Honda battery or aftermarket?

Battery Replacement

I went with the WalMart Everstart brand. I think I paid about $67 for it and I have had no problems since I installed it. Some folks think that a larger battery needs to be installed with more Cold Cranking Amps (CCA) to start better in colder climates. There are several threads that discuss the modification process. I live in Virginia and have not any cold cranking issues.
I'm thinking it is a personal preference. Oh, you may pay a little more for an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM Honda) battery but that does not really mean it is better than an aftermarket brand.

Jackster

My OEM battery tested low after 5 years and needed to be replaced. I live in Seattle, the climate here is mild and easy on the batteries, I don't think you can buy such a crappy aftermarket battery that it would only last 5 years. No reason to pay extra for the OEM.

Nothing special about the Honda labeled battery. The one in my 03 was clearly labeled as made by Johnson Controls, the maker of many name and store brand batteries. I used Samsclub for my replacement, both for price and length of warranty.

the honda battery sux hardcore. then again...i drive an 05...69000 miles and havent changed the battery once...but if i leave the car off just listening to the radio...10-20 min and im making a phone call to AAA..i heard that the duralast or really any battery has to be better then this dinky one.

SK8nLMNT said:

.....i heard that the duralast or really any battery has to be better then this dinky one.

Click to expand...

When I last browsed battery selections via Johnson Control's site, the Honda battery had about the same capacity as any other brand - for the same size. Things like CCA are determined more by size than brand name.

Sears diehard batteries are really good.

Researched our battery need and chose the Autozone Duralast (made by Johnson Controls) Gold Top. Lots of cranking and reserve power, good quality, good fit, great warranty and decent price. Be careful, it has so much power that sometimes it spins the E on its roof.:lol:

My Si is still working on the same Interstate battery I put in it back in 2000.
Same size as the one in the Element.

This thing has seen 4 North Dakota winters, one year overseas in Portugal, spent a year in storage not hooked up to anything, 3 years in Hawaii, and is now back in North Dakota, still in the Si.

Cranks a bit slower than it originally did, but what do you expect out of a 9 year old battery. When this one finally dies I'm going back to Interstate. I'm sold.

Frozen E said:

My Si is still working on the same Interstate battery I put in it back in 2000.
Same size as the one in the Element.

This thing has seen 4 North Dakota winters, one year overseas in Portugal, spent a year in storage not hooked up to anything, 3 years in Hawaii, and is now back in North Dakota, still in the Si.

Cranks a bit slower than it originally did, but what do you expect out of a 9 year old battery. When this one finally dies I'm going back to Interstate. I'm sold.

Click to expand...

Wow!!! That would make a great commercial for Interstate batteries!!!
I'm sold, next time I need a battery, I am going to check them out. I
generally buy Sears Die Hard batteries for the warranty, and for the
ease of replacement (there are Sears EVERYWHERE!!!)

The highest capacity I've found so far in the 51R size is the Duralast- Napa Gold battery at 625/500 amps. 8 year warranty 3 year replacement.

We get medium nasty weather here in winter and I need dependable starting which the oem battery didn't give.

desinia said:

The highest capacity I've found so far in the 51R size is the Duralast- Napa Gold battery at 625/500 amps. 8 year warranty 3 year replacement.

We get medium nasty weather here in winter and I need dependable starting which the oem battery didn't give.

Click to expand...

See my post above.
We get NASTY NASTY winters here and I never had a problem.
Granted, the Portugal and Hawaii winters weren't even remotely bad.

Frozen E said:

My Si is still working on the same Interstate battery I put in it back in 2000.
Same size as the one in the Element.

This thing has seen 4 North Dakota winters, one year overseas in Portugal, spent a year in storage not hooked up to anything, 3 years in Hawaii, and is now back in North Dakota, still in the Si.

Cranks a bit slower than it originally did, but what do you expect out of a 9 year old battery. When this one finally dies I'm going back to Interstate. I'm sold.

Click to expand...

I'm glad I replaced my E's original battery with an Interstate battery recently. I couldn't even listen to the radio without the engine running for very long without it dying. Now I have no problems cranking up after charging various devices & listening to the radio for hours. Hopefully last many years.

Frozen E said:

See my post above.
We get NASTY NASTY winters here and I never had a problem.
Granted, the Portugal and Hawaii winters weren't even remotely bad.

Click to expand...

You're right! I decided to google the duralast gold and found a few people having problems. Now lemme see if there's anywhere around here that still sells interstate batteries.

I'm still running on the oem battery which I suppose sat on the dealer's lot discharging for 4 or 5 months before I "rescued" my E and brought it home. The starting performance last winter was enough to force a decision not to go through another winter with that battery, yet I'm not of a mind to try fitting a different group size under the hood.

desinia said:

Now lemme see if there's anywhere around here that still sells interstate batteries.

Click to expand...

Here you go.
http://www.interstatebatteries.com/cs_estore/DealerLocator/Default.aspx?ZipCode=
Northern Indiana is kind of vague, so I just typed in South Bend. There are over 20 places that sell Interstate batteries just in South Bend.

I don't see what the big deal is about Interstate. It's a distributor, not manufacturer.

From the wiki article:
"Interstate Battery System of America, Inc., a.k.a. Interstate Batteries, is a privately-owned company that markets automotive batteries manufactured by Johnson Controls through nearly 300 independent distributors"

I don't know. My 9 year old battery has an interstate sticker on it.
And when it dies I'm going to get another with an interstate sticker on it.
Didn't know who manufactured it for them.

I needed a new battery and this one was for sale at a good price ($40 I think).

Best battery I've ever had in my 15+ years of owning vehicles.

I still have OEM battery and have not had any issues to date. But it has only been 18 months. But when it go’s I will replace it with an Interstate battery. I have used them for years in other cars. They have always given great service and longevity.

This is going to make a few laughs Monday but thanks. One of the Interstate battery sources listed is -my- shop...? Sheesh... and they already suggested I get one at Walmart. I've gone through enough Walmart batteries to know they're no better than any other low/mid grade battery and I'd like more cold cranking capacity. Lucky I don't need one before winter and it's only half June now. ;-)

desinia said:

You're right! I decided to google the duralast gold and found a few people having problems. Now lemme see if there's anywhere around here that still sells interstate batteries.

Click to expand...

Out of curiousity, I Googled Duralast and found mostly praise for the battery, except for the occasional, complain about anything, blog. I don't think it's possible to Google anything without finding negativity.

A simple internet search will show the maker of the Duralast battery, Johnson Controls, also makes the Interstate battery.;-)