GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

hello all, I guess I have been lucky that my original battery (actually warranty replaced when 3 months old) is still working, but the artic freeze we all just went through it struggled to get started. So its time to replace. A 2009 2.4L battery is a group 24F battery; however, in shopping I am finding battery dimensions that appear bigger than the battery tray.

According to the industry a 24F battery is required to be 10-3/4 x 6-13/16 x 9 inches, the original equipment battery (which is marked 24F) is 10-3/16 x 6-13/16 x 8-7/8. the only dimension of concern is the length of the battery. The battery tray is designed to fit a battery no longer than the OEM battery just described.

I am getting the impression you have to hack up the tray, throw away the battery insulating sleeve and hope for the best?

Does anyone have any insight into replacing the battery? I assume I could go to Toyota (always cheaper than GM) and get an original equipment Matrix battery for my Vibe, but even then I wonder if it will fit (not because of it being a Vibe, but because of how the industry works.

All and any suggestions or experience would be appreciated.
Thanks

The industry measurements are maximums at any spot on the battery and in practice are not actually the size of the base of the battery. For instance my valuecraft battery (stamped 24F) is 10-3/4" long exactly if you measure at the plastic pieces that stick out of the sides near the top that house the carry handle, but the base of the battery itself (the part that matters, and fits into the tray) barely measures a full 10". Individual battery companies will ALSO usually list the maximum measurements and not the base measurements, so you can't really tell from that either. That's probably what you're finding in your shopping (online I assume). Realistically, the base of any 24F battery is going to fit.

Edit: having looked again and noticed you said "insulating sleeve" I went out and looked at other people's engine bay pics and lo and behold mine is missing the sleeve you speak of. That must be specific to the OEM battery. The base itself is separate from the sleeve and fits batteries that don't have sleeves. I bought mine with the replacement battery already in it so I never knew it was there on the OEM.

According to Autozone and Advance Auto Parts, a group 35 should be compatible and the correct size.

http://www.autozone.com/autozone/parts/ ... 88_7704_0_

P.S. Pretty cool that 2 Ravens (Rayvens) responded.

Yeah, if you want to keep the sleeve it sounds like the 35 is the way to go, 9-11/16" in length, same width and only 1/8" shorter.

save a ton of money by ordering online at Advance with the coupon code in the attached post:

http://slickdeals.net/permadeal/111504/ ... off-100-or" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

FYI In Nov. I got a Group 35 Duracell at Sam's Club for $86.23 plus tax.
Specs: CA at 32 degrees F:775; CCA at 0 degrees F:625; Reserve Capacity:95 36 month free replacement. Free install.

If you have a Costco membership, I bought a group 35 battery for $75 or so last month (+$9 core charge which you get back ). 3 Year free replacement, pro-rated after that for 3 more years. It's about as cheap as you can get (even with the Advance coupon codes, they were still more money). Battery looks identical to the ACDelco battery that I replaced (both are likely made by Johnson Controls).

I bought mine at Walmart for 100 bucks with 3yr warranty. Advance has their economy battery for the same same price with just a 2 yr warranty.

mbz321 wrote:If you have a Costco membership, I bought a group 35 battery for $75 or so last month (+$9 core charge which you get back ). 3 Year free replacement, pro-rated after that for 3 more years. It's about as cheap as you can get (even with the Advance coupon codes, they were still more money). Battery looks identical to the ACDelco battery that I replaced (both are likely made by Johnson Controls).

I also have a Costco membership - here in Columbus at that time their their price was within a dollar of Sam' Club. I know it is not hard to replace a battery but I am 71 and just do not care to do that. anymore. [In 2009 I did replace my 2003 Vibe battery with a Costco one that I put in myself - what a difference 4-5 years can make on my DIY ethnic.]

We have Optima 35 series Red Top batteries (#8020-164) in both our Vibes. I got them in the summer of 2012 because Optima was offering a $25.00 rebate on them ($50.00 total rebate). They were tiny compared to the factory batteries so I did not use the battery insulators with them. They fit in the battery trays fine, but I had to use both spacers that came with them to raise them up high enough for everything to tighten properly, etc. Haven't had a single issue with either of them and couldn't be happier with them. I had them in my previous two vehicles and never had any issues either. Well worth the little extra money IMO.

vibenvy wrote:We have Optima 35 series Red Top batteries (#8020-164) in both our Vibes. I got them in the summer of 2012 because Optima was offering a $25.00 rebate on them ($50.00 total rebate). They were tiny compared to the factory batteries so I did not use the battery insulators with them. They fit in the battery trays fine, but I had to use both spacers that came with them to raise them up high enough for everything to tighten properly, etc. Haven't had a single issue with either of them and couldn't be happier with them. I had them in my previous two vehicles and never had any issues either. Well worth the little extra money IMO.

To each his own - I have never had any issues with ordinary batteries either - but they do wear out after 5 or so years. Notwithstanding inflation we are so used to many things either going down in price or at least staying the same that the 50% increase in lead battery prices from $55 to $85 in the past 5 or so years comes as a shock. But even with a $25 rebate I suspect the tried and true are significantly less expensive than the Optimas. I did some research on the Glass Mat batteries - they have their pros and cons as well. My advice would be to buy what you want, but don't go too cheap. I am confident that my Duracell replacement will serve me well and still be functional when I get rid of my 2009 Vibe in a few years.

jake75 wrote:To each his own - I have never had any issues with ordinary batteries either - but they do wear out after 5 or so years.

I don't think mine even lasted 5 years. Outdoor parking in the TX heat really hurts them, it seems...

Knowing what I do now, I want to go with a beefier battery and eventually starter. I feel wimpy when my car doesn't crank as fast as my mom's 2008 Mariner, and my gdad's 2002 Impala...The sound of the starter cranking so slowly seems miserable, like the car is in pain.

...Not to mention my cheapo remote start system often doesn't crank the engine long enough to start up!

lannvouivre wrote:

jake75 wrote: I feel wimpy when my car doesn't crank as fast as my mom's 2008 Mariner, and my gdad's 2002 Impala...The sound of the starter cranking so slowly seems miserable, like the car is in pain.

As long as it "starts" I guess I am happy! My 1977 Buick Estate Wagon that kept blowing ignition coils was a hit or miss starter even with a strong battery. Turned out the spark plug wires were bad from the getgo - replaced them a year before I sold it in 1987. The dealer could never figure that out. GM just told me to see my dealer. In those days the warranty was only 12 months. The GM starter motors were also a POS. I spent a lot of money on both issues. I have never forgiven GM for that. My GM Card points and bonus points have largely been for two Toyota clone Vibes. Against my advice one of my sons bought a Chevy Blazer using my points. It was a lemon. Another son bought what I think was a Suzuki built GEO Tracker. It was o.k. All in all I will will give GM the benefit of the doubt and call it even. But I seriously doubt that there is a GM vehicle in my future. Honda, Toyota, Nissan, Subaru etc. all have a leg up in my experience altered brain.

Thanks to all that responded. A little late in my response but I purchased a group 24F battery and it fit without a problem, and the cover still fit. Due to time and necessity ended up with a Autozone Duralast Gold battery for $120. The good new is you can bring it back anytime in the first three years and get a replacement. I have never had a problem with returning batteries at Autozone.

I bought a Kirkland 24F at Costco last months. The cover still fits.