Has any one recently purchased an Exide Global Extreme L5/49 from Home Depot?
I've been searching the Dallas area (online) and the Home Depot site states no longer available (NLA in stores / cannot ship).

Thank you in advance for your guidance!

 

Yes, I purchased mine about 6 mos ago at my local HD

 

Il check when I go to work tomorrow. It doesn't seem that the website is working correctly
Mark

 

I and a couple of friends have purchased Exide Global Extreme or Exide NASCAR Extreme batteries at local Home Depots within the past two or three months. Try searching "Exide" at the HD website instead of the full names.

All that said, however, I've been wondering how long Home Depot would continue to carry the wide selection of Exide automotive batteries. The clerks at our local stores are always clueless whenever I bring back the old battery and have to find a manager who knows how to process the core return. I can't imagine HD is selling many Exides and won't be surprised if they phase them out. Tractor Supply carries some sizes of the Exide Extreme, but the last time I checked they did not carry the sizes typical for Jaguars, BMWs, etc.

Cheers,

Don

 

EAST PENN,--Deka makes a great many different brands.
Been using their battery's for 20 years or longer.

 

The nice thing about the Exide Extreme batteries is that our member Box was able to confirm with Exide that these batteries could tolerate the higher-than-normal charging voltages in the X350, which was designed for the original Varta silver calcium technology batteries which are no longer available in the U.S. I don't know if any of the East Penn / Deka batteries are similarly tolerant.

When our original Varta started to go at 8 years of age, I replaced it with a typical AutoZone Duralast Gold (made by Johnson Controls), but it only lasted a couple of years. That was about the time Box figured out the high charging voltage issue.

The Varta Silver Dynamic (non-AGM) is available in Europe but not in the U.S., as far as I have been able to determine. The Bosch S5 is a silver-technology battery available in the U.S. and may actually be made by Varta (Varta is known to have made many of the Bosch automotive batteries in the past). I don't know of any AGM batteries that are tolerant of the X350 charging voltages.

Cheers,

Don

 

I ran into this same issue last week. Home Depot can no longer get it.

I even checked the Exide website and found that the Exide Global Extreme is no longer available in size H8/L5/49.

I bought a Super Start Extreme from O'Reilly's instead.

 

While I was not yet aware of the high charging voltage requirement of the X350, I replaced the original Jag battery by a Varta AGM battery, thinking that it was the best product available.
That lasted only a couple of years.
Since then (thx to Box), the new Varta Silver Dynamic that replaced the AGM has been lasting for four years without any issue.
So, yes, avoid the AGM.

 

Originally Posted by Don B I don't know of any AGM batteries that are tolerant of the X350 charging voltages.That is why i stay with EAST PENN - DEKA;They told me about A G M's for my motorcycles, when they first became available, a long time now.Said for the difference in price they were well worth it.Vibration proof, no leaking, any position mounting, holds charge, long life,etc.All great selling points.But when asked about their use in any automobiles,Was told to save my money, not worth the price difference.The same with lithium ion battery's for motorcycles.They are just not there yet, was what i was told.I like dealing with truthful people.

 

I checked at work today (HD). We still have three on the shelf, but looked into it deeper and found that they were clearance. That means that they won't be replaced after they sell. Hmmm, maybe I should buy a back-up while I can. At that price $100.00, Will it go bad on my shelf if not used for a while? And what if I need to claim on my original battery warranty. Hmmmm.
Will the cells go bad on a brand new battery if not used?

 

My X358 charges (from memory but I check it often) at 14.6v for *5 MINS*, and then switches down to ~13.5v.

Whilst indeed the X350/X358 was designed for Calcium batteries (the manual says so), it is simply not critical, IMHO and besides Battery University says so too (AGM...2.4v/cell or more).

I am not necessarily recommending AGM vs any other type. I am saying that almost ANY lead-acid battery is compatible with the charging regime I described above. Due to the short higher-voltage time span, and even then it's within Battery University mentions.

