My wife and I meet for lunch quite often, and yesterday was no different. I had my mind set on purchasing a new battery this weekend, as the starts have been a tad harder than I like. Also, my 2010 SHO had the original Motorcraft battery.
So I pick up my wife, we eat, then I drive back to her office parking lot, and park. The Nav screen went black with the accessory power still active. I start showing concern, and my wife asks what. "I think the battery is giving out sooner than this weekend." I say.
In typical wife fashion, she says "Can't it last through the end of the month?"
"I am not sure it is going to last until the end of the week... why, what is at the end of the month?"
"Nothing, I just figured we could get every last drop until it is replaced" She replies.
"Batteries don't work that way, when they die, they die..." Just as soon as I said it, I had a bad feeling.
I press the ignition button, and hear "clickclickclickclick"
I shake my head and say to my wife "See, just like that"
So I tell my wife not to worry, go back to work, I will go pick up a battery at the local Advanced Auto Parts, and I take our Xterra and pick one up. It is the Autocraft AGM Platinum 65 series, which uses the Absorbed Gas Mat technology instead of lead-acid.
This is the same battery as Duralast Platinum, made by Johnson Controls, so they are good quality.
In the 92 degree direct sun, in my slacks, shirt and tie, I am pulling the old battery, popping in the new one (45lb monster of a battery) getting the tie down in place, etc.
Now she is starting like a dream. I should have went with my gut and replaced the battery sooner... but it worked out ok in the end. :)
Great story! I love happy endings.
Batteries are one of those things that just drive me crazy! When the one in my F-150 died (after just 7 years...they just don't make these things to last! lol) I had decided to get a Optima, loved the weight savings and have heard nothing but good things about them. But wife went to Sam's Club and found a battery (name brand, just can't remember what it was) for around $63.00 with 36 month warranty vs the Optima which was $169.00! I couldn't justify the extra money so got the one from Sam's Club and it worked great...was still working great when I traded the truck 3 1/2 years later. And it had like 970 CCA and the specs were all great...all for $63.00. Never regretted it, but I've still always wanted an Optima, just hard to spend the extra money...maybe I will bite the bullet and get an Optima when the SHO battery goes south....
Funny thing, Optima does not make a battery for the SHO, I suppose because they are huge 65 series batteries. I just replaced the battery in our Xterra 4 months ago with a redtop, and love it... but no go for the SHO. The Duralast / Autocraft AGM 65 I just bought are made by Johnson Controls which in turn makes Optima using the same tech, just not in the spiral configuration. Mine was $169.