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Old 09-09-2012, 06:31 AM   #1
caineroad
 
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Buying aftermarket battery

Hi,

I am hoping to find out what sort of information do I need when purchasing an aftermarket battery? I have searched and people are telling me don't waste money on OEM battery but instead get a good big name one. I have made a choice for a brand but since there are so many batteries out there, how can I tell which one fits in our Yaris?

07 HB.

Thanks
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Old 09-09-2012, 08:10 AM   #2
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The Yaris has one of the most forgiving battery locations of any car I have owned. A wide variety of batteries will fit. The most important thing is that the battery have posts and that the posts be oriented like the ones in the picture below. If the posts were the opposite of the one below (with the positive being on the right with the battery in the position shown), the Yaris battery terminals would not reach.

The battery tray is 9 1/4" wide by 7" deep and a battery with a max height (to the top of the post) of 9" will fit. If you let the battery go beyond the plastic tray, a battery up to 11" wide by 7" deep x 9" high will fit.

The OEM battery is a 45 Ah battery (amp-hour is a measure of battery capacity, and a measurement that I give more merit to than CCA, etc.) Most 45 Ah batteries will be about the same size and weight as our OEM one. With the space available, you can easily go up to a 50 or 55 Ah battery, but I wouldn't advise going down in capacity.


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Old 09-09-2012, 08:16 AM   #3
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Measure the dimensions of your battery.

Go to Walmart and look up your Yaris. (Everstart is a good brand, get the Maxx if available)

Measure the recommended battery to be sure it'll fit.

Buy battery and turn in old one to be recycled.
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Old 09-09-2012, 08:24 AM   #4
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I'm gonna make this easy for myself, and several others here,

Hey Scott, just curious, what brand batteries do you have in your YARI?

I know when the time comes and that will probably be in the next year when I replace my original battery it will probably be with a Duralast Gold, (Autozone).
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Old 09-09-2012, 08:34 AM   #5
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Originally Posted by NEexpat View Post
I'm gonna make this easy for myself, and several others here,

Hey Scott, just curious, what brand batteries do you have in your YARI?

I know when the time comes and that will probably be in the next year when I replace my original battery it will probably be with a Duralast Gold, (Autozone).
In my 09 and Crashy 2 I still have the OEM battery. In Crashy I am running a Sonnenschein A212/50 50 Ah battery, which I snarfed from a field returned battery pack from a piece of equipment I used to work on. Not something available locally, but a great battery.

As mentioned above, with the dimension info and/or the look-up chart, you can walk into Walmart, Kmart, Sears, or any autoparts store and find one that will fit. I personally prefer AGM (absorbed glass mat) batteries to wet cell or gel cell batteries, but they tend to be quite a bit more expensive.
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Old 09-09-2012, 08:44 AM   #6
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Thanks everybody! I also heard AGM are the best. I am buying one today, battery died again 2 days ago. The stock battery has been in my Yaris for 6 years, finally giving up.
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Old 09-09-2012, 05:38 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DMZ View Post
Measure the dimensions of your battery.

Go to Walmart and look up your Yaris. (Everstart is a good brand, get the Maxx if available)

Measure the recommended battery to be sure it'll fit.

Buy battery and turn in old one to be recycled.
I just bought a new battery for my Yaris today at Wal-Mart at 224,946 miles. I replaced the OEM battery at 138,111 miles exactly 3 years ago today. So 86,838 miles on the Sears 1 year PlusStart I just replaced. Three years ago today I had milked the OEM battery to within 15-20 miles of death. I went to Wal-Mart. They said you need a #35 battery. They put a #35 battery in and the HOOD wouldn't even close (they showed me). I told them just to put in the same size as the OEM. They said they couldn't do that. They have a little machine (rep or customer -- customers encouraged to use it as well) next to the batteries in the showroom where Make, Model, and Model Year are entered and the rep said they can only install what the machine generates (in my case only #35). So, Wal-Mart refused to install a battery for me. I managed to make it across the freeway and down a few miles to NTB (National Tire and Battery) and they had nothing in stock that would fit my car (I didn't ask for details). I managed to make it almost directly across the freeway to Sears. I almost had to push the car into their bay. Sears said the size for my car is 26R not 35 and put in their Plus Start 1yr battery at 138,111 miles and it was 49 dollars and change plus tax.---fifty something total.

