Car battery suggestion

[jeff_j1701]

I have an '07 Vibe and it's about time I replace the battery. I

Can someone suggest a good battery, or will any battery be sufficient?

Also, is it difficult to change the battery in a Vibe or is this something I should have done by a pro?

[Rayven01]

If you've got a membership Costco batteries are a good deal, otherwise the mid-price diehard (sears) and everstart (walmart) are generally rated pretty good on consumer reports. You'll need a group 35 size battery, which is pretty common.

Changing one is easy. Disconnect the posts, take off the hold-down (two nuts) and swap it out. The only thing you gain with a pro is they'll have something they can plugin to provide power while they're changing it so you don't lose clock, radio preset settings, etc.

[jeff_j1701]

Thanks...I never thought about Costo. D'uh!!

Can someone explain what these ratings mean? 570CCA/710CA - RESERVE MIN = 100 - OE CCA: 550

[Rayven01]

570CCA means 570 cold cranking amps at 0F/-18C. 710CA means 710 cranking amps at normal ambient temps. Reserve min 100 means a minimum of 100 minutes reserve power when in use but not being charged by the alternator. OE CCA 550 means the original battery it came with had 550 CCA.

[jeff_j1701]

So, with the specs that I posted, this battery would be superior to what originally came from the manufacturer?

[Rayven01]

Marginally (20CCA doesn't mean much). Realistically it's probably about the same.

[jeff_j1701]

Thanks for the lesson!!!

[ehoff121]

Consider changing the interior bulbs to LED to reduce load on the battery, especially if someone leaves a map light on accidentally.

[cptnsolo77]

I bought Everstart from Walmart 98 bucks & 3 year warranty. It was the cheapest in town. Discount auto wanted the same price with only a 2 year warranty. I didnt know they got good ratings with CR. Thanks for posting that info! Now I dont feel so bad buying a battery at Walamrt

[beemerphile1]

Bigger numbers of CCA is a good thing.

When replacing a battery always remove the negative cable first and put it on last. Be cautious not to short the battery across both terminals at any time.

[jake75]

Sam's Club has Duracell Brand - about $85 for a 35. P&G licensed their Duracell trademark to East Penn, one of the major auto battery makers. Put one of those in my 2007 T&C in Jan (a size 34, 800 CCA 84.23 plus tax). That was about $15 less than AutoZone. Sam's Club has free installation. There was an older guy on duty that appeared to know what he was doing. Don''t know if Sam's Club is in Ontario.

[trb]

I bought Everstart from Walmart 98 bucks & 3 year warranty. It was the cheapest in town. Discount auto wanted the same price with only a 2 year warranty. I didnt know they got good ratings with CR. Thanks for posting that info! Now I dont feel so bad buying a battery at Walamrt

All the replacement batteries I've bought since the early 2000's or so have been from Walmart. I usually only get about 3 yrs on a battery, no matter which one I get, so they are usually replaced for free under the 3 yr or only for a few bucks pro-rated. I like Walmart since my wife or kids can easily drop the car off and then go shopping while it is taken care of. My son had to do it on his own in Austin a few months ago. I bought a new one for his car back in 2010 from Walmart. It was a major deal for him, but he took care of it!