Time to get a new battery. I am not happy with how ling my last (51R) NAPA Auto part battery lasted.
I'll likely get a Costco Battery this time.
It's $120 for the conventional, $185 for AGM.
My main drive is my commute (just 1.6mi on city streets) and some 10/20 minute trips around the valley. For 3 months of the year, it's kind of cold:. 20F-45F days,10F-35F nights.
I also do long road trips in the spring summer and fall. 7500 average per, year.
I run a decent stereo with a modest 8" sub and a 200 watt amp.

Suggestion from the Fit community is appreciated.Thanks.


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You haven't stated how long your NAPA battery lasted but I would advise forgetting about AGM and sticking to a standard battery again. AGM features may be useful on cars specifically designed for it. The Fit isn't.

 

I'm also curious how long your battery lasted. A 1.6 mile drive is probably not long enough to put a good charge back into your battery, not to mention the added wear-and-tear of regularly driving such a short distance where your car isn't fully warming up (especially in the winter).

I don't want to be that guy (but I am that guy who runs six days/week and bikes four miles roundtrip to town for the library or grocery store), but you might consider using your very own legs to get to work some of the time. Good for you and good for your car to get a break from repeated short duration drives.

 

Thanks, for the reply.
My NAPA battery lasted about 36 months. One must wonder why they sell a AGM battery for a car that came w/o one if the car must be "designed" for it. I also find it odd that many people with fine classic cars use AGM batteries as I am quite sure that most 1950s and 60's autos were not "designed" for AGM batteries.

 

Excuse me sir, you have no idea what considerations I have made, or how I live, or what my reasons for driving to work might be, but I get it. That is the kind of person you are.
And fyi, I do get back and forth to my place of work under my own power, when circumstances permit.

 

Go with a Diehard Battery from Advance Auto.

I'm currently running the stock form 151R Diehard Battery in my 2015.

I'll upgrade to the 51R Diehard Battery when my current battery needs replacing.

 

To the OP - Apologies if I offended you. I'm not trying to tell you how to live your life, just pointing out that the driving routine you describe is not conducive to a long 12v battery lifespan and is most likely hard on your car in general.

I'm still curious how long your battery lasted (one year? two years? four years?)? Apparently not long enough since you're unhappy with it. If you have the setup to allow it, you can probably increase the lifespan of your new battery by plugging into a battery tender once or twice per week for a top up.

 

It's good to know that you are satisfied with your DieHard batteries. Thank you very much for your helpful opinion.

 

You could point out that " the driving routine you describe is not conducive to a long 12v battery lifespan and is most likely hard on your car in general" without saying that I should "consider using very own legs to get to work." Fortunately, I have healthy legs and use my car for this commute for other well considered reasons, so I don't have much cause to be offended. One of colleagues is a competitive triathlete, lives close and she commutes via car as well for much of the same reasons as me. Suffice it to say, when I have, on occasion, the luxury to decide to do so, I relish making the trip on my bicycle or my moto. In any respect,apology accepted.

As posted above, I got about 36 months out of my NAPA battery.
As far as using a tender, that's a good suggestion, but I'd rather buy more batteries that do that. Miss Fit sleeps outside, so my Falcon and my moto can hibernate, with tenders connected, in the garage over the winter and, besides, I often cut my commute so close, time wise, that I'd likely forget to detach and damage my hood and garage door.


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Early Covid,I was working from home 100% of the time with only very short drives. The battery on the fit died. So I replaced it with a 51R from Walmart. I drive more, but still only 3-5k a year. Car is parked outside and no issues staying in mid Atlantic winters.

*I did have to trim the battery tray to fit the 51R

 

I've had good experience with basic Varta Blue & Silver dynamic flooded lead acid batteries. The last one lasted me like 8 years in the Miata despite running it flat more than once (left the light on) occasional short trips, and cold winters. They were also like $50-60 for the 40Ah that I got for the Fit and 52Ah for the Miata.

I imagine the options coudl be different in the US but I wouldn't expect tiny battery for the Fit to cost $120, that seems nuts.

 

I went to Costco, a monumental undertaking for me, to purchase the AGM 51r battery. As it turns out, the AGM battery, even though advertised on Costco's website, cannot be ordered or purchased. With other 51r group batteries being $250 or more, I just went with the acid bath at Costco, cause I was there.


Thanks for all the advice.


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