This turned out to be a great battery. Earlier this year I was getting some new interference on my radio and a few other things. I read some posts here, including some from trini_per4mance (472,000+ miles on his Yaris) that he changes his battery every year. In May of this year I saw the same Plus Start in my Yaris on the Sears website for 53.98 (about 4.00 more than I paid over 2.5 years ago) I decided to get one that day. I went to the same Sears I bought the same battery at 2.5 years+ ago. THEY TOLD ME THEY WERE NOT ALLOWED TO MATCH THEIR OWN COMPANY'S PRICE ON THEIR OWN WEBSITE, and that it would cost about 80.00 instead. I said no. I went to Starbucks and did a search on the Sears website and there was a small place to do a store pickup search and prompted for a zip code. Different mileage parameters were allowed and I picked the largest which was 300 miles. Sure enough, no store pickup was available within the max 300 miles searchable using the zip code of the store I visited. I decided to shelve this replacement for a bit and possibly try to make it to 3 yrs on the current battery.

Fast forward 3 months to August of this year and I noticed that Wal-Mart had a 1yr EverStart for only 53.98 in #26R and decided to get that, but would try to make the current battery last to the 3 year point (today).
This morning I went to a different Wal-Mart than I did 3 years ago today (about 10-15 miles away). I ran up against the same thing from 3 years ago with that same machine saying only #35 and they would only install a #35. Today I had more knowledge re the #35 than I did 3 years ago (especially see the 4 page thread "How Long Should an Original Battery Last?" and especially look at posts by RedRide), so I knew some #35 batteries do fit. The only #35 they have thay they said will fit the Yaris is the 3 year Free Replacement EverStart MAXX at a penny or two under a hundred bucks. Members have taken pictures of this battery and posted it to YarisWorld. I measured the battery and it was slightly taller than the Sears PlusStart 26R in the car, but would still clear the hood and not go over the edge of the platform in the engine bay. I decided to see what else was available as there were many alternatives close by. I went to O'reilly, Advance, AutoZone, and searched Sears. Sears still has the same not honoring the web price policy. The other retailers can't compete with Wal-Mart on 'value' (what guaranteed warranty you get for what price).

I went back to Wal-Mart and told them to install the 35 series EverStart MAXX that they had previously picked out. They started to install it and then the tech came back into the sales area and said "THE CLAMP WON'T FIT ON THE 35 SO I'M GOING TO PUT IN THE 26R". He looked at me while he was saying this (I think to see if I would object -- I didn't) and grabbed a 26R and started to put it in the car. When he was almost finished I walked out into the area with the bays and said what do you mean the clamp won't fit. He showed me. He calls it a clamp. I don't know what I'd call it. It comes out of the back of the battery platform, over the top of the battery and then is secured on the front side with a, for lack of a better word 'pin'. This apparatus fit snugly on the 26R. He showed me the top of the 35 and where it was scraped/indented from his trying to get the bar over the top to lay flat so the pin could be secured.

I paid $53.98 for the 1 year Free Replacement EverStart today. I was also charged the Texas State Battery Fee of $3.00. I was charged the state CORE (explained to me as environmental) charge, but Wal-Mart reverses that back out as a courtesy. I paid $4.45 of 8.25% sales tax for a total of $61.43.

I don't know why my car has this issue. Re the pictures members have posted to YarisWorld, I assume some members have 35 series EverStart MAXX batteries in their Yari. Perhaps it is something specific to 2007 Yari or LiftBacks or 2007 LiftBacks. The clamp MIGHT be something that can be adjusted so that the 35 EverStart MAXX would fit. I didn't ask about that because I wanted the 26R, I was just denied it initially. Thank goodness this Wal-Mart installed the 26R and didn't tell me I was SOL like the other Wal-Mart did 3 years ago.

I know from the "How Long Should an Original Battery Last?" thread, that the 35 series Optima Red Top is shorter and would probably fit (allow the clamp to close and be secured). I read the reviews for many of the batteries ------ I think if you want a 3 year guaranteed replacement battery that you can get replaced at a major nationwide retailer, the series 35 EverStart MAXX at Wal-Mart for 1 or 2 pennies under one hundred is probably the best value. If you don't think you'll keep your Yaris for 3 years or might want to replace it sooner with a fresh battery (my feeling) the EverStart 1yr guarantee I got could be a good choice or--IF you live in an area that will allow store pickup at the web price then you could get the Sears PlusStart 1yr that lasted me 3 years for only 1.00 more than I paid today for the 1 year EverStart.

