[2006SiennaLE]

I appreciate the detailed info. I'm planning to get the same one after seeing good reviews on CR.
Since my battery is only 4 years old, I'm giving it one more chance. If it acts up again, I'll replace it. Walmart isn't too far away.

I had the battery tested at Sears and they said that it was "a bit weak, but should work fine". They didn't test the individual cells, just the overall charge, voltage etc. I asked them for replacement options and their Gold series was $110 (3-year warranty) and Platinum (gel-based, 4 year warranty) was $179 or something ridiculous like that.

Don't mess around with that battery, replace it now! If you keep trying to squeeze a nickel to make a dime the next thing you know that battery will take out your starter (and/or maybe your alternator). ASK ME HOW I KNOW!!!
From what I can gather, the DieHard Gold series and the MAXX are the exact same JCI battery inside the case. I paid $77 for the MAXX with a 36 month free replacement warranty. If you live in the north, the MAXX 24FN is supposed to be an even better battery than the 24FS.

I'll get the Maxx battery soon. I don't want to nickel and dime it but in my experience, 4 years is a bit early. Like I said earlier, I'll give it one more chance. I have AAA and so I'm not too concerned about getting stuck somewhere. We are local most of the time and I always have jumper cables.
Everything looks good so far. It starts up right away. I drove it to work for the second day and it hasn't had any issues.

 

[wag]

I modified my reply #77.

 

[wag]

I'll get the Maxx battery soon. I don't want to nickel and dime it but in my experience, 4 years is a bit early. Like I said earlier, I'll give it one more chance. I have AAA and so I'm not too concerned about getting stuck somewhere. We are local most of the time and I always have jumper cables.
Everything looks good so far. It starts up right away. I drove it to work for the second day and it hasn't had any issues.

You will damn sure get stuck somewhere if you burn-up your starter, AAA or not.
The average life expectancy of a battery is only 3-4 years. You have gotten your money's worth out of that battery.

 

[brian_bp]

It appears that the Sears US and Sears Canada are one and the same company.
http://www.searsholdings.com/about/
In the US they also sell DieHard batteries at Sears Holdings owned NTB and Kmart stores.
I know that Canada has some different laws pertaining to Canadian content, but, I would be very surprised to learn that Sears is selling DieHard Platinums produced by two different manufacturers depending on weather they were going to US Sears stores or Canadian Sears stores.

This has nothing to do with Canadian content; we have (relatively) free trade between Canada and the U.S., and Canadian content regulations apply to areas such as corporate ownership, broadcasting (radio and TV), and government procurement... not where a retailer can get products. If the product is made outside of the scope of the North American Free Trade Agreement, then operations on either side of the border might have very different costs and constraints to importation; products manufactured within that scope (which includes Mexico) cross the border without duties (which is why it is sensible and economical to make all Siennas in Indiana, even those for Canada).

I am not at all surprised by large differences in the suppliers used by branches of the same retailer in the two countries, but then those of us who live in Canada are more likely to notice these things.

Don't read too much into common ownership (especially since Sears Holdings doesn't even own all of Sears Canada): the websites run by Sears Brands LLC and Sears Canada, Inc., for instance, are separate and not even similar. When I was a kid the two retail chains were Sears Roebuck and Simpsons-Sears; the branding is more consistent now, but that doesn't mean they are any more integrated (even the Wikipedia pages are still separate). We have already discussed the separate approaches to the Sears auto centres (or "centers", in the U.S. )

Anyway, the business affairs of the Sears companies don't really matter; I think the point is that you can never safely assume that a product sold under any brand name is the same as the same-branded product sold in another area, let alone another country.

 

[brian_bp]

In Canada Kal Tire and Sears Holdings are not connected except that Kal Tire has a distribution agreement with Sears to sell DieHard Batteries.
http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=117881&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=548245&highlight=
I don't see anywhere on the Internet where the distribution agreement gives Kal Tire the right to have it's own DieHard batteries independently manufactured.

