[CerealKiller]

Since I switched to an AMG battery.. startups have been much better. They recharge at a faster rate and have a higher cold cranking amp rating.

 

[gregersonke]

Since I switched to an AMG battery.. startups have been much better. They recharge at a faster rate and have a higher cold cranking amp rating.

Same here, my northstar is still running happy 6 years later.

 

[Ken Chambers]

2014 Mazda3 has this problem in a severe way. I've had about 8 batteries so far. New battery May 2022 dead by October 2023. New battery in October 2023 is dead now after frequent drives, no sign of alternator issues. Neither the dealer or my (excellent) mechanic could find anything. I'm in a condo, can't use a trickle charger. Investing in a portable charger. Won't buy a Mazda again.

 

[gregersonke]

2014 Mazda3 has this problem in a severe way. I've had about 8 batteries so far. New battery May 2022 dead by October 2023. New battery in October 2023 is dead now after frequent drives, no sign of alternator issues. Neither the dealer or my (excellent) mechanic could find anything. I'm in a condo, can't use a trickle charger. Investing in a portable charger. Won't buy a Mazda again.

It's nothing wrong with mazda, specifically just the design tied to QA happens to have a smaller CCA battery. Most manufactures do this because Quality assurance process is typically 1 year. Trick is buying an oversized battery or buying something that nearly doubles the stock CCA and you should be fine. If you are doing a stock sized battery make sure you get a battery insulation kit as they don't like getting down to freezing or up to higher temps. An insulation kit will help protect the battery some areas of the country will come with one. Some will not.

 

[CerealKiller]

The stock battery insulation from Mazda fit my Group 35 Everstart AMG battery. I bought a new one from an online dealer, as the original got lost at some point. I think it was $30 or so..

 

[Zotz]

I fully endorse Odyssey AGM batteries.

What about Optima? Optima AGM batteries have fallen from their high position in the pantheon of automotive products, based on my recent experience. Once widely-praised, Optima batteries no longer appear to perform as well or as long as expected.

The Optima batteries I installed in our former '07 Nissan Quest and '07 Mazda 3 endured for several years, and were still performing well when traded away. The most recent batteries installed in our former '16 Nissan Rogue and current '18 Mazda 3 began showing weak behavior a mere two years into their lives, running down after less than a month of being parked. This became evident when we were away for several weeks in 2021. After returning home, I had to jump-start the cars a few times, and began keeping the Mazda on a Battery Tender until I could drive it at least once per week.

We traded away one Optima battery with the Rogue in late 2021, but the one in the Mazda continued, cranking slowly every time. Before I needed to put it on the tender all winter, in went a new Odyssey AGM. It's heavy and expensive, and a year later, still cranks reliably between infrequent drives (I haven't commuted regularly in nearly four years). Look at those brassy terminals. 😁

 

[CerealKiller]

Odyssey is a good choice but it costs double the price of Walmart's Everstart battery.

Avoid Optima and Interstate.. very high fail rates due to changes in quality and manufacturing over the last several years - per many customers reviews and a few articles I read.

 

[Zotz]

Odyssey is a good choice but it costs double the price of Walmart's Everstart battery.

Hard to argue with only $180 for a decent AGM battery with good warranty from a local superstore. That's a good buy. YMMV, of course, depending on which manufacturer made your particular model. Could have been East Penn or Clarios (acquired from JCI along with Optima).

 

[gregersonke]

View attachment 292998 View attachment 292999

I fully endorse Odyssey AGM batteries.

What about Optima? Optima AGM batteries have fallen from their high position in the pantheon of automotive products, based on my recent experience. Once widely-praised, Optima batteries no longer appear to perform as well or as long as expected.

The Optima batteries I installed in our former '07 Nissan Quest and '07 Mazda 3 endured for several years, and were still performing well when traded away. The most recent batteries installed in our former '16 Nissan Rogue and current '18 Mazda 3 began showing weak behavior a mere two years into their lives, running down after less than a month of being parked. This became evident when we were away for several weeks in 2021. After returning home, I had to jump-start the cars a few times, and began keeping the Mazda on a Battery Tender until I could drive it at least once per week.

We traded away one Optima battery with the Rogue in late 2021, but the one in the Mazda continued, cranking slowly every time. Before I needed to put it on the tender all winter, in went a new Odyssey AGM. It's heavy and expensive, and a year later, still cranks reliably between infrequent drives (I haven't commuted regularly in nearly four years). Look at those brassy terminals. 😁

They stole(bought Northstar) who makes their batteries now. The extreme series has the gold contacts like the Northstar. My Northstar is still going 6 years later where the factory had issues within 3 years and it was the 900 dollar special battery for the hybrids we had in 2014.

 

[JoeMini]

I actually whhen back to using a regular oem sized battery from Honda - same CCA but smaller size.
The 4LB lithium is being stored for summer use only

 

[Aegean]

I did not had issues with my battery. I bought my 2016 used with a 01/2019 date battery and still runs perfectly 5 years later. Now the SOH is 84% so still it has life left. However, the battery is an oversized 725 cca and size 24F which fits fine.

Maybe a bigger battery is the solution to have a car parked for days without discharging.

