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Chinese Battery
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Bill,
I hope you have great luck with your batteries. All I can say is when I order Lifeline it is not a crap shoot. I have confidence I am going to get the 5 years I expect. I throw away a lot of good batteries because I don’t wait for them to puke. I want reliability.
When someone is selling a product for half of the going rate it is a big red flag to me. What were the date codes? Did they all match? My happiness in the coach is because I know I have matched batteries, manufactured within weeks of when I installed them and I know I don’t have to go through the installation for another 5 years. I am not a risk taker.
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Yes, my batteries were all new and all the same date code. We purchased directly from one of their warehouse locations in Las Vegas. I am sorry to hear you only got 5 years out of your Lifelines. That’s terrible if true. The set I just replaced lasted 10 years. That’s why I am hopeful that I get at least 5 out of these Universal batteries.
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So you just replaced a set of Lifelines that lasted 10 years and then bought Chinese!
What am I missing…
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To be clear, I am convinced and was convinced at the time I installed my batteries in June 2012 that Lifelines were the better battery. I made a choice to save the money and hoped for at least 4 years use out of these. I have learned from talking to other folks and reading these threads that others made the same choice with poor results. It will be a hard pill to swallow IF the same goes for me.
Tom is very kind to offer Lifelines at a MUCH better price than we can get any where else. I hope he is still able and willing to do that IF my private label Deka batteries bite the dust early! (Grin)
DKO
Edit: This was not in response to Tom’s comment above. Mine was just a general comment before I saw his. He asked a great question.
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You are not missing anything. I would have been missing an extra $1200 from my wallet had I bought Lifelines!
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The only thing I would add here is the issues associated with a bad battery. The last time we had an issue with batteries we could smell the rotten egg smell. The smell is not so bad,,,,, it is the idea that everything in the bays has been exposed to the acid fumes. Not good on the entertainment center or other adjacent bays and their non-acid friendly contents.
I was not aware that an AGM battery could and would expell gas like that when it fails. They advertise as a sealed non-maintenance battery but that just means sealed so you can not add water. They are still vented.
Hopefully the gassing battery is found before it has time to really do some damage. In my mind Jon has the right idea about changing them before they fail. Besides piece of mind you are preventing the chance of damaging anything else including the Cruisair, Wabasto and entertainment equipment located in that area.
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AGM batteries aren’t typically vented, if at all. They do, however, have a pressure relief valve to allow outgassing if the battery has a problem. An AGM that smells is almost certainly a sign of a bad battery or charging problem.
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Thanks Gil, sorry about the verbage.
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DKO,
No problem, I’ll be here when you’re ready and hopefully the price of lead won’t go up.. FWIW, I had a brand new set of Deka’s die early, less than 3 years, hope your’s go longer. I get no pleasure out of someone having to spend tons of money on batteries, it’s just a necessary evil.
Where should I send the Lifeline Key Chain so you have a reminder?:)
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The address is in my profile, Tom. Lol
DKO
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JUst so their is no misunderstanding I did not say my Lifelines only lasted 5 years. I said I removed them after 5 years because I don’t ever want surprises. I throw awy perfectly good batteries (and other components) because I assign a life to them, and once they have lived that long I replace them. I am not about to nurse a set of batteries. And I am not about to stretch 5 years into 6 (or even 10) to save a few dollars. If I need to save money that bad I don’t need a bus.
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It may be becoming clear to all here that I am just a working man trying deparately to keep my head above water. Throwing away good things is not an option for me. I would be 10’s of thousands of dollars ahead (and likely the owner of a newer coach) if I had not gotten screwed so badly by this coach and the failures of Prevost and Detroit to help fix things. In the meantime I just limp along with what I’ve got, spend money only when spending is required and hope it keeps running so I can keep making a living. If this thing goes I am homeless and unemployed.
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Replacing batteries before they die is a very good
idea. In fact, it’s such a good idea
that there are a number of IEEE, (Institute of Electrical & Electronic
Engineers), standards dealing with that very thing. In the stationary battery world, (these are the large industrial
batteries that make modern life possible), getting the most reliable life from
a battery is a science, but then these batteries usually cost between $10-200K
and the cost of them not working when needed can easily exceed a million dollars. Fortunately, in the bus and RV world, our
batteries while important, aren’t that critical or expensive.The end-of-life for a lead-acid battery, (both flooded and
VRLA, Valve Regulated Lead-Acid, these are both AGM and Gel types), is normally
defined as 80% of the manufacturer’s rated capacity at a discharge rate
equivalent to the load duty cycle.
Lead-acid batteries typically become unreliable once their capacity
falls much below 80% of the manufacturer’s rating. Battery capacity can only be determined by a properly
instrumented, constructed, and performed capacity test. This takes time, specialized equipment and
some knowledge; thus, this is not something RV or bus people are likely to do.Replacing bus and RV batteries on a time-in-service or age
basis isn’t a bad idea. Of course the
real question is what is a good in-service time or age to replace? The answer to that question depends upon all
the details as well as your acceptance or aversion to risk and spending
money.The important details are: Battery
design life.- Quality
of battery construction, (It’s one thing to say you have a 60 month
battery and another to actually build a 60 month battery). - Normal
depth of discharge. - Number
of discharges. - Battery
temperature, (High temperatures dramatically shorten life.). - Type
and quality of charging equipment.
All this adds up to an educated guess often referred to as a
SWAG. If you’re too conservative the
most you’ll do is spend a little extra money.
If you’re too adventuresome you’ll end up with a troublesome trip and
maybe some ruined equipment. I’ll take
the former over the later, within reason of course.Mike
- Quality
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Don’t take this the wrong way Bill, but it would appear from reading all of your posts that you have created many of your own problems. You posted:
It may be becoming clear to all here that I am just a working man trying deparately to keep my head above water. Throwing away good things is not an option for me. I would be 10’s of thousands of dollars ahead (and likely the owner of a newer coach) if I had not gotten screwed so badly by this coach and the failures of Prevost and Detroit to help fix things. In the meantime I just limp along with what I’ve got, spend money only when spending is required and hope it keeps running so I can keep making a living. If this thing goes I am homeless and unemployed.
End of quote.
You admitted that you spent $4000 at a Detroit shop and left before the issue was fixed. You have had issues that were not fixed by others and left without resolution of the issue. You said you had to get going for work, but complain that things are not working as they should after you spent all that money.
Maybe you should not be doing what you are if you are so tight on time, you are willing to leave a shop without the problem being fixed, and wind up paying $4000 in the one case you mentioned. I don’t know anyone who would do that…I sure as hell would not.
Maybe a plastic coach with easy to fix stuff and many more places to get it fixed all over would serve you better….? I love my Prevost and would not think of doing that, but maybe if you are so tight on time, that would be a better solution for you and your situation.
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It seems this fellow is in over his head and no one can please him or do the work.
Not being nasty Bill, but maybe you could unload the bus and get something better fitting for you budget.
I wish you the best of luck.
Harry
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