BBmaxi

iTrader: (1)

I bought my car at around 43,000 miles and just yesterday my car went completely dead. Door locks wouldn't even get power, car wouldn't even turn, headlights would not even work.

my biggest concern was the alternator going bad which would cost me some major buckaroos since it's out of bumper to bumper warranty.

so at first, I attempted to jump the battery but no luck, still completely dead. So I made a run to the local auto parts store and changed to a new battery and that did the trick. car starts up fine now.

the dead battery that came with car was a generic, aftermarket battery. Not even the oem battery. Is it possible the dealer put a cheapo almost dead battery in the car before selling it ? this is a big corporate car company and if that's the case then I'm hoping I can get re-imbursed.

what do u guys think? at 43k miles why does it have an aftermarket battery and if that's the case why did it die out so fast ? the old battery was pretty leaky with lotsa white powder stuff on the terminals. I have pics of it as well.

Ohio Maxima

The oem battery isn't very good either. I only have 15k miles on my Max. and I was cleaning it out the other day and had the radio on for only about an hour and it ran the battery down to where I had to jump the car.

I began checking and the oem battery is not maintance free and I guess the dealer never bothered to check the water level when I got my oil changed. Believe me I am going to let them know about it next time.

bigear82

Yeah I have 30k miles and left the radio running 30 mins while washing my car and it died completely had to get a jump. Battery isn't great at all.

jlguru

I replaced two OEM batteries in three months. Both batteries had internal damage resulting in low voltage/capacity. Getting yet another OEM battery isn't necessarily going to solve the problem. Batteries and tires are two easy places for dealers/manufacturers to cut costs, inflate prices, and move product.

I suggest you do as I did ... just invest in a quality aftermarket battery and move on. Life's too short to fret about getting your money's worth from junk.

Live long, and prosper
Jerry L. Gubka

GEAR_HEAD

Put an Optima Red Top in and be done with it. I just put one in at 15k miles, the original battery still worked but I didn't trust it at all. The Red Top should be good for at least 5 years. It's a 34R if you go buy one, don't believe what is in the auto parts store's system, they will try to sell you a 35.

Ohio Maxima

What's the difference between a 35 and 35R? Also, what would be a good price for one?

BBmaxi

iTrader: (1)

they cost like 150 bucks, but I just got a generic one for 60 bucks at kragen auto.

gizzsdad

I had to replace mine at 14 months/14K miles. Nissan would have paid half - but that would have been another OEM battery and taken two hours. So I replaced it with a Johnson Controls battery, branded as an EverStart and sold by Walmart. Still probably saved money.

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/c...ery-brands.htm

BBmaxi

iTrader: (1)

so would u guys say that nissan just provided a cheapo battery and that's the reason for why so many were experiencing dead batteries at a fairly new lifespan of the car.

I hope it's isolated to the batteries and nowhere else.

Ohio Maxima

In my case it was because the dealer must have never dhcked the water level. Now that I know they are not doing it I will check it every few months and hopefully it will last a very long time. You would have thought they would have provided a maintenance free battery.

Ghozt

So it's not just me. Our battery terminals are reversed correct?

MaxLoverAz

iTrader: (1)

Correct you want the 34R as our terminals are reversed.



Here is a link regarding the Optima, this forum has a great search function and almost every thread I've seen on this forum in recent months has been addressed previously.

http://forums.maxima.org/7th-generat...a-red-top.html

SEARCH.... SEARCH.... READ..... READ.... ANSWERS.... ANSWERS....

PS - not directed at your danielevans....

Ghozt

Well to be honest I think I actually learned from another thread that the terminals are reversed so you are right that information is already here. That was why I was asking, for confirmation mostly.

Good to know though I'm not the only one whose battery sucks. After almost every project where I leave lights (mostly LEDs mind you) on for an hour or so the car won't turn over and I need a jump. It's hard to talk big about the Max when she keeps dying.

That's a pretty serious battery you're recommending there - http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/OPTIM...#ht_3804wt_916

For this much money it better add some horsepower.

lightonthehill

With the 7th gen Maxima OEM battery, we should never have the radio (or anything else) running for more than five or ten minutes unless the motor is running. The OEM battery in the 6th gen did not have the reserve power I felt it should have, and the OEM battery in the 7th gen has even less reserve power.

Batteries are also affected by temperature extremes, and we have had two consecutive very brutal winters and two consecutive very brutal summers here south of Atlanta. I heard rumors to the effect winter was not nice up north, either.

My battery usually fares better than most because my car is usually kept in a large, climate-controlled garage. But when I take trips in the summer heat, I have noticed that this car gets extremely hot under the hood in stop-and-go traffic when the temp is anywhere near 100, which we are getting more and more frequently in recent years.

Those replacing their OEM battery with a better one are probably making the wisest move.

bigear82

Btw you can use promo code BAT25 at advance auto parts website to buy that red optima battery. It's $157 for me and pickup available. I'm thinking about it or waiting a while longer before buying. 34R is the size right ? It'll say 35 on their website.

GEAR_HEAD

That is correct. A regular 35 battery will probably work if you're buying a standard battery because the posts are closer to the edge and the positive terminal will reach. The posts on the Optima 35 battery are set toward the middle further and the positive terminal won't reach. The 34R Optima uses an alternative post location on the other side of the battery that is closer to the edge, but you have to turn the battery the other way to use them, hence the "R".

