost ALL of the batteries on the world market come from one of a very few manufacturers. Everything out there is just rebranded with other names on the label. But that does not mean they are all the same. Those manufacturers make various levels of quality/spec to meet different market demands.

3) AGM is a much better technology, but that comes with a price ($). So individual requirements may decide if it is worth it. One interesting note from the engineering people at Optima is they realize their "six-pack" design is inferior due to the wasted space (volume) it creates. However their marketing department has determined the buying market's familiarity with that shape is worth more in sales than improving the design would pay back. So they are retaining it.

4) The price for a battery does not reflect it's quality. As with everything there is much more involved due to marketing factors.

As a side note, not long ago I was at one of the big-box home improvement stores getting something for the house. On the way out I noticed a display of Exide car batteries for sale. Looking closer the prices were very good compared to most of the typical sources. I thought it was a very odd place to find a well priced car battery. And speaking of battery sources and prices, CostCo was mentioned earlier. I discovered a very interesting thing at the CostCo's here in Vegas. Due to the extreme Vegas heat causing car battery life to significantly decrease (yes, cold weather isn't the only harsh environment for a battery), they offer a much shorter warranty on batteries purchased at a Vegas store compared to the exact same battery purchased at stores elsewhere. I can go to Calif and pay the same price for the same battery at a CostCo there, but get a much longer warranty for it (regardless of where I actually live). That almost sounds like unethical practices to me. I'm sure the same is true in very cold places like Canada, etc?
 
myronx19 said:
I kept my old one, so I'll size it up.
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That will be interesting to hear about. Please let us know.

There have been several X conversions using the GM alt's from 80's era cars. Those are easy to find inexpensively and come in any amperage level desired. Plus they are easy to rebuild if needed. But they are big and terribly inefficient. So a newer design that is smaller and has less drag with higher output would be great. Some of the aftermarket companies offer "mini" alts, which are repurposed stock units from various small import cars. Some of those companies actually upgrade them, while others simply relabel it, but all of them charge a LOT of money. Much like the gear reduction starters...but that's getting way too far off topic.
 
Much good info posted.

As is turned out, I was able to source an Interstate MTP 94R / H7, so I went & bought that. The one in the C30 now is actually a Volvo-branded battery I bought 5 years ago - the original battery lasted 3 years. I've always had good luck with Interstate, so I'm generally happier that I locate one (at great price too :D )

On Bernice's notes- yes, definitely need to ensure the charging system and cables are all up to snuff - which they are in my case - the only reason I noted a drop in the battery performance was due to the extended key-on tests I've been doing for the Haldex/AWD module - I hadn't bothered to hook up a charger, and I was getting a low battery warning within 5 mins (key on, all accessories off), which is abnormally short reserve duration for the car (with a good battery).
 
lookforjoe said:
The one in the C30 now is actually a Volvo-branded battery I bought 5 years ago - the original battery lasted 3 years.
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That's another good point. For most new cars, usually the original issue battery from the factory is a very high quality unit that lasts a very long time. While typical replacements do not last nearly as long. That speaks for the level of quality that is possible from the battery manufacturers, despite what they often make/offer. The same can be found for batteries intended for "stop-start" (start-stop?) vehicles, but those are a whole different thing as well (and VERY costly). And speaking of stop-start batteries, I recall some OEM stop-start batteries were initially a lithium ion type, but they have since changed to a AGM type. Seems Li-ion has too many issues for regular daily use in vehicles (as I understand it mostly has to do with the required charging system).
 
Dr.Jeff said:
battery from the factory is a very high quality unit that lasts a very long time.
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Usually - yes!!! - my neighbour's three year old Ford Explorer's battery died just outside of the warranty - and go figure, you can't change the battery yourself without hooking up 12V to maintain the electronics while the battery is out. Most people can't do that... and true, stop-start systems typically use AGM (I haven't heard of lithium ion batteries being used though, they're VERY expensive).

Also, modern alternators communicate with the PCM as well - in order to keep proper charge on AGM batteries.. we're making things VERY complicated these days!
 
Dr.Jeff said:
...Due to the extreme Vegas heat causing car battery life to significantly decrease (yes, cold weather isn't the only harsh environment for a battery), they offer a much shorter warranty on batteries purchased at a Vegas store compared to the exact same battery purchased at stores elsewhere. I can go to Calif and pay the same price for the same battery at a CostCo there, but get a much longer warranty for it (regardless of where I actually live). That almost sounds like unethical practices to me. I'm sure the same is true in very cold places like Canada, etc?
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In their article from 2016, Consumer Reports does mention the regionalization of battery models, in that the same model of the same brand will often have a Northern version and a Southern version. Their tests also stress the battery by keeping it almost submerging it in hot water (167 degrees F) to replicate underhood temps, then charging and discharging it over a 15-week period. Heat kills batteries--cold weather just writes the obituary.
 
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