My OEM battery died after 3 years. I live in the Miami area but we have had temps in the 49-50 range for a few days - very rare. I think this may have been a factor but...

I needed the quickest solution so I got a charge and took it to Sears. They showed me the battery was bad - I was planng to replace it anyway due to the age.

Well, the kid told me they had only 1 battery that fit my 2006 GT. I paid $120.00 for the battery + install. It is a Dierhard GOLD and with 750 amps cold crank power. (i'm not sure what this means.

I should have done more research before but I want to know:

1. What battery would you put into your car if $ was no object?
2. What bettery would you get if money "were" a consideration?
3. Is the Sears battery I got for my car a bad, good or neither deal?

Thanks

 

i worked at sears for 5 years, but not the automotive dept. Diehard makes good stuff but just like everything else their are different grades. Kind of expensive but you got the best they had (Gold) which has a good warranty. I think its like 5 year full replacement and free charging. anyways i remember that the auto center we had sold optima batteries which have one of the better reps of all the battery manufacturers. maybe they didn't have our size? either way i think you came out fine.

there were some problems with some of the OE Mortorcraft batteries so that was normal and you should be fine now. Do you have any amps or other mods or electronics that would put extra strain on your battery? if not you don't really need the "best battery money can buy"

 

In my opinion, you can't beat an Interstate battery. I bought the Megatron, size 40R (that's the optional larger size that FITS our cars).

 

You did good other than paying more than necessary. I like Diehard batteries but my first choice is an Interstate. Quite a few here swear by Optima but they're overkill, IMO.

BTW, 40 degree temps should not be a problem for even a weak battery unless yours had failed catastrophically (as many car batteries will do). It's not until you get below freezing that you see enough capacity loss that a weak battery will rear it's ugly head.

 

+1 on Interstate, they have an excellent mission statement.

http://corporate.interstatebatteries.com/mission/

 

I worked in the sears autocenter for a few years and the Diehard gold batteries are just ****! They have a 3 year full replacement warranty and then starts a prorated warranty. I've had one in my truck for 4 years no problems. And I've put them in several other people's vehicles that I know and haven't had a prob. I haven't had much experience with other brands so I can't say they are better than this or that, but I do know that I'm VERY satisfied with them. I don't think you went wrong at all. But anyway....

1. Optima
2. DieHard
3 Deal wise, that's a lil high but you got a quality product.

 

I love my Optima battery!

 

batteries are pretty much the same nowadays IMO. I've ran Diehard and Interstate depending on the pricing.

Each brand has treated me great.


Not a fan of Optima personally. You only need one of those puppies if you are running some hardcore electronics. Otherwise you are just paying for the name IMO.



btw, what is the biggest battery that will fit into our cars? I know a 750 CCA will work...but it's a V-8. Bigger does equal Better in my books. I always shoot for a 850 CCA or bigger whenever I buy

 

Use only Optima in my cars and have been very happy. Used to use diehard before Optima and were also great batteries. Made the switch when my cars started to sit for long periods of time.

 

Optima Red Top FTW.
Hands down.