MONTE 01&97 SE

iTrader: (1)

[QUOTE=lightonthehill;7982667]Batteries are also affected by temperature extremes, and we have had two consecutive very brutal winters and two consecutive very brutal summers here south of Atlanta. I heard rumors to the effect winter was not nice up north, either.

QUOTE] The above statement is one of the biggest contributors to batteries dying off soon, places with high humidity and big temperature fluctuations experience this moreso than places with more temperate weather.

Mreim769

I have started my car in -40C to +40C over the past two years and to this day I have had zero problems with my battery.

Also, we have been bouncing between +10 and -30 over the past couple weeks. Still no problems.

kkrriiss

sorry

kkrriiss

this is

kkrriiss

becoming

kkrriiss

a pain

kkrriiss

who here has

kkrriiss

a 2011 maxima

kkrriiss

how do you like it

kkrriiss

any flaws

OneWhtMax

replaced battery 22k

STARR

iTrader: (1)

you bought a used car and your trying to figure out why it had a non oem battery under the hood, the previous owner put it in for whatever reason, 9x out of 10 a dealer would never replace the battery, they would just charge it

my 09 has 20k on it with the original battery, I pay close attention to it at start up

MooShoo

Optima Red Tops are great. I have one in my Armada and will replace my 11 Maxima with the same as soon as I see a problem with the stock battery. I agree with the above post with approx 5 yr life. I live in AZ so if my red top can last in extreme heat, you might be able to get more depending on your climate.

MaxMan2010

I just had my 2010 Maxima SV w/ Premium & Sport package washed & detailed; Once done, I hopped inside & pressed the button to start & only got clicks. The car wouldn't start. The car wash jumped it & I drove directly to State Line Nissan in KCMO. They said the battery only had 330 cold cranking amps; my car only has 33K miles on it. A new battery would have 550 cold cranking amps. They offered me to buy a replacement @ $129 but I opted for them to treat the current one with a treatment kit (sprayed on anti-corrosion) & got my oil changed too. Total cost $103 (including synthetic oil).

Now I'm looking for a replacement to my OEM battery...I want one that won't shoot craps.

eljoker

iTrader: (1)

Dude you just payed to have your battery recharged and some liquid sprayed on the terminals. You could of bought a battery for that price.

Ghozt

A pretty decent new battery too.

STARR

iTrader: (1)

This damn car shows no sign of a weakening battery it just dies randomly, clicking and it done.

For a replacement battery I have an Autozone Duralast, same specs as a DieHard, I was told all car batteries are pretty much the same just different brand names of who ever sells them.

I got the Autozone battery cause my car died on sunday around 9pm, the Autozone is open 7 days a week until 11:59pm even sunday, pretty smart business tactics

Serpent

A lot of batteries are pretty similar, but I wouldn't say they're all the same. It's worth it for a reliable brand name.

Question for you guys who have bought yellowtops or diehards or whatever, are you buying maintenance-free batteries? The last few cars I've owned have all had maintenance-free, but when I bought my max I was surprised to find that it's NOT a maintenance-free battery.

I'm sure that when I eventually need a new one I'll be switching to maintenance-free, but in the meantime I'll do the maintenance that it needs and see how long the Nissan battery will actually last.

Pop off the caps every month or two or three and top each cell off with distilled water. Not all the way full, but up to lowest point of the plastic on the top side of the battery. When the water level touches that plastic you're done--move on to the next hole.

I'm sure many of you ARE doing this and still having trouble with the stock battery, but I also bet that many people neglect their batteries (many probably assume that they are maintenance-free). I just haven't seen any threads about checking the water in the batt, so I figured I'd say something about it here.

I really feel like I need to knock on wood now so my stock batt doesn't crap out next week. Lol!

Ghozt

yeah sealed batteries generally dont require maintenance, a big plus of the Optima series. i love my yellow top

STARR

iTrader: (1)

I check my battery once every 3months usually, usually takes 5 minutes, I stop at the store buy a bottle of water and check, but Im sure many people don't know this and dry cells will kill the battery

silberma

I am continously amazed to find out that Nissan cut corners in the flagship car. First I realized the car did not have daytime driving ligths, next I was surprised that it did not have an engine oil monitor and now old fashioned batteries that I thought went out of existance. What next?

Serpent

I agree about the DRL's, but I don't care much about the oil monitor.

And as for the battery, it's not an old-school, lesser battery. In most cases these batteries that DO require occasional maintenance can last longer overall than sealed maintenance-free batts. They're just, well, more maintenance. Lol

Still woulda just preferred a better quality battery, sealed or not.

SlateMax410

Man, I'm learning a TON of stuff from this forum! I just got my car a week ago and I'm already looking up new batteries just in case my original fails. Props to everybody who posted!!!

sonomamax

Had a 07, after about 18 months had to get a new one. (Nissan Warrenty) then a 11 and after about a yr had to get a new battery (Nissan warrenty) In both cases got that 84 month nissan battery that the dealers have, Hadnt had any problems yet, (Knock on wood) and i use it a lot with out the motor running.