Battery OEM Mazda or AC DELCO

Just last week I had to change the original battery, because I was abroad for almost three months and the car had not been started even a single time. I left it outside and it's been constant -1/-5 Celsius here. So naturally the battery went.

I'm gonna 2nd the AC Delco recommendation. I have had nothing but issues with Duracell's leaking. I have never had an issue with AC Delco. Its the only battery I buy. The best.

Our household got its first EV earlier this year, mainly for the daily 20-25 km commute form my SO, and it’s been the best car purchase we’ve ever made (only bested by my 3, which made it to 10y w/o problems this year). That “small battery” that once worried us (or more like we intentionally went with the smaller offering)? Barely a drawback - in the summer, a single charge lasts a whole week. This EV has become our go-to for short trips, and while cutting running costs by 2/3 was a big motivator, it’s now just a nice side benefit. I love the torque and started to love the silent driving. especially in a traffic jam.

I put in ACDelco and surprisingly it lasted till last week (Aug 2024).

The AcDelco I installed in 2021 December died this morning so I'd say it's good. It lasted almost 3 years and I only park outside + have a whole sound system + aftermarket horns.

Basically many of the oem stock items for mazda are fine, but have notoriously short life expectancy. They have to cut corners somewhere. Battery and tires are the ones I've noticed that are good for a couple years at most before they are ran through. So yeah, I've had a mazda thay needed a new battery after 2 years, one that needed a new battery after 3 years. Just how they go.

Worst part about Mazda cars - battery can silently die on you. Instead once you're ~3 years in you're gambling every time you go for a drive.

OEM batteries are crap, replace it with something better, preferably an EFB one. Also, a healthy battery should withstand that time and even more, so yours was definitely at its end.

My car was sitting in parking lot with engine OFF and ignition ON - Android Auto was working and headlights/interior lights -> after about 15min music stops playing and I thought okay it's energy saver mode let me start engine.

But NOPE, there were some error messages, and engine couldn't start - battery was DEAD, I read battery are shit on new Mazdas and didn't want to deal with it myself and get it towed because of warranty.

Mazda uses cheap batteries, I have had to swap them on my last two CX5s