Battery Size and Replacement

[Eggman]

Here are Group 35 batteries listed as replacements for the Mirage.

I updated the chart of the established battery vendors in post #3. Since that post grew too long for the forum to accept as a single post, I split the budget & house brands and put them in the next post.

There's a lot of information compiled in one place. I hope you find it helpful.

I once thought the Optima batteries were the best money could buy. This little research project shows the Odyssey 35-pc1400t is the clear winner.

The PartsTech website was a big help in compiling this list.

[Mark]

I once thought the Optima batteries were the best money could buy.

Appreciate all the information that you have shared regarding batteries. Optima batteries have changed where they are made. Apparently, that has impacted their quality. Corporate greed (lets build them somewhere cheaper & charge our customers more money for them) may have killed a good product, but I have never used them.

Never Buy This Car Battery - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKo5iJ2rH7o

[Eggman]

Never Buy This Car Battery - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKo5iJ2rH7o

Thanks Mark.

I can't watch another Scotty Kilmer Youtube video. Too much hyperbole for me.

Doing this battery research reminded me of all the folks here who have additional use for electrical storage in their Mirage. The security guard and the ride-share drivers (Uber & Lyft) who pass time using their electronic devices while waiting. Also, high-power audio systems or electronics that are on 24/7. Rather than spend hundreds for a dedicated battery pack, I found there are some SLI batteries with greater capacity that would better tolerate the discharge cycles. I'm not sure they would solve their problems, but it's a possibility. And it's one that should fit without much modification (thus the sizing info included in the charts.) Because with modifications (as with much else in life) time is money.

[Mark]

I can't watch another Scotty Kilmer Youtube video. Too much hyperbole for me.

Scotty shares some very good insights on Optima batteries. I really don’t care what people think of Scotty. If someone intends to spend the extra $$$ on an Optima battery, they may be interested in what he has to say.

I am willing to shop on line for a lot of things, but car batteries are not one of them. Thus, my car battery search isn’t going beyond where I am willing to drive for one.

* When I replace a car battery, I want to exchange my old battery. Having a place like AutoZone, Walmart, or Farm & Fleet store take care of the install/exchange is important to me.

* Should a car battery fail under warranty, I want the replacement process to be super easy! That includes places that not only sell batteries, but they also test/install them. Have fun returning a failed battery bought through Amazon or other vendors.

I don’t think you have to look that hard to find a quality battery. A couple factories make most car batteries. Johnson Control and Exide Technologies are two of the larger companies.

In my area, I believe Blaine’s Farm & Fleet (nearby community 35 miles away) offers the best value in car batteries. If I needed a car battery in a hurry, I am not opposed to buying one from AutoZone or Walmart (town I work in 12 miles away). All three places test/install batteries. If a car battery failed under its replacement period, I believe all three stores will take care of you.

I like finding the best deal on most things. Heck, I bought my Mirage from a dealership 4 hour away. When it comes to car batteries, however, I am buying local.

[Eggman]

Scotty shares some very good insights on Optima batteries. I really don’t care what people think of Scotty. If someone intends to spend the extra $$$ on an Optima battery, they may be interested in what he has to say.

Optima may not have the same quality as they once had but I still think they have a pretty good product compared to what else is out there on the market today.

There are manufacturers who have caught up with Optima and their spiral-wound construction, and some have even surpassed them in capacity and longevity. It's true - if it's not a value to you and doesn't meet your needs, there are plenty of other options.

This is a big reason why I went through the trouble to seek out and list the different batteries I could find. I have noticed comments here on the forum of members trying to find the battery with the best capacity, maybe at the best price. Loren wanted to shed weight. Having the various options listed in one place can make it easier to compare.

I could have just made this list and kept it on my computer. I posted this list for the benefit of all who care to read it, not just for myself or a select few. Things will change over time - new products and technology will be introduced and some will be dropped. This info should still be a helpful starting point for those shopping around for a new battery when the time comes.

[Eggman]

I am willing to shop on line for a lot of things, but car batteries are not one of them. Thus, my car battery search isn’t going beyond where I am willing to drive for one.

* When I replace a car battery, I want to exchange my old battery. Having a place like AutoZone, Walmart, or Farm & Fleet store take care of the install/exchange is important to me.

* Should a car battery fail under warranty, I want the replacement process to be super easy! That includes places that not only sell batteries, but they also test/install them. Have fun returning a failed battery bought through Amazon or other vendors.

