Two questions for you regarding battery issues you mentioned in the video: 1) I've heard that buying a battery with the same physical size as the OEM battery but more CCA is actually a bad thing, as the battery with more CCA has to cram more plates inside the battery. The thickness of the plates and insulators is thus thinner, resulting in a battery with a shorter life expectancy. Thoughts? 2) Regarding the "algorithm" that manages battery charging, wouldn't the fact that you've removed power from the computer during the battery change tell the computer that the battery may be different, and thus reset that algorithm to prevent battery/electronics damage? Seems like a logical thing for programmers to have incorporated into the charging code.
1. In most cases battery manufacturers are not idiots! Batteries come with warranties and typically better and more powerful batteries have equal or longer warranties. It would be kinda like shooting themselves in the foot to give a longer warranty on a battery that wouldn’t last as long. But I suppose there are some crooks that will try to work the system just like everything else but I think overall that is mostly myth. 2. You would think and that certainly would make common sense but that is not the case. First the computer has no idea that the battery is being replaced or simply disconnected for cleaning. Second vehicle manufacturers try every way possible to get drivers to b ring their cars back to dealers for hundred dollar services. At the end of the year enough hundred buck services can add up to a substantial amount of money --- so profit trumps common sense when it comes to cars.Pat
Thank you for the reply Pat. It would appear that neither of my cars require the ECM to be reprogrammed when the battery is replaced, but thanks for bringing up this issue! I had no idea that certain manufacturers are resorting to such questionable practices...GOOD information to know.
what about checking and replacing water levels for serviceable batteries? doing this easy step will easily give you more life out of the battery, especially in hot areas where that water level will dry up
Hi oldtwins: Thanks for watching! Absolutely there are still a few batteries that can be topped off with distilled water but they are pretty rare. If you happen to have one of these batteries by all means keep it up to the full line with distilled water and it will last longer.Sincerely,Pat Goss
soda is used to clean the top of the battery.. Not the posts.. There are wire brush tools for cleaning the posts.. After posts are cleaned and serviced, and connections made, you can use some grease to coat the cable ends to prevent corrosion. As for it leaking down and into the post connection causing problems, In over 40 years, I have never seen this.. As for the cold, starter motors need more current yes. Batteries orbital electrons become tighter in the cold and are more reluctant to become free electrons.. So.. In the Cold, batteries do not perform as well either.
Grabir01: I’ll take your word for it but I probably won’t change mine. Too many cars with problems over the last 50 years and probably way too much training. Thanks for sharing your thoughts! Pat
I have 2013 Rav4 and I buy battery with one year warranty and it last 14 months and after that i buy battery with 18 months warranty and it last 20 months, what do you say about this ??
Hi M:Nothing wrong with that as far as I can tell but where my shop is located there is no such thing as 12 or 18 month battery warranties so I have never seen one, heard of one and have zero experience with them. The bottom line is that you’re happy with what you’re doing. Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment, I appreciate it!Pat
Two questions for you regarding battery issues you mentioned in the video:
1) I've heard that buying a battery with the same physical size as the OEM battery but more CCA is actually a bad thing, as the battery with more CCA has to cram more plates inside the battery. The thickness of the plates and insulators is thus thinner, resulting in a battery with a shorter life expectancy. Thoughts?
2) Regarding the "algorithm" that manages battery charging, wouldn't the fact that you've removed power from the computer during the battery change tell the computer that the battery may be different, and thus reset that algorithm to prevent battery/electronics damage? Seems like a logical thing for programmers to have incorporated into the charging code.
1. In most cases battery manufacturers are not idiots! Batteries come with warranties and typically better and more powerful batteries have equal or longer warranties. It would be kinda like shooting themselves in the foot to give a longer warranty on a battery that wouldn’t last as long. But I suppose there are some crooks that will try to work the system just like everything else but I think overall that is mostly myth. 2. You would think and that certainly would make common sense but that is not the case. First the computer has no idea that the battery is being replaced or simply disconnected for cleaning. Second vehicle manufacturers try every way possible to get drivers to b ring their cars back to dealers for hundred dollar services. At the end of the year enough hundred buck services can add up to a substantial amount of money --- so profit trumps common sense when it comes to cars.Pat
Thank you for the reply Pat. It would appear that neither of my cars require the ECM to be reprogrammed when the battery is replaced, but thanks for bringing up this issue! I had no idea that certain manufacturers are resorting to such questionable practices...GOOD information to know.
what about checking and replacing water levels for serviceable batteries? doing this easy step will easily give you more life out of the battery, especially in hot areas where that water level will dry up
Hi
oldtwins:
Thanks for watching!
Absolutely there are still a few batteries that can be topped off with distilled
water but they are pretty rare. If you happen to have one of these batteries by
all means keep it up to the full line with distilled water and it will last
longer.Sincerely,Pat Goss
soda is used to clean the top of the battery.. Not the posts.. There are wire brush tools for cleaning the posts.. After posts are cleaned and serviced, and connections made, you can use some grease to coat the cable ends to prevent corrosion. As for it leaking down and into the post connection causing problems, In over 40 years, I have never seen this.. As for the cold, starter motors need more current yes. Batteries orbital electrons become tighter in the cold and are more reluctant to become free electrons.. So.. In the Cold, batteries do not perform as well either.
Grabir01:
I’ll take your word for it but I probably won’t change mine. Too many cars with problems over the last 50 years and probably way too much training. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
Pat
Goss' Garage - Auto Repair & Maintenance, Lanham - Seabrook Maryland We in the Military have been doing it for even longer.. Mil Spec. Axiomatic
Thank you for your service!
Pat
I have 2013 Rav4 and I buy battery with one year warranty and it last 14 months and after that i buy battery with 18 months warranty and it last 20 months, what do you say about this ??
Hi M:Nothing wrong with that as far as I can tell but where my shop is located there is no such thing as 12 or 18 month battery warranties so I have never seen one, heard of one and have zero experience with them. The bottom line is that you’re happy with what you’re doing. Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment, I appreciate it!Pat
thats why i use 400 amps more than stock and always get 10 years out of my batterys