[Maverick1977]

The OEM battery in my Indica Vista QJet lasted just a few days shy of 4 years. This was also due to the fact that the car remained stationary for almost 4 weeks thanks to the sudden surgery that I had to undergo.
I remained with Exide since I had quite a few problem with Amaron in my earlier car and their refusal to give me full replacement under warranty (long story, some time later).
After asking close to 10 dealers (via. JD) I finally settled for Exide Xpress (18 months + 6 months pro rata). With my old battery the final bill came to 4750. Also the person came to my house since the battery was dead and the best part was that the guy came in 15 minutes flat.

[callvvijay]

Not sure if this is the right thread to post my query - but here I go:

I own an Alto - (May'08 - 44000 kms run) which is running on the OEM battery (till today evening). A couple of days back, I had driven the car for 10kms from office to home, switched off (with battery on) and was waiting for my wife. After 10mins, the car did not start. After some tries, I gave up and went for the push-and-start approach. This again happened today evening also. Reaching home from office, I had switched off the car only to get down and open the garage gate. Tried switching on - but it did not budge.

I am surprised because, even when the car is not starting, the power windows are working fine and am able to blow the horn. Secondly, on both these instances, I had just driven the car for not less than 10kms and so the battery should get charged up during my drive.

My question here is:
1. Is it end of my battery's life? Or is there any problem with my car?
2. Any battery recommendations.

Thanks!

[Arkesh]

I feel exide is the undoubted king in Indian market.
Exide Batmobile service is great.

[n.devdath]

Originally Posted by callvvijay

My question here is:
1. Is it end of my battery's life? Or is there any problem with my car?
2. Any battery recommendations.

When you say the car did not start, did you hear the self starter move when you turned key? If that happened then it is most likely a case of a weak battery but if the self starter did not move, it is an issue with the ignition circuit or the self starter.

Amaron is most recommended battery brand here but I have not used one yet so I cannot comment.

[Raccoon]

Originally Posted by Arkesh

I feel exide is the undoubted king in Indian market.
Exide Batmobile service is great.

I absolutely disagree with both those statements.

I don't know about market share (haven't checked, and its not even relevant), but in terms of quality Exide is the worst. Some members have commented that they hear about problems with all brands. That does not automatically mean all batteries are of the same quality! You'd need to do a proper survey to find percentage of complaints against a particular brand. Also, you'd need to further differentiate if those complaints are against service/dealers or regarding the quality of the battery itself. In my opinion, Amaron may probably make the best batteries in India, but customers run into issues with dealers/service/company indifference/etc. I personally am not happy with the current Amaron dealer here... while the old one was pretty good.

As for Batmobile service, I'v had a ghastly experience with them too. They do have absolutely callous and shabby personnel who can do major damage to your vehicle. I have elaborated on this somewhere else.

Further, going by majority, maximum number of TBHPians too seem to prefer Amaron and other maybe even other brands over Exide. Just look over the forum to see what I mean.

I propose the coronation of Exide as the King of crappy batteries (which can damage your vehicle by fuming, leaking and generally don't last long and to top it all, can be more expensive, so that Exide can spend enough in marketing instead of quality to make the layperson believe that it is the King).

Originally Posted by callvvijay

Not sure if this is the right thread to post my query - but here I go:

I own an Alto - (May'08 - 44000 kms run) which is running on the OEM battery (till today evening). A couple of days back, I had driven the car for 10kms from office to home, switched off (with battery on) and was waiting for my wife. After 10mins, the car did not start. After some tries, I gave up and went for the push-and-start approach. This again happened today evening also. Reaching home from office, I had switched off the car only to get down and open the garage gate. Tried switching on - but it did not budge.

I am surprised because, even when the car is not starting, the power windows are working fine and am able to blow the horn. Secondly, on both these instances, I had just driven the car for not less than 10kms and so the battery should get charged up during my drive.

My question here is:
1. Is it end of my battery's life? Or is there any problem with my car?
2. Any battery recommendations.