The DieHard brand (not a company or manufacturing operation) belongs to Sears (I suppose Sears Holdings), and they can do what they want with it... including making arrangements with various suppliers and retailers. I am not privy to the arrangement between Sears and Kal Tire, but between them they can certainly agree to get batteries from anyone and anywhere. If they want, they can get some sizes and models from one supplier, and others from a different supplier (but for economies of scale, they are unlikely to do this with batteries).

For those looking for whatever it is that is sold as a "DieHard" in Canada for their Sienna...

Sears Canada Inc. is exiting the automotive aftermarket business by divesting or closing all 49 of its auto repair centers.
...
Sears signed operating agreements with Kal Tire, President Tire Canada and Active Green+Ross to operate the 36 centers. The 13 others will be closed or converted to non-automotive uses. Terms of the deals were not disclosed.
...
The three tire dealerships also will get exclusive rights to sell the DieHard battery brand in these markets and in their entire operations. The dealers also will honor Sears warranties as well as the Sears credit card, which has some 9 million users across Canada.

(from Goliath)
... so you can try President Tire Canada or Active Green+Ross, as well as the already identified Kal Tire.

 

[2006SiennaLE]

You will damn sure get stuck somewhere if you burn-up your starter, AAA or not.
The average life expectancy of a battery is only 3-4 years. You have gotten your money's worth out of that battery.

ok, ok. I'll get a new battery.
Any idea if Walmart recycles the old battery? Should I bother taking the old one to them?

 

[brian_bp]

Here, I think everyone who sells batteries takes in the old ones... and usually gives back a few dollars in return. At least they used to.

 

[wag]

You will damn sure get stuck somewhere if you burn-up your starter, AAA or not.
The average life expectancy of a battery is only 3-4 years. You have gotten your money's worth out of that battery.

ok, ok. I'll get a new battery.
Any idea if Walmart recycles the old battery? Should I bother taking the old one to them?

Take your old battery to them, they recycle it and they pay you for it. If you don't turn in your old battery they will charge you $9 more (core charge) for the new battery.

 

[2006SiennaLE]

Take your old battery to them, they recycle it and they pay you for it. If you don't turn in your old battery they will charge you $9 more (core charge) for the new battery.

I know that's what Kragen does and the Ford dealer did, but wasn't sure about Walmart.
Thanks again for the info and the advice.

 

[2006SiennaLE]

Wag,

Thanks again for the advice. Here's the new battery. I installed it a few hours ago.
I bought the red/green pads for the terminals too.

 

[tbalon]

Remember to keep your receipt for the battery...I like to keep mine in the glove box with the owners manual. I recently had a pair of lifetime brake pads replaced for free because I held on to the receipt.

 

[tonystewart]

Nice avatar tbalon

 

[2006SiennaLE]

Remember to keep your receipt for the battery...I like to keep mine in the glove box with the owners manual. I recently had a pair of lifetime brake pads replaced for free because I held on to the receipt.

I'm one of those "keep-your-receipt" guys, especially for anything $100 or more.
I have also taken a pic of it and emailed it to myself.
The receipt does say that if you don't have a receipt, they'll take into account the date of manufacture which is 10/10 anyways.

 

[jc]

I just replaced my Battery on my 1998. I've owned the van since 2006. When I removed the battery I noticed that the manufacture date was "02", I'm assuming that's 2002. I opted for the Costco Kirkland battery which is a about 2-3 inches smaller in length.

Regards, JC.

 

[jhong1226]

Pay attention to the CCA ( Cold Cranking Amps ) or CA ( cranking amps) of the battery that your getting. I dont know exaclty is minimum required by Siennas . Easier to compare batteries when comparing those feature.

 

[steelcity]

Have a good led and pricing on a "Harris" brand battery. Does anyone have a comment on this brand ? They list a group 24f spec (750 cca).

 

[brian_bp]

Have a good led and pricing on a "Harris" brand battery. Does anyone have a comment on this brand ? They list a group 24f spec (750 cca).

