Aftermarket 12V Battery

[hayesdt]

Is there a brand of aftermarket 12V battery that fits the C Max, one that is not designated as a Ford product or that is acquired  through one of their 12V battery suppliers? 

 

Have any of us that have experienced several instances of 12V battery failure tried a 12V battery provided by someone other than your Ford dealer?

[SnowStorm]

From all the posts I have read I doubt there is anything wrong with the 12V battery.  Instead, something is draining it when the car is off.  To me, it looks like a good battery for the application and has a long warranty.  When I had a dead battery it was down around 3 volts.  Any battery will be dead with current drain that takes it that low that fast - my 2 cents.

[kostby]

Odyssey lists this battery (PC1200MJT) with 1200CCA as a replacement for the 590CCA Motorcraft BXT-96R/590 original equipment battery, with the footnote 'Vehicle battery restraints may require modification':

http://shop.odysseybattery.com/p/pc1200mjt-a?pp=12

 

I didn't find a 96R series Optima Yellowtop or Redtop battery in a quick search, but there could be other sizes that might fit.

 

At double the price, and double the CCA amp rating, a higher-capacity battery still won't prevent some malfunctioning module or device that is causing a constant power drain from draining the battery to the point where the car is DOA/unresponsive, it will just take longer to get to that point.

 

My 'failsafe backup' plan was a $50 rechargeable 'jumper battery', a much better investment for me, because it can also be used in other vehicles, will run 12v plug-in devices (like the Mobility kit air compressor when away from the car), power or recharge devices with a USB cable such as phones, cameras, and tablets, and serve as a work light if needed.

Edited May 10, 2014 by kostby

[SnowStorm]

The CCA rating does not indicate how long a battery will last under steady current draw conditions.  For that situation you need the amp-hour rating (total energy output versus peak current capability).  The 12V battery doesn't crank the ICE so the CCA isn't relevant to our problem.  A 10 amp load would drain the battery "overnight".  Lead acid batteries are designed as either "cranking" or "deep cycle" batteries.  My understanding is that designing a battery for a high CCA conflicts with getting maximum amp-hours.  Using the same physical size battery with a higher CCA will likely run down quicker.

[hayesdt]

Thanks for the information. I've decided also to go the route of a 12v jump starter that I store on the right rear floor of the car, plus I plan to use a regular 12v battery charger about every 2-3 months or so to charge the battery up fully. May even put it on a Battery Tender overnight once a week or two. All this until Ford develops a real solution. Just can't have this dead battery issue keep happening. Too much of a pain and so completely unreliable.

 

P.S. My wife and I both have C Maxes. Really love the cars except for the 12v issue. Mine's been towed in with Roadside Assistance 3 times, hers 2 times. My highly cooperative dealer has tried everything Ford has suggested several times -- couldn't ask for more effort on the part of my dealer's Service Department. But Ford needs to get this corrected once and for all.

Edited May 10, 2014 by hayesdt

[plus 3 golfer]

Odyssey lists this battery (PC1200MJT) with 1200CCA as a replacement for the 590CCA Motorcraft BXT-96R/590 original equipment battery, with the footnote 'Vehicle battery restraints may require modification':

http://shop.odysseybattery.com/p/pc1200mjt-a?pp=12

 

I didn't find a 96R series Optima Yellowtop or Redtop battery in a quick search, but there could be other sizes that might fit.

 

At double the price, and double the CCA amp rating, a higher-capacity battery still won't prevent some malfunctioning module or device that is causing a constant power drain from draining the battery to the point where the car is DOA/unresponsive, it will just take longer to get to that point.

 

My 'failsafe backup' plan was a $50 rechargeable 'jumper battery', a much better investment for me, because it can also be used in other vehicles, will run 12v plug-in devices (like the Mobility kit air compressor when away from the car), power or recharge devices with a USB cable such as phones, cameras, and tablets, and serve as a work light if needed.

You don't need a battery with a high CCA for the C-Max.  You want a battery with a high reserve capacity rating. See this.

Edited May 10, 2014 by Plus 3 Golfer