Thanks!

No, you can't guess that the battery is generating enough amps for starting the car just because it can still work the windows and horn. You need to check it properly. If you don't know how, go to a good dealer and get it load tested. And also test your car.

[R2D2]

Originally Posted by yogeshnaik

I narrowed down to Amaron GO 95D26R having Free 18 Months + Pro Rata 18 Months warranty. But I read some cons about Amaron batteries on Team-BHP...

There are pros and cons to each battery depending on where you stay. And as with any mass produced item there's always a chance you can wind up with a dud.

I've found it easier to get Exide and tougher to get Amaron. The less said about Amaron's office in Pune the better. Those people don't know what they are talking about. The dealers are slightly better.

Originally Posted by yogeshnaik

Not to forget the polarity assembly of the battery as there are two types here, R-type and L-type. if the negative terminal is towards your right hand side, this is R-type battery. Indica Vista battery is installed at the right corner of engine bay and is of R-type. This depends on the car manufacturer's layout in the engine bay to avoid wiring mess and crossing over while routing..

This is incorrect.

The L and R type batteries denote what side of battery container the POSITIVE terminal is placed. A 55B24L will have its +ve terminal on the LEFT side when viewed from the front of the case and a 55B24R will have the converse.

It is important to note which side the +ve terminal is placed as the alternator's output cable is trimmed to a minimal length and will NOT have enough play to stretch over to the other side if a wrong battery is fitted. Some mechanics try to turn the battery around but that leads to the bracket not fitting properly or, once again, insufficient cable length.

So the most important things to consider when buying a battery are:

a) Compatibility - AH, terminal placement, dimensions, type (sealed, MF or VRLA)
b) CCA if you live in cold climes, mostly applicable to people in the North especially in winters.
c) Price & warranty - these 2 go hand in hand. Longer the warranty more you pay
d) Brand - Exide or Amaron - your choice. TG & AC Delco are untested and I am wary of ANY Tata product. Period.

I do not believe in buying locally made batteries.

[audioholic]

Originally Posted by Arkesh

Exide Batmobile service is great.

I had the same opinion before. Who would offer free help in case you had a flat battery? That too for any battery brand! Untill a month back when my father was stuck far away from my house, with a flat exide OEM battery. Batteries go dead after a certain amount of time. But not expected to die all of a sudden. The car wouldn't crank after he had switched it off in a signal, in the afternoon, without headlights or AC on. That is when I thought of making use of BATMobile.

They took my request and told we will reach the place in fifteen minutes and took my dad's contact number. Half an hour, no response. After 45mins, they call up my dad saying they will take two hours to arrive as they are in another side of the city and to make other arrangements if he could not wait. Then, with the help of another BHPian pgganapathy, he was very kind enough to search for a mechanic to jump start the car. At the same time, my father was able to push start the car and bring it home.

Exide has many dealers. Even though we were willing to pay up whatever was required, they couldn't send a single person to at least jumpstart the car and bid goodbye. Their batmobile is for namesake and they washed their hands off saying they couldn't come. So, I lost trust in their brand as well as this service too.

In my omni, the amaron we had died a slow death. After six and a half years, the cranking time began to increase. This made us to proactively replace the battery. At least if this happens, we wont be stranded in the middle of the road. Also, I had been checking distilled water levels from the past one year of my SX4s exide, and yet it failed, all of a sudden.

[Maverick1977]

My experience with Exide has been pretty good. The OEM battery in both my cars lasted for >4 years. Also have had good experience with the Bat mobile guys. They were prompt, knew the job and didn't even insist on me buying an Exide only.
I had also called my local Tata SS for a Tata green battery. To my utter amazement the guy asked me why I was not considering Amaron or Exide. Guess even the Tata guys are wary of their products!

[Jidousha]

Originally Posted by R2D2

The L and R type batteries denote what side of battery container the POSITIVE terminal is placed. A 55B24L will have its +ve terminal on the LEFT side when viewed from the front of the case and a 55B24R will have the converse.

