What battery are you using now

[Mark D]

...shit...

holy forking shirtballs, Dave just made a swear!

Good to know on the Delco batteries though, I'm due to replace mine again.

[Helirich]

I have a Northstar, which perhaps is overkill - but has worked flawlessly over the last two years. Made in Springfield, Missouri.

Why would it be overkill? One of the most irritating things is a car the runs good, but doesn't start. When I hit that starter, I want 1.21 giga watts turning that motor over.

[dn010]

I've got walmart batteries in both my D and my '57 cadillac. I know. But they've both lasted for 5+ years now with limited use. One thing that helped is whatever cure I gave my D when I did my engine swap; prior to doing it my battery would be flat if I didn't start the car after 7 days. Now, it can go a month without getting so low I can't start the car. I would not get these batteries for anything used daily.

[Mark D]

Pretty much all brands are made by either Johnson Controls (sold/rebranded as Clarios in 2019) or Exide. It's really difficult to get a straight answer regarding which brands are made by what company just by searching on the internet. It seems like it changes frequently and depends on the specific type of battery.

From the few minutes of googling I did, it looks like interstate used to be made by JC and is now made by Exide. The AC Delco batteries are now made by JC and the Everstart branded walmart batteries are made by JC.

I recently had a battery fail (bad cell) on my wife's Explorer after less than a year. That one was a Autozone / Duralast Gold brand which had a 3 year warranty so I got a replacement for free. It was still a pain in the ass to change it though when it was -10deg outside.

[Bitsyncmaster]

Last time I was getting tires and waiting I saw all they had were interstate batteries and non were sealed. So I guess they get these really cheap so they charge the going battery rate and still make plenty of money.

[DMC-81]

I was going to recommend Interstate as I'm still running the battery that Tony installed before I bought the car in August 2013, as it's approaching 8 years reliable service, but after the feedback above, I wont.

Such a shame. RIP Interstate reputation.

[ssdelorean]

I would go with an Interstate. Optimas suck, run away.

Optimas use to be good. I knew one of the designers of it. They were sold to the Mexicans and now the quality fell off. He went to work for Northstar. He has retired since, but they still make the best battery in my opinion.

I always thought the most expensive was the best but after I went through 3 Optimas in like 5 years, I started asking queations and learned about them selling out. Just like the Bosch fuel pumps and pretty much everything else.

When I heard about DieHard batteries making a comeback I started researching as I was going to get one just for the novelty/history but the only thong about DieHard today that is the same from 20 years ago is the decal on the battery case.

Over the past 5 years I have heard alot of talk about Optimas being bad/junk etc. Exactly the time frame of Michael's bad experience with them. Back in the day they were touted as the cat's meow, so that prompted me to check out the Red Top Optima. I was lucky and purchased before the sellout I guess, cause mine lasted 10years of daily driving before it decided to blow up last April.

After hearing the explosion (not knowing what it was), I continued to drive home for about an hour and a half. Upon exiting the car my passenger noticed some smoke from behind the seat. The top had separated along one of the seams and wet all over the compartment. Being a bit lexDysic, off the top of my head I can't remember if I now have a DieHard or Duralast?

[Rich]

What battery are you using?

Is anyone using "Sealed" batteries?

Answers in reverse order:

A. I'm not using a sealed battery. Standard batteries don't lose water as far as I know.

B. I use nothing but Costco (Interstate private branded?) batteries in the D. Great warranty service so if Interstate batteries are somehow worse now I'm still covered.

The one I bought last month cost $90 before tax. Group 78, 800CCA. Plug and play.

They typically last 4-5 years in our (garaged) DeLorean. It's fitted with a solid state door lock module. With that parasitic load minimized the battery stays charged 5 wks between starts if I need it to - no battery isolation switch required.

[Bitsyncmaster]

I'm not using a sealed battery. Standard batteries don't lose water as far as I know.

I had a few cars where there is a battery cover and then you would forget to add water (yes the ones with the three cell covers do loose water). Forgot that for a few batteries and then said have to have sealed from then on. Those covers hide the fact the battery is not sealed.

[Ron]

+1 for Delco (best bang for bucks, imho).

Good link about batteries HERE.