[Smitty73]

Yep, like others already said, the car doesn't care what the source of its voltage / amperage is, so long as it's the correct voltage and adequate amperage to do the job. Whether that's a lead-acid battery or AGM doesn't matter (At-rest voltage is only 0.2v higher with an AGM). Something else is preventing the remote start from functioning.

Battery pricing, like everything else, is not what we are used to. It has been mentioned here many times, that there are 3-4 manufacturers of vehicle batteries here in the US. Vendors have a battery made to their spec, with the trade name they want on it.
Although I am an AZ battery fan, the last couple purchased here, are the Walmart Everstart Maxx. When AZ wants $150 and up, and the EM can be had around $100, with the same warranty, the EM is my choice. As long as your choice is equipped with the vent, I think you will be fine. At one point (I think), AZ was price matching WM, but not any more.

I just replaced a 16 year old (not a typo) Everstart Maxx 75N batter on my c.1995 Grasshopper mower. AZ wanted $150+ for their equivalent battery. The new EM was $112 out the door, same 3 year warranty. When I showed the guys at the counter the original receipt on the little pouch stuck to the old battery, they both said WOW, and added that I should not expect the same from the new one.

Don

WOW, that's the longest service life I have EVER heard of by a long shot! They must've screwed up and doubled up on the lead inside. Curious if there was a weight difference between that battery and the one you replaced it with? What part of the country are you in? I'd wager it's someplace with cool temperatures most of the year.

Longest life I ever got was out of a battery I bought for my '72 El Camino in Phoenix, AZ. The batteries out there have to be built a little tougher than the rest of the country, since the heat severely shortens the life span. I got 12 years out of a Sears Diehard Gold from out there after it spent 10 years of its life here in MA. I got almost 13 years out of a deep cycle battery that came from Interstate Battery for a plastic fishing boat I have. It mostly got used for winching dead cars onto my flatbed trailer. When I was living out in Phoenix, 4-5 years was an above average battery lifespan. The heat was tough on rubber, and electrical components like starters and alternators, too.

 

[Don Fox]

Smitty:
SW Ohio is where I call home. Keep in mind that the Kubots 3 cylinder diesel on the Grasshopper does not pull much to start. Our summers here are fairly warm, and humid, but not like you are out there in AZ with the heat. Good quality auto batteries usually go 4-8 years in normal service here. Fleet service is another story. The fleet of cruisers at my department would be lucky to go 3 years. Lots of stopping/starting/idling there. Once the oem units crapped out, the garage would install Interstate, or whatever was the low bid that month.

Don

 

[Smitty73]

Nice - I've got relatives in New Philadelphia on the eastern side. I moved back to MA in '01 where I was born and raised, unfortunately. Loved AZ and CA, but the cost of living in CA was too much. Had a motorcycle accident that kept me out of work for a week, and I had to bail out after that.

Great info, Don - I appreciate it. Yeah I've seen a lot of retired cruisers, and they are BEAT, especially with the roads and the road salt up here. It kicks the crap out of them. I can see the battery and engine abuse with all the accessories, and constant stopping, starting, and long idling times. Everything wears out quick in those conditions!

Still surprised you got that length of time from that battery. Usually diesels pull some BIG amps when starting to overcome the high compression, and glow plug use. Either way, that's a fantastic life span!

 

[Sketchmo]

Costco price on Interstate Battery is $177.99

 

[Don Fox]

I swapped a 2004 Crown Vic Sport for the Grasshopper back in '17 after adding my '14 Charger to the fleet in the Fall of '16. The battery in question, was in it when it came to me. The previous owner, a very good neighbor, wanted an extra car, and knew how well I take care of mine. He was not using the mower, so I gladly gave it a new home.
I had not heard of Grasshopper mowers until he introduced me to them. Nice mowers indeed, but generally above my price class. The current version of the 721D I have, runs $10k plus these days with any sort of options.

Don

 

[Z06Trev]

I recently replaced the battery in my 2016 R/T. Note that the battery for the Hemi Durango is often incorrectly listed as size H8. The correct battery is the smaller size H7. I believe the larger H8 battery was used in the police special service package. The H8 will fit, but it uses a different mounting bracket.

Regarding whether or not an AGM battery is required, the original factory battery is definitely AGM and vented. I suspect that an AGM battery was specified because the installation procedure requires that you tilt the battery to fit it under the passenger seat. If you tilted a standard lead acid battery with a vent, it may be possible to spill some acid.

