When I picked up my car [Evo X MR] the battery was dead so the dealer got a new batter from Firestone: Duralast Gold.

Today I came across this:

What's the OEM battery?

My guess is that the OEM battery is not a Duralast so how can I check whether the Duralast replacement battery is a "VRLA" and not a "standard type" battery?

I would ask the dealer but they did not seem to know much about the Evo in general so I doubt they'd know anything about the battery.

 

Some people (like me) got a panasonic gell battery. The prefered replacement is an optima red top. Sounds like your dealer is doing something shady. I bet someone kept the replacement red top for themselves and walked to autozone for your battery. Go forth and raise hell.

 

mine was also Panasonic ...

 

Roger that.

I recently replaced that boat anchor with a lightweight AGM Deka battery for around $75.

 

Is the Optima Red Top a "VRLA" battery? My main concern is to make sure the the Duralast that I have or any battery I decide to use, is VRLA. Supposedly, this is necessary because the battery is in the trunk so it needs this special battery with a vent hose so that the gases are not trapped inside the vehicle.

 

Optima is dry cell. There is nothing to vent. I guess I need to elaborate. The red top is what dealers are supposed to order when the x comes in with a dead panasonic battery.

 

That's great info. Thanks. I think I need to make a phone call and raise some hell.

 

Here are some important points between a gel battery and a AGM battery:

"Both are recombinant batteries. Both are sealed valve-regulated
(SVR) – also called valve-regulated lead-acid (VRLA). AGM batteries and gel batteries are both considered “acid-starved”. In a gel battery, the electrolyte does not flow like a normal liquid.

The electrolyte has the consistency and appearance of petroleum
jelly. Like gelled electrolyte batteries, absorbed electrolyte batteries are also considered non-spillable – all of the liquid electrolyte is trapped in the sponge-like matted glass fiber separator material.

The “acid-starved” condition of gel and AGM batteries protects
the plates during heavy deep-discharges. The gel battery is more
starved, giving more protection to the plate; therefore, it is better
suited for super-deep discharge applications.

Due to the physical properties of the gelled electrolyte, gel battery
power declines faster than an AGM battery’s as the temperature
drops below 32ºF. AGM batteries excel for high current, high power applications and in extremely cold environments."

It's pertaining to the last point is why I run an AGM battery because of the cold Winters we have up here in Mass.

 

Dealership gave me a RedTop with my MR.

 

My battery was dying out so I changed it. I went from a Optima Red Top to another Red Top (34R), issue is that the original Red Top has a connection for the vent, this new one doesn't; is it a big deal? Car started and ran fine.

 

My X had a dead Panasonic on the lot; swapped out with an Optima Red Top.

 

The vent is because its in the trunk, not under the hood. There is no firewall, so the vent doesn't allow vapors from the battery to escape into the passenger compartment.

 

Yeah I figured that much but I though the Optima's use gel and didn't need to be vented. Oh well safety first, I went ahead and swapped it...

 

original is panasonic has been working well for me but still i got myself a red top optima. yes both are gel type batt.

 

I hope my battery dies so I could get a red-top