Interesting. I don't think I had mentioned getting a battery online? I agree with what you're saying here though.

Of all the batteries I can possibly list, some may be available locally, some not. I think the better automotive parts supply stores will try to get what a customer wants (not all, of course.) And if you purchase your favorite battery through your favorite local parts supplier, they (should) service what they sell.

[Eggman]

I don’t think you have to look that hard to find a quality battery. A couple factories make most car batteries. Johnson Control and Exide Technologies are two of the larger companies.

In my area, I believe Blaine’s Farm & Fleet (nearby community 35 miles away) offers the best value in car batteries. If I needed a car battery in a hurry, I am not opposed to buying one from AutoZone or Walmart (town I work in 12 miles away). All three places test/install batteries. If a car battery failed under its replacement period, I believe all three stores will take care of you.

I like finding the best deal on most things. Heck, I bought my Mirage from a dealership 4 hour away. When it comes to car batteries, however, I am buying local.

I agree. It is also my understanding that there's only a few manufacturing plants making batteries for various brands & vendors. Some plants are domestic, some not. Most have global operations in an attempt to avoid local environmental laws.

I've easily found lots of info on batteries made from the East Penn Manufacturing plant, but cannot find who or where Johnson Controls makes (or gets) theirs - but that's mostly because I haven't really looked into them.

However, don't think Exide is a Great Company doing Great Things. They have problems in the communities they have operated in, and instead of doing the right thing in their business operations they have abandoned the sites for others to deal with the cleanup (read: taxpayers.)

Wikipedia: Exide Technologies

Exide has been the subject of much controversy regarding environmental practices in the past. Lead and other dangerous chemicals coming from Exide's plants have repeatedly polluted communities around the United States

There's much more about their business practices here:

Wikipedia: Exide lead contamination
Sears Battery Fraud Scandal

In March 2001, Exide plead guilty to fraud conspiracy charges and agreed to pay a fine of $27.5 million to end a federal criminal investigation into auto battery sales to customers of Sears, Roebuck & Company. The case arose from investigations and accusations that Exide conspired with Sears to sell used batteries as new to Sears customers and that Exide officials had paid bribes to conceal the fraud.

I know many folks don't really care how their stuff is made or the business practices of the company making & providing the item - so long as it's cheap. I get it. It doesn't make it right, especially if it's in your /our neighborhood.

With Sears, Exide got caught. It makes me wonder how many other places sell used batteries as new? It sheds light on how some batteries don't last two years when they should last at least 3 - 5 years.

[Mitz]

Here are Group 35 batteries listed as replacements for the Mirage.

Group 35 Make & Model	AH	CCA	Length	Width	Height	Weight	Warranty	Cost
Bosch AGM S6523B	50	680	9.53" 242mm	6.73" 171mm	7.76" 197mm	40 lbs 18.14kg	48 mo
Bosch S5523B	50	640	9.76" 247.90mm	6.89" 175mm	8.86" 225mm	37 lbs 16.78kg	36 mo
Bosch S4523B	47	550	9.76" 247.90mm	6.89" 175mm	8.86" 225mm	34 lbs 15.42kg	24 mo
Bosch S3514B	40	540	8.74" 222mm	6.73" 171mm	8" 203mm	31 lbs 14.06kg	12 mo
BOSCH S4 - 80D23L (P/N 0 092 S47 028)	70	560	229mm	172mm	222mm	16.7kg
BOSCH S5 - 90D23L (P/N 0 986 A02 234)	75	650	229mm	172mm	225mm	17.3kg

Two (2) more Bosch added to the BOSCH line up..

[Eggman]

Two (2) more Bosch added to the BOSCH line up..

Nice.

You added the Bosch S4 - 80D23L & S5 - 90D23L, right?

Do you have a link to these?

[Mitz]

Nice.

You added the Bosch S4 - 80D23L & S5 - 90D23L, right?

Do you have a link to these?

I cannot find US links for these batteries but they are available in other parts of the world. I had purchased the S4 in my country as replacement for the stock Hitachi battery.

S4
https://www.boschautoparts.com/en/au...s/s4-batteries

S5
https://www.bosch-automotive-catalog...uct/0986A02234

S4 spec sheet
http://batteryworld.co.ke/wp-content...14_Fin_WEB.pdf

S4/S5 Battery Brochure
http://www.bosch.co.nz/car_parts/en/...roch_Final.pdf