Battery

[AnthonyB]

A Subaru dealer ran abattery test on my wifes 2016 3.6r Outback. It failed and they want $550 for a battery. The battery is a 3 year old Interstate. No issue noticed while starting. I plan on taking it to Autozone or O'Reilly's Auto and have it tested before buying another Interstate, but I don't know if the test they do is as reliable as the dealers. Question. Could it also be the alternator. Is that a easy test?
Thanks

 

[piste]

either of those two or autozone i would trust more than a dealer. get youself a nice diehard platinum AGM for much less than that. NEVER EVER EVER buy batteries or tires from a dealer.

 

[AnthonyB]

Thanks

 

[piste]

Meant advance auto

 

[Subaru-V6-Outback]

Yeah… A dealer will bend you over and screw you in the rear. Go with a Die Hard battery or Optima battery.

 

[Raymond3006]

Beside replacing your Poor-Abused-Battery, you need to protect any New-Battery from Long-Term Sulfation Damages by making sure : 1) That the Charging Voltage Profile reaches at least 14.1-Volts after a Short-Time of Charging; 2) That the Alternator NEVER stops at least a Trickle-Charge while Engine is running !!!

If your Vehicle ever stops charging (Voltage less than 13.5 ) while running, that means that the Vehicle still has the Out-Of-Date ECM Charging Program controlling the Alternator, a problem that came from mis-guided EPA interpretations ... !

 

[pete]

Good call test it elsewhere first, and yes, a bad alternator can mimic a dying battery

 

[RonC6]

I recently found out my car was running on the battery. Darn idiot light is no help diagnosing a bad ALT (brushes wear out).
I'm told if you disconnect battery with car running, it should keep running on ALT. If not, ALT is not putting out. Another test is a simple volt-meter.. the 12 volt battery should be 14+ when ALT is working.

Load-testing battery is something shops can do for you or you can do your own if you have the tester. A new battery is roughly a little over $100. I used to be a Die-Hard guy, then switched to Everstart MAXX available a Walmart and have served me well. I usually go with the largest CCA that will properly fit in my space, more CCA is more power.