[obermd]

It's not just Chevy. I did some research on this last year and discovered that according to JD Powers batteries are the number one item to be replaced on new cars, even above the OEM tires, which are notorious for short life spans.

In the US the battery would have been replace by Chevy for free. Check with Chevrolet in your country about this. You may be able to get reimbursed for the replacement.

 

[Christrit]

Same problem with me, had a dead battery at the 1yr 9month mark... Turns out it was a dead cell and was replaced under warranty at no charge by Chevrolet...

I've found the GM (AcDelco) batteries to be not too bad, but like most things, you get a dud every once and a while...

 

[jblackburn]

They seem to have had so many problems with the 438CCA batteries that originally came in the Cruze (part supplier problem I guess) that they've been totally and completely replaced by 550 CCA batteries in all new builds and at the dealers for replacements.

Mine bit the dust at just over a year - replaced with a 550 that has been holding on to voltage (something the other one could never do right) just fine so far.

 

[obermd]

I wonder if the 483 CCA batteries were simply too small for the car's power requirements. This would cause the battery to have to work harder and thus be more likely to fail early.

 

[CHEVYCRUZE RS]

What battery are you looking at now ? Any green tops ? I've been looking just for an extra bump

 

[Soopah_Troopah]

speaking of OEM batteries, I noticed, while inspecting my new axle, that the OEM is almost too small for the compartment, theres almost two empty inches in the compartment anyone know the reason behind this?

 

[WhiteAndBright]

even above the OEM tires, which are notorious for short life spans.

I just had my factory tires replaced on Thursday, I made it 74,900 miles problem free..

I couldn't believe the life that I got out of them, this is by far the farthest I have taken a set of factory tires..

 

[Joegonzales22]

I too noticed a gap in the battery tray. You can always upgrade the battery size I suppose. Maybe install an optima brand down the road. Optima red or blue tops last long!!

 

[SCruze]

Well maybe the battery isn't just satisfying the power requirements, but apart from that Chevy cruze's parts just keep failing, Breaks just get weak after some time, this is the second time im replacing the brake plates.

Also my viper broke, the rubber just came out, & i have to replace it now. But no Major issues as of now. But its so Sad that cruze is only car which acts like upper hand in its class, because of the quietness, refinement, & driving thrill. I just don't see corollas, Hondas as an option which are plagued wid road noise.

 

[spacedout]

speaking of OEM batteries, I noticed, while inspecting my new axle, that the OEM is almost too small for the compartment, theres almost two empty inches in the compartment anyone know the reason behind this?

The OEM battery size is group 47, Read one user said a group 48 battery has the same dimensions but is longer. They claimed the group 48 fit, but I have never verified.

I purchased a group 47 diehard advanced gold AGM battery to replace mine, it claims 600CCA(stock is either 438CCA or 550CCA). The same battery in group 48 size is 700CCA but is probably overkill for most people.

 

[rcclockman]

Had Mine replaced by Dealer today and it was 600cca...I don't knw what the oem onewas..

 

[Robby]

Had Mine replaced by Dealer today and it was 600cca...I don't knw what the oem onewas..

FYI,

The original is a 525 cca.

Rob

 

[znaveed]

Battery died

iam from FIJI and my chevy cruze battery just died in 1 year and 5 months. and now the dealer is claiming that they only provide 1 year warranty to battery its seems like this dealer has made its own rules..
i have also noticed the battery compartment has space. i feel the battery supplied by GM doesnt have enough capacity since the vehicle is 1.8liter and the battery size is small due to the space is left in the compartment.

 

[Robby]

iam from FIJI and my chevy cruze battery just died in 1 year and 5 months. and now the dealer is claiming that they only provide 1 year warranty to battery its seems like this dealer has made its own rules..
i have also noticed the battery compartment has space. i feel the battery supplied by GM doesnt have enough capacity since the vehicle is 1.8liter and the battery size is small due to the space is left in the compartment.

Same battery tray for all versions…..over here, the 1.4T and 1.8 get a 525ah battery…..the diesels get a physically larger battery that just about fills the tray….they need the additional amperage for the high draw cranking that comes with a diesel as well as powering glow plugs.

In this country, the battery is covered for the full three year/36000 mile bumper to bumper coverage….you should consult your owners and warranty manual for the specifics in your country.
Prior to bumper to bumper coverage, battery coverage over here was only one year.

Usually the primary cause of early battery death, beyond mishandling from manufacturer to installation, is heat.
What kind of heat do you deal with in Fiji? Long periods of disuse can cause an early death as well……and, sometimes batteries short out for no real reason…..they just do…..same as they always have.

Rob

 

[Hambone-IT]

I bought a new 2014 Chevy Cruze LT and my battery just did the same thing after having the car a year and a half. They had to replace my negative battery connector due to it being under special replacement for free, But my dealership and GM would not do anything to help with the replacement of the battery. Any suggestions? He said my battery is rated for 600 and is measuring at 254. My question to GM and the dealership is how it the battery worthless in this short amount of time and how is this not related to the negative connector they are replacing for free. Any help is appreciated.

 

[jblackburn]

I bought a new 2014 Chevy Cruze LT and my battery just did the same thing after having the car a year and a half. They had to replace my negative battery connector due to it being under special replacement for free, But my dealership and GM would not do anything to help with the replacement of the battery. Any suggestions? He said my battery is rated for 600 and is measuring at 254. My question to GM and the dealership is how it the battery worthless in this short amount of time and how is this not related to the negative connector they are replacing for free. Any help is appreciated.

The defective negative cable and battery being bad are indeed 2 separate issues. Car batteries have a lifespan of anywhere from 1-5+ years, and it's really just luck of the draw. My experience with the ACD batteries has not been great, but the dealer did cover battery replacement under the B2B warranty.

 

[pandrad61]

Also my viper broke

The heck is a viper?

 

[obermd]

The heck is a viper?

It's a Chekov wiper.

 

[NickD]

Any number of issues, had batteries that lasted over 20 years. EPA is pushing for higher energy density batteries. Thinner plates, thinner insulation kind of thing. Marketing is pushing for so-called maintenance free batteries. No such thing as a maintenance free battery, electrolyte still evaporates leaving the top of the plates exposed. Environment another issue, actually the major cause of premature battery failure is down south with the heat.

But also in the north, the weaker the charge, the greater the freezing temperature of the electrolyte. A partially discharge batter will freeze up at a much high ambient temperature. Yet another cause of premature failure is the location of the voltage regulator. Was always external and placed near the battery. The charging voltage must decrease by 13 millivolts for each 1*C increase in temperature. To save cost, and dey all do this, mounted the voltage regulator inside the alternator where its heat outputs the incorrect voltage. Battery is typically undercharged and an undercharged battery will sulfate.

Probably noticed you have a Delco battery in your Cruze, Delco hasn't made a battery now in over 25 years. Only the god-like purchasing department knows who made this battery. In my own personal experience, and take this with grain of salt, Johnson Controls makes the best batteries, and Exide makes the worse. Ha, Exide, go ahead and sue me. Just my experience.

Worse thing for a battery is to let it sit, has a self discharge rate, even disconnected. But these always hot circuit cars are also drawing a so-called parasitic draw from the battery to aid this self discharge rate.

What really helps is to connect a maintenance battery charger that outputs precisely 13.5 volts pure DC voltage. I get these from Harbor Freight for around seven bucks each. But I have take them apart and trim the voltage to this 13.5 value. All over the place. Designed my own maintenance charger for my motor home and wired it in such away so its isolated from the alternator. It has three very expensive batteries, but these only lasted ten years, just had to replace them this spring.