328 battery failing

Wow,
I am staying away from "which" battery to use, as I use Interstate and Optima's in my cars.

What I can say, is using a battery maintainer for my sports cars had made my life of my batteries extend out much further than I thought. I am even using one on two batteries in my boat.

I would recommend a trickle charger for your "new" battery, and I think you will find it makes the battery last longer, since it won't discharge from sitting.

Enjoy,
Bob

 

Overall battery life is closely linked to ambient temperature. 3 1/2 years is pretty normal for a hot climate. Heat accelerates the internal corrosion that kills batteries. In cooler climates, batteries often last 7-8 years. I'm guessing that Perth can get pretty warm, but I really don't know.

A trickle charger is a good idea, especially if the car isn't driven a lot. I live in a very warm climate, but the Dino is kept in an air-conditioned garage (at about 80 degrees F in the summer) with a trickle charger. My battery is just over four years old and seems to be in good shape. I try to run the car at least every other week.

I can't help much as far as the brand, as I don't know what's available down under. My daily driver Toyota has an Optima that is about five years old and it is not kept in the air-conditioned garage, so I'm pretty happy with that. Good luck!

 

I concur. Any battery will start a Ferrari. I'd want one not likely to leak battery acid. That's all I have to say about that.

 

Ditto, and you can pick up a battery maintainer at Harbor Freight for about 6 bucks. Cut off the alligator clips and install a cigarette lighter terminal. That way you can plug it into your lighter socket.

Buy an Interstate battery; they're very good.

 

My Optima (Red Top) took about 5.5 years before it died.
Sometime in Feb or March this year, I replaced it with another Optima but it died after 1 month! But NAPA replaced it with a new one. I read from this site the quality of Optima nowadays isn't like before. My battery is hooked to a float/trickle charger.

You can get an Optima for $150.

 

Optimas are overrated and overpriced. Buy an Interstate next time!

 

Check the current draw on the battery with everything off, unless you have and alarm and aftermarket stereo, it should be less than 25ma.

 

3.5 yrs sounds about right Tony. Id be happy if it lasted that long.

My Mum's battery died in her Commodore the other day. It was a Century "high performance" battery. It come with a 2 yr warranty and it was 25 days out of warranty when it died the other day. How convienient.

I fit an "ultra high performance" Century battery in her car now. Has a 3 yr warranty instead of a 2 yr warranty and around 100CCA more. Cost an extra $20 to get that one.

I fit an "ultra high performance" Century battery in my 348 around 3 yrs ago. It has around 550CCA. It is VERY good and comes with a 3 yr warranty. Funny too, its now ****ed and is around 30 days out of warranty also. I see a pattern forming here.

Any of your local Autobarn outlets sells them. Lists the part number and all in their catalogue. Approx $165 from memory.

I need to order another one.

 

Someone taught me a method of reviving batteries in a state of deep discharge that works for me at least 75% of the time.
You'll need a powerful charger and a battery load tester.
Using the load tester "hit" it with the load for ten seconds or so two or three times allowing the tester to cool if necessary. Follow this with a high rate charging for 30 minutes or so, watching the battery for boiling or overheating.
Repeat with the load tester, followed by more charging. After a couple of cycles you should note the charge rate improving and the load tester showing less discharge.
After doing this a few times let the battery charge at a low rate overnight, hit it with load again and repeat the whole procedure.
Shocking the battery like this seems to awaken it.

RE warranties; I used to just just have these batteries warranty exchanged but some warranties are pro-rated against FULL RETAIL effectively making the warranty worthless after ~ 2 yrs., even on a 6 yr battery. Wal-Mart, Auto-zone and perhaps other retailers use your actual purchase price rather than some inflated list price so if you got 2 yrs. from a 6 yr./$60 battery you are expected to pay $40 for the replacement. With some others, from Sears, Napa or Interstate for example, you are expected to pay 4/6ths of "list" price which is probably what the battery originally cost you. Nice "warranty", huh.

 

There is no Interstate in Australia.

Interstate is not a manufacturer. They do marketing and distribution. Their automotive batteries are manufactured by Johnson Controls, Inc.

 

3.5 to 4 years is about average for a battery, especially if you are not driving the car regularly. In my experience, and seeing lots of friends who suffered the problem, Optima Red Tops are not good for cars that sit around alot. They are very sensitive to being fully discharged. If you allow them to go dead, they lose their ability to hold a charge.

IMHO, Interstate is a good battery for these cars. I have one in my 328 and it works fine, holds a charge, cranks the car over fine. I had put a Sears DieHard battery in the 308, and it was great. Most of the name brand batteries are basically pretty good these days, but 3 to 5 years is about all you get from most of them.