I really wish people would stop banging on that Calcium battery is NECESSARY. Thank you.

(My trickle charger, being a Sunday Driver, also charges to 14.6v then drops down to 13.5v, which is all you can get in battery chargers. Some of the multi-stage chargers will go well over 15v at some stage, so I avoided them. Not because of the battery, but because I don't know what max voltage the car itself can handle)

(My career is electronics technician. I know just enough to be dangerous, as they say)

 

Mark in Main asked
Will the cells go bad on a brand new battery if not used?

If the acid is NOT IN the battery, & it's sealed to keep air out.
Your in great shape, if not it's life span is started already.
Use it or loose it more or less.

 

@Mark in Maine I have a spare calcium battery in my garage since years.
I believe batteries can live for long times when unused if they are regularly charges with intelligent chargers: the load is then very small.

@ChrisMills I have reported my own experience using an AGM on my X350.
Voltage on the X350 can go up (maybe up to 15V) temporarily beyond the safety margin that would ensure a long normal life.
@Box explained that.
Of course an AGM may hold for some time (a couple of years in my case) but it will be more strained than a calcium battery and will fail earlie while a calcium battery may hold for more than 5 years without issues (8 years for my original Jaguar battery).
Same for normal lead-acid batteries.
Calcium was recommended by Jaguar for the X350 for a reason...

 

Hi Chris,

The X350 Technical Guide clearly states that the system can charge at up to 15.3 volts, and several of our members, including myself, have experienced short battery life with conventional lead-antimony plate batteries.

Lead-calcium-silver plate batteries require higher-than-normal charging voltages. From the Wiki listing:

"Disadvantages: Silver calcium batteries generally require more charging voltage (14.4 to 14.8 V) and deteriorate rapidly in vehicles which do not provide the required voltage range. Alternators which never reach required voltage range will cause rapid sulfation due to battery never being charged fully. As a general rule, silver-calcium batteries should not be installed to vehicles or systems which are not specifically designed for silver calcium battery chemistry. This also may occur with static chargers, some of which fail to charge these batteries."

Charging voltages for conventional lead-antimony batteries are typically lower. According to Battery University, which you cited:

"The correct setting of the charge voltage limit is critical and ranges from 2.30V to 2.45V per cell. Setting the voltage threshold is a compromise and battery experts refer to this as “dancing on the head of a pin.” On one hand, the battery wants to be fully charged to get maximum capacity and avoid sulfation on the negative plate; on the other hand, over-saturation by not switching to float charge causes grid corrosion on the positive plate. This also leads to gassing and water-loss."

Multiplying 2.30V to 2.45V by six cells results in a charging voltage range of 13.8V to 14.7V for conventional batteries.

Here's the explanation of the X350 charging system from page 148 of the Technical Guide:



Obviously, the charging range of 13.6V to 15.3V is much wider than the standard range, with a significantly higher upper limit. Dividing 15.3 volts by six cells, the X350 upper charging limit is 2.55V per cell. We believe this, and the fact that the ECM's battery charge management programming is designed for optimal charging of a silver-calcium battery, are the causes of the shortened battery life many of us have experienced with conventional lead-antimony and AGM batteries.

Cheers,

Don

 

In my quest for a silver-calcium battery I recall a reference to the "Ford, '97 - '04' silver-calcium specification.
The search brought up the following items suggesting the seller's calcium-calcium battery was adequate.

Ford Calcium Silver Batteries - An Overview | Platinum International Limited
https://www.yuasa.co.uk/info/technic...ium-batteries/

Note however these tech notes limit the charging range to 14.8 V max. As Don highlights above: the '04 Technical Guide, p 138, states the ECM "always selects the high voltage (15.3 V) once the vehicle has started." (the ECM later reduces the charging voltage based on conditions)

I also found several battery charger manufacturers/sellers that had documentation for silver/calcium batteries but in the explanation they only discuss calcium/calcium batteries. It seemed as if these references assumed calcium/calcium was the same as silver/calcium. I also sense ChrisMills is implying the same thing in post #11 above. The Battery University resource referenced had info for calcium alloy plate auto batteries but I was unable to find info specifically for silver/calcium plate alloy auto batteries.

