RIP Sears Diehard Platinum battery

[Jerry Bransford]

My poor old Sears Diehard Platinum battery, made for Sears by Odyssey, departed this earth yesterday at nearly ten years old. Not bad but I think it could have lasted even longer if I had kept the battery maintainer on it 100% of the time when not driving instead of maybe 75%.

I was ready to buy an Odyssey PC1500DT but none were available locally and it would have been 4-5 days to receive it UPS. Then I remembered @mrblaine said he also liked the Northstar 34/78 AGM for easier warranty reasons. I found one locally and picked it up. $298 -$10 for a Veterans discount so it was $288 out the door. It's a beast, 1050 Cranking Amps, 880 CCA, and 65 AH.

The Northstar darned near has the same exact case as the Diehard Platinum down to the exact same handle, even the new protective cover that came on the Northstar fit the Diehard perfectly for its trip back to the battery dealer for the core charge refund. You can tell the Diehard Platinum, Odyssey, and Northstar come from the same roots.

Man battery prices for Jeep-worthy AGM have really gone up but I figure this will last me another 9+ years so it's not so bad if you cost it out to $24/year.

 

[Vinman]

I have a similar size AGM battery in my TJ, it has a lifetime non-prorated warranty that originally came on a battery purchased in 1992. I think I had about 10 free batteries on that warranty so far, all of the failed batteries were from sitting months or sometimes years on a shelf waiting for a vehicle to go in.
I think the original battery cost about $150, the latest one was listed for $398 and it didn’t cost me a cent.

 

[tworley]

Whoa, $300? I thought my $190 one was ridiculous.

Looks to be a well made battery though, and I like the high CCA (not that CO gets super cold). Where did you find it locally? Was it a chain store?

 

[Jerry Bransford]

Where did you find it locally? Was it a chain store?

A small local battery specialty store called American Battery,

 

[Steel City 06]

NorthStar batteries actually manufactures a lot of other brand batteries. I wouldn't be surprised if your old battery was made by NorthStar. Canadian Tire AGMs are actually rebranded NorthStar batteries.

For anyone looking for a battery, consider getting a Group 24 instead of a Group 34. The Group 24 is a taller battery that fits well in the OEM slot, and has a moderately larger capacity (76 Ah vs 65 Ah for the group 34).

NorthStar also sells batteries with both automotive and marine terminals. The marine terminals can be very useful when hooking up aftermarket electronics like stereos, radios, winches, etc.

Here's a NorthStar AGM-24M in the stock location:

The Group 24 is an inch taller than the Group 34 and has the same footprint. (The "M" stands for "Marine", meaning this battery comes with marine and automotive terminals.)

 

[Jerry Bransford]

Odyssey made my Diehard Platinum, Northstar came along later. It was started by a former Odyssey employee.

 

[Viking Jeeper]

Jerry got the 34/78 battery. I noticed on their website that the 34 has both types of terminals also.

 

[Steel City 06]

Jerry got the 34/78 battery. I noticed on their website that the 34 has both types of terminals also.

The 34/78 has top and front automotive terminals instead of top automotive and top marine terminals. I imagine that could be just as useful with the right bolts. Also it means it fits more cars

 

[whitrzac]

A group 65 size battery fits in the stock location too. Higher CCA/capacity and usually a bit cheaper than the 34 size for some reason.

 

[Steel City 06]

A group 65 is longer than a group 24 or 34/78. It may interfere with A/C components in some Jeeps. Good option for those without factory AC, and those who need extra clearance under the hood.

Per Northstar’s website:
Group 34/78: 7.77H, 6.99W, 10.87L, 65Ah
Group 65: 7.42H, 7.32W, 11.76L, 69 Ah
Group 24: 8.75H, 6.77W, 10.87L, 74 Ah