Is it ok to buy a cheap car battery?

[SusieQ]

I need to buy new car battery. Has anyone heard about GS Tropical? It's cheaper than other batteries. Sabi nung tao sa shop mabili daw to sa mga PUJs kasi cheap sya pero he will not say how long it will last.

[[archie]]

kung kapos sa budget, well why not.

pero two things to consider:
you get what you pay for.
gaano katagal warranty.

personally, ill stick with motolite kasi tried and tested brand na yun and may warranty.

hth

edit: welcome to tsikot maam...

[coiter]

try to research the particular brand and look for positive feedback.

but for peace of mind and most probably longer warranty, better get a known brand. hirap nang matirikan sa gitna ng daan. try outlast. alam ko medyo cheaper sya than motolite but is quite good too.

[ezem]

my advice is, if you can't afford the motolite excel, atleast buy the enduro

or

buy a tactical brand that has the same plate number/ quantity per cel of the motolite excel...tactical brands are dynapower and mercury battery. the makers of these tactical brands are the same makers of the motolite. you can know the plate number by looking on the engraved part of the top of the battery, usually very near the top sticker, then the last 2 digits of that code is the plate qty per cel...though naka styro pa di ba yung top and bottom kung bnew...if that's the case, just ask the shop attendant which of the tactical brand batteries have the same plate qty per cel like that of the motolite excel. enduro has 9 plates per cel, gold has i think 11 plates per cel, and excel has 13 plates per cel

and oh, GS battery's maker is the same as motolite's...dry charge nga lang yata ang GS and low maintenance yata and not maintenance free...GS battery, i think, is from oriental yuasa - also from the makers of motolite and oriental batteries


welcome to tsikot ma'am SusieQ!

[ezem]

sorry double post

[Francis Porter]

That's also a problem with a newbie like me. I tend to look at prices when buying. I always look for a carinderia where PUJ drivers eat for a great deal and a good meal but I dunno if that relates to batteries.

By the way I read an article weeks ago questioning the reliability of the GS battery brand.

[SusieQ]

Thanks for all your advice...

Was seriously considering buying the GS Tropical kasi the price difference is really significant compared to the other brands. Imported din daw kasi yun.

Pero one of my friends also said the same thing that most of you guys are saying - to get the known brand nalang (ang maintenance free) baka daw mas magastusan pa ako in the long run if I get the cheap battery and it conks out on me after just a few months.

Are there any sites that review car battery performances or compare man lang? Ang dami palang brands in the market.

[ezem]

if you want a battery that is not expensive but have a good quality, next to the motolite series...try the dynapower...
eto site for specs of motolite battery and battery selector for you to know what's the best battery that they can offer your ride...

http://www.motolite.com/

[ezem]

ggrrr double post na naman

[[archie]]

Pero one of my friends also said the same thing that most of you guys are saying - to get the known brand nalang (ang maintenance free) baka daw mas magastusan pa ako in the long run if I get the cheap battery and it conks out on me after just a few months.

hindi pa maintenance free yung GS? go for maintenance free batt na lang... one less thing to worry about the battery water.

[paolorenzo]

I need to buy new car battery. Has anyone heard about GS Tropical? It's cheaper than other batteries. Sabi nung tao sa shop mabili daw to sa mga PUJs kasi cheap sya pero he will not say how long it will last.

Here's the link provided by Xt7, regarding GS Tropical.

http://www.journal.com.ph/index.php?...c=15&aid=66293

[alwayz_yummy]

ako, budget ko pang 2,500 pesos na non-MF/low-maintenance battery.. kasi ganun din naman, bili ka ng expensive MF battery, after 1-2 years, papalitan mo din naman.. so be practical nalang..

maganda pa ng non-MF/low maintenance, kung sakaling may alternator prob ka at na fully drain baterya mo, madali lang din pakargahan.

kaya lang naman madali masira ang baterya kasi faulty ang charging system mo, most of he time because of a mis-diagnosed regulator IC defect ( bibihira na ang may separate voltage regulator) which tends to over charge and/or undecharge the battery.

but the downside lang ng cheap, well, swerte na maka-2 taon sila..kasi maninipis ang plates sa loob. so dapat alagaan mo nalang din sa tubig ng baterya at charging system mo.. its handy na may good-brand VOM para macheck mong nasa 12.1-14.5V range palagi at hydrometer

[Galactus]

Like what the others have said, your prime consideration should be length of warranty. In my case, yung stock Motolite batteries ng mga sasakyan ko didn't last long (mga 19 months lang). Buti pa yung Metro Force battery ko, 4 years ang tinagal before dying up on me.

If I were in your shoes, I'd go for tried-and-tested generics than branded batts. Tutal, in 2 years time, papalitan na rin naman yan.

[valvura]

Like what the others have said, your prime consideration should be length of warranty. In my case, yung stock Motolite batteries ng mga sasakyan ko didn't last long (mga 19 months lang). Buti pa yung Metro Force battery ko, 4 years ang tinagal before dying up on me.

