I went through three sets of Motorcraft batteries, and went through miserable bouts of dead batteryitus with all three sets.
Then, on my way to Damascus, I saw the light...
Absorbed Glass Mat batteries. Once I installed two of those babies, my battery problems VANISHED. And that was 5 years ago. No 2 1/2 year battery life bs for me. These 5 year old batteries will still flip the truck over on it's side if I don't let go of the key fast enough. I have 6 halogen work lights in the back, that I can leave on for an hour, and still start the truck as if there were no loads present.
Now, these batteries aren't for the faint of heart, as they are $230 a piece. So you're looking at a $500 investment with sales tax (I probably paid about $400+ something, as they were $40 cheaper 5 years ago). But the piece of mind that comes from being free of the mystery of whether or not the truck will start is so worth it.
Whether you pay $100 for each battery every 3-4 years, or $200 for each battery every 7-8 years, the money works out to be the same. Actually, the AGM batteries are cheaper, when accounting for the value of time spent uninstalling and reinstalling lead acid batteries, which usually involves some clean up of the battery tray from acid spillage, etc. None of that work is required with AGM batteries. They are clean.
The batteries I have are NOT Optimas. Once Optima got bought out by JC, the materials got cheapened, and production got moved out of the US. People have consistently reported quality has suffered as a result.
So I chose batteries made by Enersys, the company that produces AGM batteries for use in the US Military, for fighter jets, tanks, naval ships, and secret stuff. Enersys also sells batteries to mere mortals like us, through their "Odyssey" brand name. But Odyssey batteries are difficult to buy, because they are sold through specialty boutique dealers that are not evenly distributed throughout the US.
The batteries can be bought online and shipped, but since the Odyssey AGM batteries use 99.99% pure virgin lead, that is more densely packed per cubic inch of the standard BCI battery sizes, the shipping costs are horrendous by weight. So the key is to buy local. Yet that is difficult, per the paragraph above.
So when Enersys announced entering into a marketing partnership with Sears, around 10 years ago, where Enersys would produce identical Odyssey AGM Batteries under the Sears Die Hard PLATINUM (key: not "gold"!) brand, I was thrilled. Sears has a store in every major metropolitan area in the US, and unlike specialty battery stores that are only open 9-4:30 M-F and closed on the weekends, making them unavailable any time I'm off work, the Sears store is open every night after work until 9 pm, and is also always open on Saturdays and Sundays.
Better yet, Sears warranties these batteries for 8 years, with 4 years free replacement, and 4 additional years prorate replacement, at no extra cost. Done deal. Best batteries I've ever owned.
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My previous batteries were specially ordered Motorcraft Tested Tough "SUPER DUTY" batteries, Part # BSD-65. (Note the BSD, as opposed to the more typical BXT) The BSD batteries were Ford's very best, and thus more expensive, and hence not stocked at any dealer that I visited on my hunt for them. Here is what made these Super Duty batteries unique:
1. They have 900 Cold cranking amps (as opposed to the 650, 750, and 850 CCAs of the Motorcraft Tested Tough hierarchy of similar group 65 batteries)
2. They have a 48 month free replacement warranty, with no prorata warranty (as opposed to the 84 month all prorata warranty of other Motorcraft batteries).
Essentially, the Motorcraft "Super Duty" batteries (which ironically were never original equipment in any Super Duty) were designed as a starting battery period. The thinner plate design, with more of such plates, produced higher cranking amps, at the expense of not as long of a life. They were 100% guaranteed for 4 years, and 100% NOT guaranteed thereafter. A sort of all or nothing proposition.
These batteries worked well in the first couple of years, and were noticeably stronger than the batteries they replaced. But by year 3 or 4, the same dead batteryitus started happening. My fault, really, as I only drive the truck when I need to do truck stuff. I don't use it as a daily driver. So when the truck sits, the battery charge dissipates. Note, this is not a problem with my Sears AGM batteries. My truck can sit for a month at a time, and no more problems starting.
When year four came and went on the Super Duty batteries, I realized that my initial plan of just bringing the Super Duty batteries in for my free replacements just prior to the end of year four would not be sustainable for the next four years, because I was unhappy with the previous year. I don't like having to open the hood to start the truck. So rather than get my free replacements, I switched to AGM. A trouble free experience is worth more to me than a cost free one.
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The Motorcraft batteries I had prior to the "Super Duty" were called the Motorcraft Tested Tough "MAX", Part # BXT-65-850. At 850 CCA, the BXT-65-850 is the largest, heaviest duty Motorcraft battery the dealers stock. By contrast, the original equipment batteries were only 750 CCA, if I recall correctly. I won't write about these 850 batteries, because most of you have no doubt already purchased them, used them, and recycled them for another pair. Nor need I talk about the original equipment batteries.
From my experience with Motorcraft batteries, the Super Duty BSD batteries performed the best. But that performance pales in comparison to the Sears Die Hard PLATINUM Absorbed Glass Mat batteries made by Enersys as a rebranded Odyssey. These batteries excel at doing what I need most from a battery... to sit there and do nothing, without losing charge.
