Still pissed at duralast but waiting to see if its the car's fault and not Duralast

Guess what color seal grey and acid turns into? A nice shade of blue before it eats thru the paint and metal... I just got my car back from HBL.. THe ride is really sweet, i'll post the settings soon.. Anyway, I noticed some blue paint mark on the front of the car.. After carefully inspecting the spots and trying to buff it off with my fingers the paint started to chip.. I then realize that I may have gotten a small drip of acid as I was removing the old battery.. As I got home today I carefully inspected the new battery to find that there is either water or acid at the lip of the battery near the overflow tube. I'm so pissed.. should have gone with the optima or the oem Moll battery.. I carefully removed the battery this time while holding a rag under the battery.. I removed the battery pan and soaked it in water and baking soda while scrubing it with a sponge. My question is, how long can I leave caked on baking soda and water on the paint of the hood? I dont want the acid to eat away anymore then it has on the paint/fender/hood.. Should I let it sit overnight? I'm taking this POS battery back to autozone.. Any recommendations between the optima and the moll? I understand with the optima I would have to fabricate a mounting system, is that right? Thanks for letting me vent..

Time to go postal

So is baking soda metallic paint safe? How long can I leave it on the car for? I didnt want to dilute the baking soda too much bc with the zaino the water just runs off hahahahhaha I basically used very little water to make a paste like substance and wiped it on.. How long can I leave it there for?

Sorry about the paint! BTW I did find your owners book out in the shop. Funny you should say "vent". I noticed that the Porsche vent tube did not fit well on the replacement battery and though that looked like the source of the leak. The vent tube on the Durlast is oval shaped. Batteries vent while charging. You might want to check the charging system as well. If the system is overcharging the battery it will cause excess off gassing and overflow.

Thats a very good point.. I was thinking about that as well. Maybe thats why my old battery died in under 2 years.. ANd the reason it didnt leak was because it may have been low on acid or fluid or whatever it is in that thing.. The tube is oval yes but the male it connects to on the battery is oval as well. I made sure it was pushed all the way in and snug. The battery even came with the adapter piece that connects to the porsche vent tube.. I pushed that sucker all the way in as well.. I dont think its leaking from the line.. It must be overflowing from the top or something.. I guess i'll have to drop it off tomorrow at HBL again.. How much are the oem moll batteries, anyone know?

redduck, sorry to hear about your battery issue. I replaced my original battery with the Optima and will not have to worry about leaking!. I used the DIY I found at Renntech.org to construct the base plate. Not a hard job at all! BTW, the baking soda should instantly neutralize the battery acid, get it off the paint as soon as possible.

That's one reason I got the Optima. Over a year and still works like a champ with no acid.

Baking soda paste will not harm the paint finish. I replaced my original battery with a $48 one from Sam's club. No need to pay big bucks when not needed.

Thats what I initially thought, but after 2 leaky battery and a film of acid on my pan, I think i'm done with them... Too much trouble for the amount of money you save..

One leaker I might blame the battery but having two in a row I would look into why. Installing a 3rd might just continue the problem. Where was the acid coming from? Why so much leaking out? The only place it should be able to get out of the unit is the vent hole. Is the conector realy air and fluid tight? Pressure test the next one you install if it has a vent tube conection. Hook it up then spray some soapy water on the conection and and blow on the end of the tube looking for bubbles. For DE I inspect a bunch of P cars at each event in and don't see acid problems with cars with batterys in this location. 914s on the other hand...

Also check voltage to make sure the regulator is maintaining the appropriate maximum charge. If you are overcharging, pressure has to be released somewhere.

I picked up a 47 from Costco. Weight savings and cost savings! Cost me about $45.

Yea, just dropped the car off AGAIN, THey will look into the voltage regulator and the alternator.. If thats the culprit then they will replace that as well as the acidic battery tray.

I have had the POS Autozone battery in my 99 for a year. No leaks. Uber

well 2 batteries within 2 weeks time and leaks.. The service guy from the dealer said that the battery is the culprit. The voltage checks out at 13.8 and well within specs.. They charged me for the analysis bc they could not find any fault with the alternaator or regulator. He sstuck in the in factory recommended interstate battery and hopefully will work out. THe reason he gave me for the leaks from the top of the duralast was that it had too much fluid in it hence the acid slooshes around causing it to overflow.. Since I have an aftermarket battery in there they can always use that as an excuse.. I decided to bite the bullet and pay 130 for the factory recommended stock battery and if the sucker is still leaking then they will cover the acid damage. I really wanted to try the optima but its too late, the shop installed the interstate for me.. Maybe the next time around.. After 2 bad batteries I was hoping that it was the voltage regulator.. oh well guess I should be ok now except for the acid infested battery pan and blemish on my paint I'm just hoping autozone will let me return the battery.. If not i'm out another 60 bucks.. uberxy, have you checked your battery compartment lately? Are you sure you're not having any leaks? Did you get the group size 48dl? BTW, the battery pan cost 140 bucks yikes!!!! alot for a piece of sheet metal...

Autozone gave me a full refund for the 65 bucks.. THey also gave me a number to the general manager for my complaint with the leaks.. Funny yhing is, the interstate battery looks identical to the duralast.. Even down to the ca and cca.. The overflow tube is the same as well. I guess they were made in the same fatory in china.. lol.. HBL swears by the battery and now if I get leakage, they will replace/repair any acid damage done to the car as well as the battery (so they say).. Even thought the voltage regulator and alternator checks out ok, i still have my doubts.. How is it that two duralast battery ended up leaking on me while everyone else here who runs the duralast haven't had a single problem with them?? Paying 230 bucks for a battery isnt so bad right? If I keep telling myself that i'll sleep alot better at night.. BTW, who has the best price on the redtop's, sears?

Oh yeah.......$230 isn't bad. Just repeat that over and over and you will believe it.

They said they cleaned the tray and reset the radio for me..

Did you get the PCA discount?

no, was I suppose to have? Whats the discount?

If you're a PCA member, 10%!!!!!!

Oh, wait, I forgot, you got the HBL discount

lol Yeah they did hook it up with the 10%

Optima Red Top gel type no fluid sloshing around to worry about and it saves weight (13lbs). $98 at Cosco.

Looks identical to the duralast, but if the dealer warranties this one then I guess I feel safer..

Pressure test the vent line!

They cut the vent line to make it a shorter travel. The way it was before the line was looping around. How would I pressure test the vent line? Would a hand pump work? I'm not putting my mouth on it..