So the most important things to consider when buying a battery are:

a) Compatibility - AH, terminal placement, dimensions, type (sealed, MF or VRLA)
b) CCA if you live in cold climes, mostly applicable to people in the North especially in winters.
c) Price & warranty - these 2 go hand in hand. Longer the warranty more you pay
d) Brand - Exide or Amaron - your choice. TG & AC Delco are untested and I am wary of ANY Tata product. Period.

I do not believe in buying locally made batteries.

R2D2 Thanks for the useful information.
Further could you decipher the other characters of the battery rating please.
For example the OE recommended battery if 38B20L and I find the equivalent in the market say in Amaron as
42B20L / 50B20L
What do the numbers 20, 42, 50 etc., mean and the alphabet B that follows.
How do you find the AH rating for the battery?

[R2D2]

Originally Posted by Jidousha

R2D2 Thanks for the useful information.
Further could you decipher the other characters of the battery rating please.
For example the OE recommended battery if 38B20L and I find the equivalent in the market say in Amaron as
42B20L / 50B20L
What do the numbers 20, 42, 50 etc., mean and the alphabet B that follows.
How do you find the AH rating for the battery?

There are 3 methods of identifying batteries based on their size and capacity:

DIN - mostly used in German and EU vehicles with names like DIN50, DIN55
JIS - used in Japanese vehicles - 46B24LMF, 55B24L/R, 38B20R/L etc
US - BCI classification used for US vehicles, see more at http://www.rtpnet.org/teaa/bcigroup.html

In the DIN classification a DIN55 battery is a 55AH while a DIN50 battery is a 50AH @ the 20 hour rate. Similarly a 46B24MF would be a 45AH with the +ve terminal on the left, maintenance free. This battery is the same as a 55B24L but are from Exide and Amaron respectively.

Therefore, remember these are ONLY guidelines and most manufacturers have their own model #s and you need to look up a cross reference chart to find an equivalent in another brand/model.

Therefore it is VERY important to identify your car's battery by terminal orientation (L or R), terminal type/size, battery size/dimensions and lastly AH to ensure it will fit into the battery tray and bracket. Chemistry as in Sb/Sb, Sb/Ca, Ca/Ca are secondary but will determine the longevity and maintenance characteristics.

Read more at www.batteryfaq.org. This site is an encyclopaedia on batteries and their maintenance. Excellent resource for automotive and stationery batteries. Another great site is batteryuniversity.com which covers additional battery chemistries including NiMH, NiCd, Li Ion and Li Polymer.

[Jidousha]

Originally Posted by R2D2

In the DIN classification a DIN55 battery is a 55AH while a DIN50 battery is a 50AH @ the 20 hour rate. Similarly a 46B24MF would be a 45AH with the +ve terminal on the left, maintenance free. This battery is the same as a 55B24L but are from Exide and Amaron respectively.

Thanks R2D2, so the number before the alphabet in the JIS classification of battery corresponds to the AH rating, Is my understanding correct?
Is it recommended to use the exact AH rating mentioned in the car manual?
Or it is alright to use a marginally higher rating without straining the alternator?
How much more AH is accepted without staining the OE alternator?
Sorry for too many questions.

[R2D2]

Originally Posted by Jidousha

Thanks R2D2, so the number before the alphabet in the JIS classification of battery corresponds to the AH rating, Is my understanding correct?
Is it recommended to use the exact AH rating mentioned in the car manual?
Or it is alright to use a marginally higher rating without straining the alternator?
How much more AH is accepted without staining the OE alternator?
Sorry for too many questions.

Yes normally the number preceding the alphabet is the AH but not necessarily so. That's why it is important to check a compatibility or cross reference chart before finalising a battery.

