New Battery Recommendation for CR-V?

As with any car or car part, someone has had a bad experience with it. I had 3 Bosch batteries in my Buick in 2 months. The first 2 were replaced under warranty, and the third one lasted until I sold the car. But it left a bad impression of Bosch products. I’m sure others have had good experiences with Bosch.

Wherever you get the battery, read the fine print and make sure you don’t get the cheapo line of batteries. For example, Wal-Mart sells a “value” grade that is black in color, a mid-grade that is red in color, and a premium grade that is gold in color. The black one has replacement for one year and no pro rating after that. The one I got went out like one month after one year was up. It just died with no warning at all. Batteries usually get weak and then die. This one just went to zero voltage. The gold batteries have a 3 year free replacement and I think 2 years of pro rating after that. They are also better batteries. Sure, the cheap ones are junk but don’t buy those.

I’ve always lived by the rule of getting pretty much the most powerful battery that will physically fit in your car. Consider how long your plan on keeping the car too–if you’re going to sell it in a year or two, it’s not worth spending money for the top of the line battery with a 5+ year warranty. But if you plan on keeping it many years, it might be worth getting the battery with the longest warranty.