 

[Tin Foil Hat]

It's already posted that the H8 will fit with a smaller bracket available from Mopar (or part of a hockey stick as one member used successfully) and the AGM is needed because it's vented which is mandatory inside the vehicle.

 

[shadash]

It would be interesting to figure out why Police Durangos use H8 and regular ones use H7.

I installed an H8 in mine and all the electronics seem much more stable. If this is actually real + not just placebo effect it would make sense to use H8s on Police versions because of all the additional electronics.

Heres what some site said was the difference between H8 and H7...

"The H8 battery has a better capacity than the H7 with a cold crank start of 1000AMPs in cold weather and a reserve of 140. The major difference you will discover when you switch to an H7 or H8 from lower capacity batteries is that your vehicle will usually start on the first attempt."

 

[Tin Foil Hat]

The H8 just has a little more capacity and slightly higher CCAs. That is why it's used in service vehicles.

 

[shadash]

The H8 just has a little more capacity and slightly higher CCAs. That is why it's used in service vehicles.

I agree. But the question is why use an H8 vs H7. There has to be a reason they chose to not just use the H7.

Again my bet is that with all the custom electronics cops put into their cars that Dodge chose to go with the H8.

I have a fully loaded Citadel with the tech package. When I put in the new H8 all kinds of odd little gremlins like the radio stations or seat settings not being saved but after a full restart they all come back went away. Also cranking starts are almost immediate vs 3-4 cranks.

 

[Z06Trev]

Regarding whether or not an AGM battery is required, the original factory battery is definitely AGM and vented. I suspect that an AGM battery was specified because the installation procedure requires that you tilt the battery to fit it under the passenger seat. If you tilted a standard lead acid battery with a vent, it may be possible to spill some acid.

After thinking more about this, I'm guessing the AGM battery is specified for safety reasons. You definitely need a vented battery in the passenger compartment, but you can get conventional lead acid batteries that use vent tubes. I think the AGM battery is specified to eliminate the possibility of acid leaking into the passenger compartment during an accident, particularly a severe accident, like a roll over.

 

[76Aspen]

Well, the aux battery has apparently died on the wife's 2018 D Citadel, and I am not finding any of these batteries in stock (AutoZone, Advance Auto, Carquest, O Reily's etc) in central NC. Autozone said they dont stock them anymore. Are they that popular that they are sold out, or are world events conspiring to reduce the production and availability of the batteries?

 

[Tin Foil Hat]

They don't stock them because they probably don't sell many of them. I would bet most people see the price of the battery and just decide it's okay for the engine to idle at a stop.

 

[76Aspen]

Well, the aux battery has apparently died on the wife's 2018 D Citadel, and I am not finding any of these batteries in stock (AutoZone, Advance Auto, Carquest, O Reily's etc) in central NC. Autozone said they dont stock them anymore. Are they that popular that they are sold out, or are world events conspiring to reduce the production and availability of the batteries?

OK, now for the dumb part:

After reading several internet pages, kept seeing references to other things causing the start/stop warning besides the battery. Ran a rather complete OBD2 scan using my Bluedriver tool, and it noted a problem with the hood latch. Did not think anything about it UNTIL I saw references that the SS warning can pop up if it thinks the hood is open. Went outside, and sure enough the driver side of the hood was slightly up. It turns out that I changed the oil recently and had left a socket on the driver's side of the front, and that was enough to keep the hood switch from triggering. Of course, I figured this out AFTER I (finally) found a new auxiliary battery and spent $100 and 30 minutes changing it out.

Lesson learned: don't fire the parts cannon until you do a little bit more research. (Still quite disturbing that these batteries are no where to be found [except Interstate batteries] within a 50 mile radius of central NC. Hope the DD does not have any real problems in the immediate future until the automotive industry gets back up to speed with the production of chips and spare parts.)

 

[MattChance]

(Still quite disturbing that these batteries are no where to be found [except Interstate batteries] within a 50 mile radius of central NC. Hope the DD does not have any real problems in the immediate future until the automotive industry gets back up to speed with the production of chips and spare parts.)

This is actually a big problem. The useless owner’s manual has zero information about the battery, opts out of a diagram of its actual location or how to remove it, nor that it has to be a certain very specific type. So when the day comes that you find yourself stranded with a really dead one and nowhere to procure a quick replacement, is it gonna require a tow? I didn’t intend to have to carry a full socket set with me in prep for a seat removal everywhere I go… if that even is where it actually is located now (current models). I have seen zero proof of this.

 

[Tin Foil Hat]

You only need to slide the passenger seat fully forward and tilt the seatback forward to gain access to the battery compartment where both batteries, if equipped, are located.