It is recommended to use the same AH battery as was originally fitted by the mfr and possibly slightly higher. For e.g. if your car came from the factory with a 50Ah battery and you fit a 55AH or even 60AH PROVIDED it fits into the battery tray and bracket, maintains correct terminal orientation (L or R) without interfering with any other part in the engine bay then no harm done. Some dealers are known to make small modifications to the battery tray & bracket to fit a marginally larger battery.

The thing with a charging system is that an alternator can charge a higher capacity battery, within limits of course, without issues. It is important to note that if the alternator output is constant larger the battery the longer it will take to charge it to 100% state of charge. Maintaining a battery @ 100% SOC is a MUST or it will deteriorate.

Also, please remember an alternator is designed to only to maintain a battery at 100% SOC and NOT charge a flat battery. If your battery ever goes flat charge it using a bench charger instead of running the car. The stator coils and/or rectifier may get damaged. A bench charger, especially a micro processor controlled unit, is more efficient as it uses stage wise charging methods or algorithms to charge the battery.

I would suggest investing in a good quality charger and keeping one at home for emergencies. Also a set of jumper cables especially for those who have cars with auto transmissions.

[yogeshnaik]

Originally Posted by R2D2

There are pros and cons to each battery depending on where you stay. And as with any mass produced item there's always a chance you can wind up with a dud.

I've found it easier to get Exide and tougher to get Amaron. The less said about Amaron's office in Pune the better. Those people don't know what they are talking about. The dealers are slightly better.



This is incorrect.

The L and R type batteries denote what side of battery container the POSITIVE terminal is placed. A 55B24L will have its +ve terminal on the LEFT side when viewed from the front of the case and a 55B24R will have the converse.

It is important to note which side the +ve terminal is placed as the alternator's output cable is trimmed to a minimal length and will NOT have enough play to stretch over to the other side if a wrong battery is fitted. Some mechanics try to turn the battery around but that leads to the bracket not fitting properly or, once again, insufficient cable length.

So the most important things to consider when buying a battery are:

a) Compatibility - AH, terminal placement, dimensions, type (sealed, MF or VRLA)
b) CCA if you live in cold climes, mostly applicable to people in the North especially in winters.
c) Price & warranty - these 2 go hand in hand. Longer the warranty more you pay
d) Brand - Exide or Amaron - your choice. TG & AC Delco are untested and I am wary of ANY Tata product. Period.

I do not believe in buying locally made batteries.

I believe what I have previously posted about Type-R and Type-L with respect to the battery polarity is 100% correct. Probably, I might have defined it in more engineering graphics drawing perspective. I have attached FRONT view and TOP view of my drawing which will clarify more on the Type-R and Type-L battery identification.

For more information, there is a website from Battery Association of Japan that provides Front and Isometric Engineering drawing views.

URL: http://www.baj.or.jp/e/car_battery/car03.html

Also, some manufacturers do not specify 'R' if the battery is of type-R. This is understood by the reader.

[9thsphinx]

Just now heard an ad on the radio for Tata Green batteries. They have some sort of promotional offer going on until November 30th where you could stand a chance to win a lifetime free-replacement battery or a "guaranteed" prize! That's all the details that are given out on the radio. Not sure if this is running all over India or it is state-specific. Anyway, how good are these Tata Green batteries?

[yogeshnaik]

Originally Posted by 9thsphinx

Just now heard an ad on the radio for Tata Green batteries. They have some sort of promotional offer going on until November 30th where you could stand a chance to win a lifetime free-replacement battery or a "guaranteed" prize! That's all the details that are given out on the radio. Not sure if this is running all over India or it is state-specific. Anyway, how good are these Tata Green batteries?

Tata Green batteries are good, manufactured with the technology from GS Yuasa, Japan. Most of the Airport Service Taxis here have these batteries installed and they are running day and night. No complaints yet. Costs approximately Rs. 500/- cheaper than Amaron and Rs 700 to 800/- cheaper than Exide.

For private cars I prefer EXIDE as the quality is still well maintained by EXIDE. We pay more for the quality.