2014 Mirage G4 GLS Dead Battery

[Cobrajet]

That's why I mentioned that the 55D23L has different dimensions listed by different suppliers.

I am not even bothering with the 55D23L. It would be too hard to find anyway, and, as you say, measurements are sketchy.

But I just measured my own battery now, and...it has the exact measurements of a Group 85. 9 1/16" x 6 13/16" x 8". Cani Lupine was right about that.

Interstate and AC Delco both offer Group 85 batteries, and I am sure others do as well. A Group 35 will certainly work, but as we have discovered some additional parts may be necessary for the swap.

The Group 85 should be an exact drop-in swap. Here is one from Interstate. The listed dimensions on the MT-85 are identical to the measurements I got from the battery in my car. The 625 CCA rating is certainly an upgrade.

https://www.interstatebatteries.com/products/mt-85

[Dirk Diggler]

The "footprint" of the Group 35 battery is nearly identical to that of the Group 85. The only difference is height.

I put the exact measurements of both in an earlier post in this thread.

I must say there is a difference in my electrical systems, for the better. I drove my girl's G4 today and it still has the original battery, I notice the start up was a touch weaker, the dome light a lil less dim etc. I like having the stronger battery, I just hope it doesnt wear out anything?

[Cobrajet]

I must say there is a difference in my electrical systems, for the better. I drove my girl's G4 today and it still has the original battery, I notice the start up was a touch weaker, the dome light a lil less dim etc. I like having the stronger battery, I just hope it doesnt wear out anything?

It should be fine. A battery with more reserve capacity won't hurt anything, as it is still 12v. I may hit my local Interstate Batteries on Monday and get an MT-85...just to see how it fits. With my car going on five years and 120,000 miles of pizza delivery, I am sure I am probably about due for a battery anyway.

I have noticed a little 'stutter' when my car is cranking over sometimes. Instead of going "wuh-wuh-wuh-wuh-VROOM" when I push the ignition button, it sometimes goes "wuh....wuh-wuh-wuh-VROOM". Always wondered if that was the battery getting a little weak or some other lurking gremlin.

[stevedmc]

Then I had no choice but to buy a new battery today. I went with Amaron and when the delivery guy installed the batt, the car started just fine. I still wanted to test the voltage of the old battery but I didn't get the chance to because it was traded-in during the purchase of the new battery.

Questions:

1) With all these observations, does this mean the old battery was really dead? I mean it is already a month shy of 3 years old. We live in a tropical country (Philippines) and people say 3 years is already a long time for a battery life.

2) Is it worth refilling a maintenance-free battery in hopes of reviving it? I kept thinking "what if" I did this instead of buying a new battery. I'm reading that this is not worth it because you're simply prolonging the inevitable for a few more weeks or so, but still!

3) I guess a voltage test doesn't give you the whole story, does it? Does one need to do a load test to determine if a battery is really in a good state?

Amazon delivers and installs car batteries now? Correct me if I am wrong, but won't that suck if the new battery fails and you have to do a warranty exchange?

This whole thread would have been a lot shorter had the battery been purchased locally. Drive up to your local parts store, or Walmart, purchase a battery, they go outside and install it for you, and they keep the old battery as a core. Since you would no longer have the battery, you wouldn't be worried about trying to make it work again.

[Dirk Diggler]

It should be fine. A battery with more reserve capacity won't hurt anything, as it is still 12v. I may hit my local Interstate Batteries on Monday and get an MT-85...just to see how it fits. With my car going on five years and 120,000 miles of pizza delivery, I am sure I am probably about due for a battery anyway.

I have noticed a little 'stutter' when my car is cranking over sometimes. Instead of going "wuh-wuh-wuh-wuh-VROOM" when I push the ignition button, it sometimes goes "wuh....wuh-wuh-wuh-VROOM". Always wondered if that was the battery getting a little weak or some other lurking gremlin.