 

[zero_gravity]

my idle curiosity... for those that have battery drain issues, do you have the i-eloop feature? getting an AGM is great if that's your thing, but i don't have the need for it here. i looked and they're almost double the cost of a standard lead acid here. i get the cheap everstart batteries from walmart....and yes they seem to last. starts just fine in the cold and i have no issues with battery drain if i leave it in the garage for several days or even a week. it's a non issue here so makes it hard to justify spending more for a better battery.

but yet many are having glitches due to their batteries....so what's the root cause here? seems silly to be 'fixing' it with a bigger battery.

 

[MeteorGray]

Today's cars have many advanced features that require 12VDC energy to keep them active, even when parked. So, if the cars are not driven enough to allow the engine-driven alternator to keep the battery properly charged, the battery can drain down and cause problems.

I ran into this problem during the recent pandemic, Before the pandemic, I used to drive my 2015 Mazda3 regularly on the highway and experienced no recurring battery problems. In contrast, because of the pandemic, my driving habits have been curtailed significantly. I now can go for a week or more without having to start the car. As a result, I found it hard to keep the battery properly charged due to the parasitic drain that occurs when the car is not driven.

So, I had a choice: drive the car more and pay for more very expensive gasoline; keep the battery charged by keeping it plugged into a charger; or install a battery-disconnect switch which isolates the battery from any drain from the car.

I chose the latter. I have found that a $10 battery disconnect switch allows my battery to maintain a fully charged battery with a voltage level of around 12.7 volts even when parked undriven for a month or so.

The only disadvantages I have found is that I have to lift the hood to reconnect and disconnect the battery, and if I want their services, I have to reset the clock and the preselected radio stations. Even so, I'm happy with my choice.

 

[gregersonke]

my idle curiosity... for those that have battery drain issues, do you have the i-eloop feature? getting an AGM is great if that's your thing, but i don't have the need for it here. i looked and they're almost double the cost of a standard lead acid here. i get the cheap everstart batteries from walmart....and yes they seem to last. starts just fine in the cold and i have no issues with battery drain if i leave it in the garage for several days or even a week. it's a non issue here so makes it hard to justify spending more for a better battery.

but yet many are having glitches due to their batteries....so what's the root cause here? seems silly to be 'fixing' it with a bigger battery.

Yep, once I went to the Northstar those issues went away though.

 

[zero_gravity]

Yep, once I went to the Northstar those issues went away though.

That's about what I thought. I suspect that the electronic features like the ieloop are super sensitive to the battery voltage. I didn't buy the tech package and batteries are not an issue.

 

[gregersonke]

That's about what I thought. I suspect that the electronic features like the ieloop are super sensitive to the battery voltage. I didn't buy the tech package and batteries are not an issue.

It's not the i-eloop that's sensitive so much. It's more or less that the system does more recharge and discharge on the battery. I replaced mine about the time that on cold morning starts the HUD wouldn't raise up which was an early symptom of those with battery issues. The tech package itself has been wonderfully reliable up till one thing this year with the auto wiper doesn't sense rain anymore guessing it's a loose connection and the license plate lights were not LED so they failed. But everything else in the car is working as good as the day it delivered.

 

[zero_gravity]

It's not the i-eloop that's sensitive so much. It's more or less that the system does more recharge and discharge on the battery. I replaced mine about the time that on cold morning starts the HUD wouldn't raise up which was an early symptom of those with battery issues. The tech package itself has been wonderfully reliable up till one thing this year with the auto wiper doesn't sense rain anymore guessing it's a loose connection and the license plate lights were not LED so they failed. But everything else in the car is working as good as the day it delivered.

I'm more so just curious why battery problems seem to be so widespread and yet I have not experienced any. I buy a cheap lead acid, test it twice a year and rock on. The OEM lasted me 6 years.

I don't have any of the tech features besides auto headlights and auto wipers. Was thinking maybe that's why.

 

[gregersonke]

I'm more so just curious why battery problems seem to be so widespread and yet I have not experienced any. I buy a cheap lead acid, test it twice a year and rock on. The OEM lasted me 6 years.

I don't have any of the tech features besides auto headlights and auto wipers. Was thinking maybe that's why.

I dunno, I had a special battery for i-eloop cars and mine lasting over 3 years with no issues was apparently rare. The battery for those cars generally had more issues.

 

[dc9joe]

I was having the problem of a dead battery if the car sat unused for about two weeks. I bought a battery boost starter for about $140 and that helped when it was dead. I was sure there was a phantom draw but Mazda couldn't find one. The battery was new. After reading about others with the problem I changed settings on the car (no effect) then removed a USB cable that I used for my phone and removed a USB plug that had a blue light on it and went into my cig lighter. After that the car sat unused for about 6 weeks and then started right up. I think the problem is solved. This is a 2018 Mazda 3 with the standard battery. The problem became apparent after I stopped using it a a daily driver and would let it sit for 1,2,3 weeks.

 

[zero_gravity]

I was having the problem of a dead battery if the car sat unused for about two weeks. I bought a battery boost starter for about $140 and that helped when it was dead. I was sure there was a phantom draw but Mazda couldn't find one. The battery was new. After reading about others with the problem I changed settings on the car (no effect) then removed a USB cable that I used for my phone and removed a USB plug that had a blue light on it and went into my cig lighter. After that the car sat unused for about 6 weeks and then started right up. I think the problem is solved. This is a 2018 Mazda 3 with the standard battery. The problem became apparent after I stopped using it a a daily driver and would let it sit for 1,2,3 weeks.

The USB ports and 12V outlet are always hot on our cars. Unusual, but I rather like it. But yes this is a phantom draw if you leave something plugged in.