Original factory Panasonic battery in my RX-8 lasted 7 years. The 'premium' Exide I replaced it with is on it's way out now after only 4 years.
When I bought my 2006 4Runner V8 three weeks ago, it had the original Panasonic battery on it's last leg and I had it replaced with a Toyota True Start battery. The 4Runner only had 109,600 miles when we had that battery replaced.
FYI I went with the Bosch 96R. It weights about 34 lbs and fits no problem although I did need to add a small wedge on top of the bottom lip to lock it down with the stock mount. It has a 3 year free replacement warranty and cost me just about $87 OTD @ PepBoys after turning in my $15 core. It's been more than a year and the battery has been rock solid with very little use.
The last two batteries I bought for my GTi, were specified for a Mk4 Golf/Jetta. Both of them were Bosch and they are both different sizes. Both of them ran me about $150 I went with the Mk4 batteries because Pepboys didnt carry for a Mk3. But both of them are fine
Lead acid batteries work great and have a reputation for going the distance.
just replaced 4 year old battery in my 2010 Wagon. It was not really a rocket science but it was nice to have a write up nonetheless. The biggest issue for me was to figure out group size for my battery: supposedly both 47 and 48 work but I wanted to get an exact model. After some online research and hard measurements it was clear my current battery was group size 48. Went with Bosch from Pep Boys for 108 (with tax and after 30% coupon). Despite the car being without the battery for 8+ hours, I had no issues with codes, errors, etc. The only thing I needed to adjust was the time.
Some BOSCH batteries used on VW cars last around 2 years or a bit more but cost appropriately.
I tried my spare key, and the first time I used it, I got a weak battery warning. I never had that warning on the key I regularly use. I replaced both batteries, and still had the problem.
Bosch batteries are no poorly made in china
I've been seeing the same issue with batteries branded under Bosch and Champion. On several cars, I rarely had to replace batteries, now it seems like it is a 1-2 year thing on any battery. They are dying faster without ability to recharge. I just posted in the Scirocco forums that my 3 year warrantied Bosch battery is no longer holding a charge and its not even 11 months since I bought it. Glad to know that I'm not alone in seeing that engineered battery obsolescence seems to have arrived.
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