Before my battery replacement today I was getting static on my radio (last few months), a slightly less than snappy ignition start, and the steering was acting up a bit. I was hoping that some of these things would be remedied via getting a new battery. the result --- snappier ignition, no more radio static (so far) and pulling in stations better, and the steering at this point seems to be normal again. The only con is that it is still idling a bit rough, but it is better in that regard than when I drove away from Wal-Mart. I remember someone else on a previous post spoke about having some of the same feeling from the car after driving away. This generated a reply and if I remember correctly it was something about the ECU having to read something from the replacement battery? My acceleration is better as well....just the idle issue as a negative. Hopefully after a bit more driving that will go away. I hope soon to be battery buyers find my experience helpful.
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Old 09-09-2012, 06:00 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by NEexpat View Post
I'm gonna make this easy for myself, and several others here,

Hey Scott, just curious, what brand batteries do you have in your YARI?

I know when the time comes and that will probably be in the next year when I replace my original battery it will probably be with a Duralast Gold, (Autozone).
I agree, your inquiry (What does Scott have in his Yari?) -- answered -- would produce what would PERFORM BY EACH INSTALLED MEASURE the best. However that MIGHT not be the same as what would be the best AND have a readily accessible guarantee (from a national chain).

I agree with DMZ. From what I read on other Yarisworld threads and on other websites re the MAXX, the Duralast Gold, and others, I'd pick the Maxx.
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Old 09-09-2012, 06:12 PM   #9
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Originally Posted by caineroad View Post
Thanks everybody! I also heard AGM are the best. I am buying one today, battery died again 2 days ago. The stock battery has been in my Yaris for 6 years, finally giving up.
1500 miles more North than due NE (Houston to Toronto) would definitely cause different things to be important to different buyers. I want a widespread (geographically) guarantee I can use if the extreme heat makes the battery crap out. I assume your performance concerns would be opposite of mine and most pronounced at a different time of year. Congrats re 6 years on your original battery!
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Old 09-09-2012, 08:57 PM   #10
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MISTAKE BY TECH -- ASSIST MGR OF WAL-MART SAID MAY USE INSURANCE

I made post #9 and most of the ones before it at a Starbucks. I had driven 63 miles after leaving Wal-Mart with the new battery installed. As I mentioned earlier in this thread, everything was 'cleared up excet I had this new roughness at idle that wasn't there before the battery install. After leaving Starbucks after post #9 I drove about 20 miles on surface streets. It didn't get any better. I pulled into the Kroger grocery store parking lot and shopped for just a few items. When I returned, I decided to take a picture of the new battery. I popped open the hood of my Yaris...AND I NOTICED THAT THE AIR FILTER BOX WAS APART WITH THE AIR FILTER EXPOSED. I assume the box had to be opened to get the old battery out. The new battery was installed, and the TECH PUT THE AIR FILTER BACK BUT DIDN'T FIT THE BOX BACK TOGETHER AND THUS DIDN'T PUT THE CLAMP ON. I SNAPPED IT BACK TOGETHER AND RECLAMPED IT. The IDLING got a LITTLE bit better. I did a few inteernet searches re this subject. My conclusion was that the first thing to do (car wise) is replace the air filter. I drove back to the Wal-Mart and talked to the Assistant Manager (Manager off), and we left it that I would ask a Toyota dealer what the next thing to do would be and then pay her a visit tomorrow (she's expecting me).

******What damage could have occurred by driving 63 miles with the air filter housing split open like that?******************
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Old 09-09-2012, 09:25 PM   #11
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I am thinking no damage, the filter was still in place. You didn't drive through any sandstorms etc.

Of course there are others here more qualified than I am who could speak to this.
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Old 09-09-2012, 09:44 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nookandcrannycar View Post
MISTAKE BY TECH -- ASSIST MGR OF WAL-MART SAID MAY USE INSURANCE

I made post #9 and most of the ones before it at a Starbucks. I had driven 63 miles after leaving Wal-Mart with the new battery installed. As I mentioned earlier in this thread, everything was 'cleared up excet I had this new roughness at idle that wasn't there before the battery install. After leaving Starbucks after post #9 I drove about 20 miles on surface streets. It didn't get any better. I pulled into the Kroger grocery store parking lot and shopped for just a few items. When I returned, I decided to take a picture of the new battery. I popped open the hood of my Yaris...AND I NOTICED THAT THE AIR FILTER BOX WAS APART WITH THE AIR FILTER EXPOSED. I assume the box had to be opened to get the old battery out. The new battery was installed, and the TECH PUT THE AIR FILTER BACK BUT DIDN'T FIT THE BOX BACK TOGETHER AND THUS DIDN'T PUT THE CLAMP ON. I SNAPPED IT BACK TOGETHER AND RECLAMPED IT. The IDLING got a LITTLE bit better. I did a few inteernet searches re this subject. My conclusion was that the first thing to do (car wise) is replace the air filter. I drove back to the Wal-Mart and talked to the Assistant Manager (Manager off), and we left it that I would ask a Toyota dealer what the next thing to do would be and then pay her a visit tomorrow (she's expecting me).

