Car Battery Brand Reccomendation

[PeteFiniti]

Greetings All,
It has been a while since I have posted in here. Anyhow, Last night I returned from a trip and had my car parked at the airport after about a week sitting there I hit the button to start the car and it almost didn't turn over. Luckily it did. Its a 2012 M37x and I live in North Carolina. Battery is still original so I think that is a sure sign that a new one is needed. With that said, I was curious what brand to stay away from and/or which one to go with. I am walking distance of an advanced auto so I can easily do that..

p.s. I am able to start it again after running /driving the car for awhile but I can still sense the life of the CCA has diminished. I just dont want to get stranded

[Larz]

This is another of those 'opinions will vary' issues. Many people will swear by one particular brand or another - like tires, oil, and detailing. While my car was at the dealer for maintenance, the battery was testing lower than recommended so even though I had no symptoms, I had it changed at the dealer with a new OEM battery. As we all know, these cars will start in a flash until one day ... they won't start and you're stranded.
Personally, I would avoid low-priced shops or stores like Walmart. Things there are lower priced for a reason. Second, I'd find out the cranking amps, etc that the car requires and be sure it meets or exceeds that number. Third, decide if you want a lead acid or AGM type battery. And then of course, the new battery needs to be the proper height and width to fit in the battery compartment. I believe the size you need is 24F.
If I were to buy a battery today it would be AutoCraft Gold - they make a standard and AGM that is a direct fit. I'd choose the AGM version. It has 70 amp hours, 885 cranking amps (710 cold), and a 2 hour reserve.
https://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/aut ... 10310750-P
An article on AGM Vs Flooded (reg) car batteries:
https://www.batterysystems.net/flooded- ... batteries/

[satown210]

If you have a Costco membership, batteries are a steal there. Usually around $70ish for an Interstate battery.

[Frog]

Look at an AGM sealed batt 1000 cranking Amps at 32 degrees 200min res capacity

[satown210]

That's a great battery but way overkill for what most need.

[kmiles]

Ditto on the Costco recommendation. I bought my last battery at the dealership and it was an Interstate battery with an Infiniti sticker on the top. Costco carries the Interstate batteries at half the price of the dealership. I found out the hard way that they dealer price didn't include installation and they charged over $100 to install the battery.

[Larz]

Good point, Kmiles! There are very companies who actually manufacture batteries, just as there are very few Petroleum companies supplying the multitude of branded gasoline stations. I believe that Interstate is one of the largest manufacturers so regardless of the label, you may indeed be buying an Interstate battery. Mine came form the dealer too so now I know who made it, thanks!

[Malbec 56 Beast]

Costco interstate battery, I've been having starting issues for a while. But I don't think it's your battery. If you drive a lot of short trips it won't charge it up.

I read on an infiniti forum, late last night, not here, that the alternators in our cars don't start the charging process till you drive 8 miles or more. It explains every issue including a hard brake pedal and center vents that don't function.

Drove my car for a week going to work, 90mi round w.

Starts and runs like a champ so I still need to drive in and see what it is calling for. I read that there is a wire to the alternator that needs removal but I haven't located it. If others on this site have dealt with this issue and fox let us know.

Thanks
Andy

[Dark_Knight]

I had good luck with a Red Too in my previous car.

[Malbec 56 Beast]

The site is called Infiniti help.

This is the thread
Has anyone heard of a problem with the M37x battery?

[PeteFiniti]

Hey guys thanks for all your replies. This morning I just went over to Advance Auto and had them install the one that Larz referred to. Free install and took them about 20 minutes. They tested mine and as it was low and needed "charge" even though I drove around for awhile. Since it was the original battery I figured go ahead and get it swapped out.

thanks again!

[Ilya]

I just got a Duralast (I think) from Autozone a few weeks ago and I think I'm going to return it. Anyone know what the typical warranty for a battery is? Now that it's gotten somewhat cold out, it seems to struggle when I first start the car. I remember the Diehard I had before it from Sears that I got like 3.5 years ago starting much stronger the first few years until it started showing signs of age too (65% charge after 40 minutes of driving).

Might drive to Autozone and have them test thing...if that thing ain't near 100%, it's gone. I'll go to the Sears that's not close to me and get another Diehard.

[ArmedAviator]

The Duralast Gold from AutoZone have treated me well. They also have a 3 or 5 year (I forget off hand) no-questions-asked battery replacement warranty. I've used it once without issue. I've had many of their Duralast Gold batteries giving me no problems after years and years of use in Ohio weather.

Duralast and Duralast Gold come from two different manufactureres with different warranties. Get the Gold.

[Ilya]

I'd have to check if I got the Gold...but I just had my battery tested and it was 100% charged and checked out (as did my alternator). So I guess I just need to get used to this ones operation when its chilly out.

[JCesar]

I have great things to say about Interstate Megatron Plus. that is a solid battery with a ton of power and a good warranty. Been using it in all my cars for over ten years. Here we get snow and temps -15 and this battery will start with no problem. i get them for about $99 to $119 on sale

[Larz]

The thing about batteries is that they have two different cranking amps. The regular amps are usually high and that's the number they tell you about to make the sale. However, the COLD cranking amps are always lower and that may be why your car starts less energetically up north. Even an AGM battery has about 100 less cranking amps in the cold.

[PeteFiniti]

Just a quick update I wanted to share. Everything was great after swapping out the battery - after several days I pressed the button to start the car and just heard a "click". Checked the terminals to make sure nothing was lose, put a jump box on it. Tried again, heard the same "click" when pressing the button to start. My hunch was "hmm I wonder if the starter went bad..." Sure enough got it towed to Infiniti - they gave me a free loaner (Brand new Q60 twin turbo). They contacted me the next day to say that my starter was bad and a replacement was ordered - all covered under warranty. The car has 81K on it and knock on wood, the first time I had to use the warranty. Anyhow I got to enjoy a Twin Turbo Q60 for a couple days. Nice car but I have to say I really like the interior on my 2012 m37x better. The dash on the newer models seems like too much plastic and not that much thought put into it for "elegance".

Anyhow ...

[cliffyk]

For over 12 years my wife and I have had nothing but good results with Walmart's EverStart Maxx batteries:

SIze 24F, $93.76 installed--they are made by Johnson Controls, same as Die-Hard and many others

They have a 3/5 year warranty 93 years full, years 4 and 5 pro-rated), and here in Florida we have yet to have one not last 5-1/2 to 6 years--a long time for a car battery here...

[AlabamaDan]

For over 12 years my wife and I have had nothing but good results with Walmart's EverStart Maxx batteries...

I've used nothing else since 1986.

[LIBRILZ]

Walmart sells good batteries, I never have issues even with the lower/mid tier stuff.