Story of the Battery
Early December I thought to myself I might be in the market for a new car battery. The last couple of nights getting out of the car the interior lights seem to turn off prematurely and each time I thought to myself, “hmmm, I didn’t turn those off.” Now since it’s happened a few times I’m thinking my battery is on it’s last legs.
It doesn’t help that recently my 2 year old has taken a liking to playing in the H3. He likes turning on the lights, rolling down the windows, opening and closing the sunroof, turning on and off the fan for a good 10 to 15 minutes almost every time we get home and pull into the driveway. That’s another story.
I threw a question out to my Hummer Friends at HummerXClub.com for their suggestions on what is the best battery on the market for an H3.
“I have a 2006 Hummer H3. What’s the best battery for the rig without too much fuss of installing?”
Many came back with great pictures of their installs. The overwhelming response was the Optima brand, more specifically, the Optima Red Top. Well as time passed by my battery grew weaker and weaker. I still hadn’t pulled the trigger as to which battery I’d get. In the long run the Optima Red Top would work the best however there were some immediate drawbacks.
Optima Red Top
CONS:
- I’d have to modify the existing battery enclosure in-order to for the optima to fit. It’s a little taller than the OEM sized battery.
- Possibility, based on current reviews of the battery, that it potentially could be hit or miss on getting one that was DOA or with non-working cells.
- Price. The Optimas tend to be a little more pricey than your everyday battery.
PROS:
- Well liked and a good name in the wheeling community.
- Powerful battery used in cold weather.
- Sealed and maintenance free and lasts a long time. (As long as you get a problem-free one…)
My dilemma? How much time would I have to physically replace the battery given the variable of my two year old son? In a perfect world, a couple of hours and a beer; in the real world, 3.5 minutes and a red-bull. I needed to find something in the middle.
Let’s jump to the end of the month, December 28th. The original battery lost it’s mojo. Not bad, I guess, it lasted a good 3.5 years 62K miles. I walked out to the parking lot after work, turned the key and there was silence, a silence similar to what I would give in place of vermouth to my dry vodka martini.
I was the last one out to lock up that evening, but luckily my friend and co-worker, Finlay G., was in the area to come back and help jump start it. He followed me over to the Sear Auto Center, given the lack of time I thought, “Die Hard, that will work.” Much to my surprise Die Hard/Sears don’t make a battery for the size the H3 needs. Bummer. The guy at Sears pointed me over to PepBoys a few miles away. Jump start and I was on my way.
PepBoys – for some reason the same smell of tires and stale car fresheners has stayed the same over the years. It triggered memories of when I was a toddler going up and down the aisles with my dad looking for parts for either the Pinto, the Corvair, or the Volaré. Classic. I went to the back counter and asked for a battery for the H3, they had one. And when I say they had one, I mean they had one. One brand and only one in stock. ”I’ll take it.”
Bosch Premium Plus
CONS:
- I hadn’t done any research on this battery.
PROS:
- I’ll fit.
- I can install with minimal time and effort.
Read the Installation Here.
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