******What damage could have occurred by driving 63 miles with the air filter housing split open like that?******************


Chances are it is just a coincidence and that no damage was done. There is a TSB about running rough after disconnecting the battery that pegs the throttle body needing cleaning as the culprit. Disconnecting the battery clears the short term fuel trims, so the ECM has to do some relearning. If the ECM got used to a dirty TB, it can take quite a while for it to be happy with it again.
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Old 09-10-2012, 06:13 AM   #13
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Chances are it is just a coincidence and that no damage was done. There is a TSB about running rough after disconnecting the battery that pegs the throttle body needing cleaning as the culprit. Disconnecting the battery clears the short term fuel trims, so the ECM has to do some relearning. If the ECM got used to a dirty TB, it can take quite a while for it to be happy with it again.
Thanks! It is a little better this morning. While I was at Wal-Mart getting the new battery the four words 'ECM needs to relearn' kept running through my head, so I wonder if I skimmed that thread at some point. Lippitt posted a link to my other post about this and I followed that to two links posted by Altitude...one of which brought me to a post by yaris-me that reads "run a good fuel system cleaner". I know that thread wasn't specific to idle behavior after a battery disconnect, but if my idle doesn't return to what it was before the battery replacement would 'running a good fuel system cleaner' help my specific idle issue? If so, is there a 'good fuel system cleaner' that you would recommend?
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Old 09-10-2012, 06:39 AM   #14
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I am thinking no damage, the filter was still in place. You didn't drive through any sandstorms etc.

Of course there are others here more qualified than I am who could speak to this.
Thanks! I read recently that there is some sort of sand/windstorm that occurs in only two places in the world -- the deserts of northern Africa, and Arizona. I'm glad this particular incident with my Yaris didn't happen in Arizona.
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Old 09-10-2012, 06:56 AM   #15
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Thanks! It is a little better this morning. While I was at Wal-Mart getting the new battery the four words 'ECM needs to relearn' kept running through my head, so I wonder if I skimmed that thread at some point. Lippitt posted a link to my other post about this and I followed that to two links posted by Altitude...one of which brought me to a post by yaris-me that reads "run a good fuel system cleaner". I know that thread wasn't specific to idle behavior after a battery disconnect, but if my idle doesn't return to what it was before the battery replacement would 'running a good fuel system cleaner' help my specific idle issue? If so, is there a 'good fuel system cleaner' that you would recommend?
A fuel system cleaner won't help. Pick up a can of throttle body cleaner. The best way to clean it is to unbolt it so you can easily clean the entire inside of it.
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Old 09-10-2012, 07:04 AM   #16
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A fuel system cleaner won't help. Pick up a can of throttle body cleaner. The best way to clean it is to unbolt it so you can easily clean the entire inside of it.
Thanks!
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Old 09-10-2012, 01:35 PM   #17
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I left to get gas right after making the post directly above. I hit a fair number of red lights, and the rough idle was gone....smooth as silk...must have finished the process CT described in post #12. I thought the new battery would make SOME difference (the issue with the radio would go away, and the dome light might get brighter).....but not this....the change is wonderful....I've read posts re similar changes, but didn't think they'd happen to be because I didn't have the same experience when I replaced the OEM battery with the first new replacement 3 years ago. The car now has so much more zip, the difference is just amazing. I don't plan to use it much unless I need to pass, but I'm glad it's there. The interference re the radio is gone and the radio is pulling in stations like it used to. The dome light is a bit brighter. The steering is amazing. I was worried that there was something wrong with the rack or perhaps the bearings were worn, but I now think it must have been the electric power steering not working in optimal fashion with the old battery not dead but operating far from optimally. The steering is fine now....all the previous issues I was having have disappeared. The clutch feels as though it has more life left as well.

I drove to Gullo Toyota (just so I could feel 100 percent certain that the Wal-Mart tech's screw up hadn't damaged my Yaris) and spoke with one of the service writers. He said that if Wal-Mart had left the housing open and in the position they did AND had also not put the air filter back that some damage might have occurred with that scenario, but not with my scenario. He said the worst that could have happened in my case (given that I noticed what Wal-Mart did and corrected it) is that the Check Engine light could have been tripped.

I also arranged for my new replacement tires (same as the current ones -- Firestone FR710s) and will have them installed on Wednesday and the current set of 4 will hit 85,000 miles right before they come off the car.
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Old 09-22-2012, 04:41 PM   #18
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Please try to post your threads in the correct thread section. It's getting old moving all the stuff from the "general discussion" when this was more in the DIY/Maintenance/Service related. I've moved it to the proper sections
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