Harris Battery is a wholesaler, with their own house brand. Like other house brands, it is made by someone else, so without knowing the real manufacturer - or what level of quality Harris specified - it's hard to guess what the battery might be like.

The simple model designations (BCIsize-warrantyMonths, such as "24F-72") don't give any hint about the manufacturer, but someone might recognize the case construction in the photo.

At least in the specs the 24F is a little longer than the 24, suggesting that it is actually a bigger battery, not just a reversed-terminal 24... but strangely, the capacity isn't any higher.

 

[compac]

Thanks for info and pics,

Planning to go w/ Walle-World since about $79 w/ install (3 yr) vs. over $100 for similar at AdvAuto or Sears. OEM only 3½ yrs old but has been run flat at least once.

I just replaced my Toyota battery today (tested bad with a bad cell). Sad thing is it was only 2 yrs old according to the date sticker on top. It came with the van when I bought it used and when I talked to the dealership they said I had to have the receipt for any warranty claims since it was not the original battery. I went to Walmart instead and the Walmart guide recommended the Energizer Maxx 24FS for me on my 07 Sienna. It was an easy swap and perfect fit. I am not sure why it did not recommend the 24f(s)(s is for south, I live in Florida) for you. If they have a group 24F size battery available, I would return the 35n and exchange it for the 24F as this would be a better battery and you would not have to deal with the reversed terminals. I have attached some pics of the replacement for anyone interested. General steps are:

safety first,
You should always wear acid-resistant gloves, goggles, and an apron. Also, no smoking or sparks around a car battery. Batteries give off Hydrogen gas which can explode if ignited by a spark

1: Disconnect the cable terminals from the old battery's terminals (negative/black first and then positive/red). All nuts and bolts are 10mm so you only need one wrench.

2. Remove the frame or bracket holding the battery in place,
The rear most nut on the bracket is threaded to a rod which has a hook on the end of it. The hook fits into a slot near the bottom of the battery tray. You do not deed to remove the nut but just loosen it enough to allow the hook to slip out of the anchor point.
Then remove the forward most bolt on the bracket. Remove the bracket.

3. Lift the old battery out.

4. Clean the cable terminals with a wire brush and baking soda and water if they're corroded or dirty. Also there is a plastic battery tray at the bottom that just lifts out and should be cleaned and returned to position.

5. Lower the new battery into position, with the positive and negative poles in the same relative positions as before.

6. Reattach the hold down bracket by reinserting the hook of the hold down rod back into the anchor point and snugging up the nut finger tight. This will allow you to move the battery to line up the second bolt in the hold down bracket. Tighten the bolts securely (do not overtighten).

7. Connect the cables to the new battery securely - positive to positive and then negative to negative. The cable ends should not be able to move; any looseness can prevent your car from starting.

8. reattach the positive cable cover and you are done!!

Remember to reset you clock, radio station presets and the automatic window functions.

 

[Coastalcamper]

I bought a DieHard Gold model #30023 that has died four times in the first month that I've had it. So far, Sears won't take it back but they'll gladly sell me another battery at full price. The original battery lasted 5 years.

What I'm trying to find are the specs for the original battery for my 2008 LE. I have a sneaking suspicion that the original battery had a higher reserve capacity, which could power all of the car's built-in automatic electronics when I'm parked at a campsite, opening and closing doors, rolling up and rolling down windows, locking and unlocking the car, etc. There were days that I had to leave the doors open because it was over 100 degrees and I had medications and food inside it. Even with the dome lights turned off, not using the radio and with the front door courtesy lights removed, the new battery can't handle the load. It stranded me twice literally in the backwoods of a national forest. Walking a half-mile each time to get a jump-start was no fun. The new one may have similar cold cranking numbers but that's not the whole story of a battery.

Does anybody know the specs on the original 24F battery and have a verifiable source for that info? THANKS!

 

[siennamax11]

maybe this one will work better for you? but it's $309.

http://4xspower.com/shop/d-series/d2400/