I delivered pizzas in college for 2 years, that can be a downright scary job, I got some horror stories. Did you know if you get in a wreck and dont have a commercial drivers license your insurance could drop you? Same thing with uber drivers. Uber forum as some horror stories of their drivers getting in a wreck, their own insurance company, not uber's, dropped them because they said you only have private insurance which doesnt allow using your ride for commercial purposes. If you get dropped its worse than a DUI on your record. Your premium for the new insurance company your forced to get could charge you triple what youd pay because they would consider you a risk. Be careful driving bro! Dont let work force you to put that marquee topper on your ride, its their way off getting out of any responsibility. Getting commercial insurance is pretty expensive too.

[Dirk Diggler]

It should be fine. A battery with more reserve capacity won't hurt anything, as it is still 12v. I may hit my local Interstate Batteries on Monday and get an MT-85...just to see how it fits. With my car going on five years and 120,000 miles of pizza delivery, I am sure I am probably about due for a battery anyway.

I have noticed a little 'stutter' when my car is cranking over sometimes. Instead of going "wuh-wuh-wuh-wuh-VROOM" when I push the ignition button, it sometimes goes "wuh....wuh-wuh-wuh-VROOM". Always wondered if that was the battery getting a little weak or some other lurking gremlin.

You'll get a kick out of this. People phoned in their pizza delivery scary stories and this animates them on utube
https://youtu.be/l4Fz6gIJqLc

[Top_Fuel]

I have noticed a little 'stutter' when my car is cranking over sometimes. Instead of going "wuh-wuh-wuh-wuh-VROOM" when I push the ignition button, it sometimes goes "wuh....wuh-wuh-wuh-VROOM". Always wondered if that was the battery getting a little weak...

Interesting...my 2015 is starting to do the same thing. I was going to get my battery load tested out of curiosity.

[Mark]

Group 35 & Group 26R are recommended replacement batteries for the Mirage, & they are a very common size.

If someone is really stuck on finding a group 85, Rock Auto lists one of their batteries as a Group 35/85

https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo...6JbZ0S2NA7v2P6

In another thread someone bought a 24F, because they felt ripped off with fewer CCA offered with the group 35. They cut up their battery box to make it work, & I would never do that. Any replacement battery will probably be better than the wimpy factory battery.

I don't mind changing a battery myself. When Walmart/AutoZone will do it in my home town for free, I will go that route. That way your exchange is done, too. I see no need to overthink something as simple as a battery.

[Eggman]

I was going to get my battery load tested out of curiosity.

The good news is you do a load test every time you start your engine.

You should be okay this summer, right? I say watch for sales on batteries and worry about it come next winter.

I see no need to overthink something as simple as a battery.

I agree, and this underlies my approach to all this.

There's no need to spend lots of money on specialized tools and diagnostic equipment for something that's otherwise not serviceable. There's not much that can be done for these SLI batteries. Water *may* be added to top off the electrolyte. That, and keep it charged. But other than that once the battery no longer works, it doesn't get rebuilt or repaired, it gets replaced.

[Cobrajet]

I delivered pizzas in college for 2 years, that can be a downright scary job, I got some horror stories. Did you know if you get in a wreck and dont have a commercial drivers license your insurance could drop you? Same thing with uber drivers. Uber forum as some horror stories of their drivers getting in a wreck, their own insurance company, not uber's, dropped them because they said you only have private insurance which doesnt allow using your ride for commercial purposes. If you get dropped its worse than a DUI on your record. Your premium for the new insurance company your forced to get could charge you triple what youd pay because they would consider you a risk. Be careful driving bro! Dont let work force you to put that marquee topper on your ride, its their way off getting out of any responsibility. Getting commercial insurance is pretty expensive too.

Yeah, I know about the insurance thing. My company allows it as long as you are only working part-time. Pretty mellow area where I live.

Oh, and I carry a .380 Remington in my pocket...just in case.