If I were in your shoes, I'd go for tried-and-tested generics than branded batts. Tutal, in 2 years time, papalitan na rin naman yan.

I'm in my 4th year using Motolite Enduro in my Revo. May confidence in every start even vehicle is used once a week only. No need to charge in-between.

I bought a dry charged battery (not sure if 'GS' but made by motolite with a small 'motolite' mark?). Madali siyang ma-drain especially when car is not used so often (once a weak or more).

I don't change batteries periodically (2 years), not until I sense mahirap na siya i-start.

[1D4LV]

Here's the link provided by Xt7, regarding GS Tropical.

http://www.journal.com.ph/index.php?...c=15&aid=66293

eh nako. meron na palang ganito eh... forget it.
stick with reputable brands.. mahirap itirik lalo na kung umuulan...

[XTO]

Here's the link provided by Xt7, regarding GS Tropical.

http://www.journal.com.ph/index.php?...c=15&aid=66293

nice avatar pao.

katakot isalpak sa mga matic yan. pwede pa sa manual, once you noticed na medyo hirap na from previous start, me remedyo pa like turning off a/c and some accessories. eh pano kung nasa loob ng motel si andres-

[SusieQ]

Here's the link provided by Xt7, regarding GS Tropical.

http://www.journal.com.ph/index.php?...c=15&aid=66293

Thanks for the link Pao.

[froshie1]

Medyo matagal na ang thread pero I guess relevant pa rin ito especially these days na mahirap ang pera. Btw, my answer is yes ok lang bumili ng cheap car battery pero I'll just recommend 1 brand na naexperience ko and that is Electron.

Pinost ko din ito sa VCP copy ko na lang.

If you want the best bang for the buck battery, buy the Electron brand. It was made by Motolite Philippines downside of this is it's not maintenance free. My last battery was an Electron and it lasted for 2.2 years. It only cost around 1250-1400 pesos. It broke kasi natuyuan pero hindi ako tinirik ng sasakyan ko (1.3J variant). Nalaman ko lang na it's time to change kasi whenever I crank the engine at coldstart iyong fuel guage ko goes back to 0 and up again and iyong temp lights ko from blue magiging red then blue again. Eh sa 1.3J sign iyon na mahina na ang battery (so ayan sa mga J owners dyan hehehe na hindi pa alam ito)

Para sa akin the best ang Electron, if I monitored the water levels of my Electron baka umabot pa ito ng another 1.5+ years. Noong nakita kong tuyo kasi hindi ko na sinugal at pinalitan ko ng panibagong battery. Ang pinalit kong battery ay iyong mahal naman na variant: Motolite Gold para macheck ko kung tatagal ito ng more than 3 years. Pero yeah mathematically speaking mas maganda pa rin ang Electron kaysa sa Motolite Gold (isipin mo 1.4php lasted for 2.2 years) while iyong Gold eh dapat more than 4 years bago mo mabawi ang binayad mo. Pero wala gusto ko lang maexperience ang Gold and sakaling masira ito eh babalik ako ulit sa Electron.

[reym]

Had a bad experience with a non MF battery. I bought a Champion brand which only lasted for 3 months.

Medyo matagal na ang thread pero I guess relevant pa rin ito especially these days na mahirap ang pera. Btw, my answer is yes ok lang bumili ng cheap car battery pero I'll just recommend 1 brand na naexperience ko and that is Electron.

Pinost ko din ito sa VCP copy ko na lang.

If you want the best bang for the buck battery, buy the Electron brand. It was made by Motolite Philippines downside of this is it's not maintenance free. My last battery was an Electron and it lasted for 2.2 years. It only cost around 1250-1400 pesos. It broke kasi natuyuan pero hindi ako tinirik ng sasakyan ko (1.3J variant). Nalaman ko lang na it's time to change kasi whenever I crank the engine at coldstart iyong fuel guage ko goes back to 0 and up again and iyong temp lights ko from blue magiging red then blue again. Eh sa 1.3J sign iyon na mahina na ang battery (so ayan sa mga J owners dyan hehehe na hindi pa alam ito)

Para sa akin the best ang Electron, if I monitored the water levels of my Electron baka umabot pa ito ng another 1.5+ years. Noong nakita kong tuyo kasi hindi ko na sinugal at pinalitan ko ng panibagong battery. Ang pinalit kong battery ay iyong mahal naman na variant: Motolite Gold para macheck ko kung tatagal ito ng more than 3 years. Pero yeah mathematically speaking mas maganda pa rin ang Electron kaysa sa Motolite Gold (isipin mo 1.4php lasted for 2.2 years) while iyong Gold eh dapat more than 4 years bago mo mabawi ang binayad mo. Pero wala gusto ko lang maexperience ang Gold and sakaling masira ito eh babalik ako ulit sa Electron.

[mina_nuka]

usually you get what you pay for. don't expect a cadillac when you paid for a daewoo