Vic-Viper

I desperately need a battery for my 2004 RX-8. I called my local Mazda, but they are having issues getting one due to the earthquake in Japan a couple months back. Any recommendations would be fantastic.

laythor

where are you located? you could walk into most any autoparts store and pick up a battery

amazon_jade

I can just imagine the derisive comments to follow this, but my car has had a wal-mart battery from '08 (from the previous owner) to just now.. it tested good but I replaced it anyway because the cooling fans weren't coming on as usual. I was out of town on vacation... lol

Anyway, solved the problem for me.

Vic-Viper

The guy on the phone made it seem like the battery needed to be very specific for the RX-8. Seemed odd to me so I thought I would ask here.

laythor

search around here and you'll find a threads upon threads about aftermarket batteries for the 8. I'm currently running an optima yellow top remoted located in my trunk.

monchie

Just go to autozone.

Reaver

iTrader: (1)

Voltage is voltage, I'd be surprised if there was anything truly special about the batteries they're trying to sell you as opposed to a walmart battery except maybe durability, even that could be debated though.

StealthTL

iTrader: (1)

It has to fit the holder, but it's a very common size, Walmart, Costco, AutoZone will all have them.

Tip - they usually have a date code on the top, a sticker that says D1 or some other code - usually, the code starts with a letter that corresponds with the month--'A' for January through 'L' for December (some manufacturer's codes omit 'I'; for them, 'M' indicates December). The second character of the code is a numeral that stands for the year.
Thus, a code starting 'A2' indicates that the battery was shipped in January 1992; 'B2' indicates February 1992, and so on. (Delco reverses the letter and the number; a Delco code starting with '2C' indicates the battery was shipped in March 1992.)

batteries are charged at the factory, but after six months on a shelf they get 'stale' and will hold less charge forever - you want a nice fresh one from the rack.....

Huey52

iTrader: (2)

This is just silly talk. The OEM battery since the 2005 starter/battery upgrade is Interstate and they're readily available. So are a host of others.

jrx13

Yup, Interstate Batteries with a Mazda label. Even come in an Interstate delivery truck. Personally I like Interstate batteries, but I believe most batteries come from the same US factory. Johnson Controls or something.

I think it's considered Hazardous waste or something to ship batteries overseas from Japan. I think that is one of the reasons you can't buy the actual Mazda Miata Panasonic AGM battery (even though it won't spill) and have to use a regular Mazda/Interstate battery when they need a replacement.

New Yorker

I recommend the RX-8 sized Bosch battery sold at Pep Boys. So does Consumer Reports. About $90.

alz0rz

iTrader: (41)

The only specificity is finding a battery with the terminal posts in the correct orientation.

TeamRX8

iTrader: (25)

Onamazu strikes again ...

and is this a DIY on how to fail at putting the topic in the correct forum?