 

The "best" battery is currently the Sears Platinum AGM (absorbed glass mat) and has been top rated two years in a row by Consumer Reports. Four year free replacement, never needs water, and cannot leak electrolyte, since it is in a paste form. 880 Cold Cranking Amps. The only issue is the 328 takes a Group 34R (reversed terminals) and the Sears Platinum is a Group 34. If the cables will reach, no problem...you may have to test to see. $189.

BTW, the Sears Platinum appears to be made by Odessey Battery, a very popular brand on this forum. This same battery sells for over $100 more from Odessey.

 

Also, there is nothing wrong with a standard Interstate in Group 34R, it is rated for 700 CCA and will last plenty long. It will require periodic adding of water, etc. But still a very good battery and probably less than $100.

 

That sounds like the best battery EVER for that kind of money.

 

+1

I think I've seen anywhere from 1 year to 7 years on various batteries with most lasting around 3~4 with regular use and maintenance and in a "reasonable' climate.

 

I had an Interstate in my 308 for 12 years - yes, 12. When it went, I thought I'd treat the car and went with an Optima Yellow top, picked it up from Pep boys, here in a NYC suburb it ran me just under $200. 3 1/2 years into that one, and it died 2 weeks ago - same trickle charger I've always had, same driving pattern, same charging pattern - clearly this was not worth the extra money.

From what I've read and experienced, gel style batteries like the Optima or that Sears Platinum do not work well close to a heat source - i.e. the radiator in a 308 or 328 that the battery resides 6" behind.

For the 308, I'm back to a regular lead acid battery from Napa with a 5 year warranty for under $100, and won't try anything other than a regular lead acid battery going forward.

I might try a gel battery again in one of my trucks, but not in a vehicle where it needs to reside in a confined space.

Good luck,
Phil

 

Wrong. Optima and Sears platinum are NOT gel batteries. They are AGM (absorbed glass mat). They are no more affected by heat than conventional batteries.

 

Bosch S5 007 in my 328. 4 year warranty, sealed battery with inbuilt handle that makes it much easier to lift in & out.

Look at the AH output figures & also the CCA ratings & you will start to see why some batteries cost more than others.

 

Not wrong: For this purpose, Gel, AGM, VRLA, sealed, acid starved are synonymous, and the point being that these batteries are "non conventional".

And there's a 100 or so posts on F-chat plus articles abound on other car boards about premature failures of these batteries due to heat.

They do seem however, to be well suited for powering electronics and equipment on RVs or winches and stuff, due to their ability to hold their charge for long periods.

So proceed accordingly,
Phil

 

No, you are wrong. You are piling ALL sorts of batteries into one category. They are NOT synonymous. The only battery I have heard consistent problems with in Ferraris are the oem Fiamm and the Optima Red Top. By comparison, there have been many positive reviews of the Sears Platinum/Odyssey batteries. (Odyssey is the private label manufacturer of the Sears Platinum). Optima may use the same chemical system (absorbed glass mat) but it is in an entirely different configuration than what Odyssey uses) Just as there are huge variables in the quality of wet cell batteries (just read Consumer Reports testing on them), there are big differences in quality of other chemical systems as well.

 

I bought the Bosch S4 027 because that was indicated in the Bosch list for a 328 GTS.
Now it turns out the poles are inverted. It's also a bit higher than the VARTA that was in.
Doubt that the cables are long enough and don't want to mess up things. Also cannot turn the battery back to front since the metal cover will touch.

Q. How does the S5 007 fit (in case I can return the S4)

 

I installed a battery disconnect switch in my 328 over 6 years ago. Same battery since then. Disconnect switch is located where battery is grounded so I just pop the hood, turn the switch, and go. I do not use a trickle charger.

You might consider putting an ammeter in series with your battery to see what the drain is when everything is off. I have a Porsche that pulls nearly 20 milliamps. That is a lot and shortens battery life. I installed a battery disconnect on it as well.

 

The Odyssey is pretty much the gorilla in any grouping of batteries. Here is their recommendation for the 328, the 34R-PC1500 with 880 CCA. It does not care if it is deep discharged multiple times and you can mount it upside down and it works. $240-270 from discounters, jobber price is $207. For somebody who wants a battery they will never have to fret over for a long time.

http://www.odysseybattery.com/batterysearch.asp

Here is something I wrote on batteries. Not too sure it will help in Australia, but at least you will know the size and a 34R (reversed terminal) is what you want.

Taz
Terry Phillips
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