Silver calcium batteries - problems and solutions
"Talk Battery Issue 01, 2010" does differentiate, but goes on to explain how they (Century) engineer around the need for silver.


Given 15.3 V charging voltage - the question I'm left with is: "Are calcium/calcium alloy grid batteries the same as silver/calcium alloy grid batteries from a longevity / performance / charging standpoint?"


Best Regards, - William

 

@wwr I may be wrong but I doubt there is any silver in these batteries.
I suppose it is kind of "naming" the improved technology.
Calcium, probably there is some...

 

Hi Serge,

Wikipedia may be wrong, but the listing there states that these batteries do use plates of lead-calcium-silver alloy:

"Silver Calcium alloy batteries are a type of lead-acid battery with grids made from lead-calcium-silver alloy, instead of the traditional lead-antimony alloy or newer lead-calcium alloy. They stand out for its [sic] resistance to corrosion and the destructive effects of high temperatures. The result of this improvement is manifested in increased battery life and maintaining a high starting power over time."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silver_calcium_battery

No telling how much silver is in the alloy, but silver has the best thermal and electrical conductivity of all commonly-available and affordable metals, so it is used in lots of modern batteries and electronics.

Cheers,

Don

 

William,

Thank you for your research - I found the Battery Talk document to be especially instructive! This chart shows that very little calcium and/or silver is used in the alloys for these batteries:



As far as I know, aside from the Exide Extreme, the only other battery available in the U.S. that is suitable for an X350 is the Bosch S5 with silver calcium technology:

http://za.bosch-automotive.com/en_GB...msilvercalcium
https://in.bosch-automotive.com/en_G...s5_batteries_1

For reference, here's a link to the Varta Silver Calcium battery brochure:

http://mbhome.com.tw/webs/varta_calc...technology.pdf
Cheers,

Don

 

Sorry to report that HD has clearanced our favorite battery (exide global extreme) If you can find one still in a store, and need one, get it before there gone. We may have to go to the Bosch S5 in the future in the US, as we can't get the Varta. The Bosch is priced about the same, but does not have as good of warranty as the Exide. Now that I think of it, I'm hosed as far as a warranty, as they are no longer available. At what we paid, it's a strong battery, and if it died today, it would owe me nothing. I've gotten my $ worth out of it so far in frozen Maine. It appears that they last shipped to the stores APR 2018, so they are about 1 year on the shelf, no big deal.
Mark

 

1. My car charges to 14.6v, as measured. Of course I only have a sample of 1.

2. It charges at that for only 5 minutes. Therefore it does not overcharge any normal lead-acid battery. And not even fully.
(Taking it straight off fully charged, and after a short run of say 20~30 minutes, 7AH or so can typically be put back in the battery, yes I have an AH monitor)

3. I did not suggest AGM battery and do not have one in this car. Just a standard VRLA car battery.

4. If your battery lasts for just 2 years or thereabouts, you are abusing your battery by other means, don't blame the regulator.
(of course, some brands may be better than others, some may just be relabelled, but Exide doesn't have a good reputation with me for deep-cycle batteries for my boat, though a normal Exide car battery (kept charged) was fine for the starter meaning 8 years or so. And a boat system typically charges to 14.6v)

*ANY lead acid battery, other than a dud, will last for many years perhaps 10 IF KEPT FULLY CHARGED. NO car (any type) in-built charging does this in normal use. You have to put it on a smart charger to ensure fully charged. (and indeed, most of them have battery type selection)

*Let someone post that they have actually measured 15.3v

I spend more time monitoring the battery than driving. So don't ask me how to drive one LOL

Cheers