Battery for 2000 Sonata

I have a 2000 Sonata 6 cyl.
I'd like to know what size battery it uses.

I was in Costco today and looked through their battery
application book. To my surprise, I found none of their batteries
listed for my Sonata. Their batteries are made by Johnson
Controls. They showed battteries for almost no Hyundai models.
What's the story?

Richard

 

It should be a pretty simple matter to measure your existing battery,
note the post type and locations, then find one with the same or higher
CCA rating.

 

I think it's a group 24R, but I'm not certain.

 

| I think it's a group 24R, but I'm not certain.
|

I checked the battery that came with the used car. It's a Group
35, held down at the bottom, rated at 640 CCA. It's obviously a
replacement battery, that is, unless HMC has been buying their
batteries at Sears in Korea.

Would there be any problems that you can think of?

Richard

 

As long as you buy the same type of battery with at least the same CCA
rating, you'll be fine.

 

==============
Richard,

Actually, it's tough to find an *exact* replacement for the '99 - '01
Sonatas. I was told that Interstate makes the batteries for Hyundai
now, and that's the only replacement I've found that will allow you to
keep the plastic "shield" that slips over the battery. Every other
brand I tried either had the terminals reversed (plus and minus on the
wrong sides to match the cables) had additional side terminals (which
interfere with the housing shield), or had a carrying strap that also
keeps the shield from slipping down over the battery.

Good luck,
Harry Smith

 

| Richard Steinfeld wrote:
| >
| > I have a 2000 Sonata 6 cyl.
| > I'd like to know what size battery it uses.
| >
| > I was in Costco today and looked through their battery
| > application book. To my surprise, I found none of their
batteries
| > listed for my Sonata. Their batteries are made by Johnson
| > Controls. They showed battteries for almost no Hyundai
models.
| > What's the story?
| >
| > Richard
| ==============
| Richard,
|
| Actually, it's tough to find an *exact* replacement for the
'99 - '01
| Sonatas. I was told that Interstate makes the batteries for
Hyundai
| now, and that's the only replacement I've found that will allow
you to
| keep the plastic "shield" that slips over the battery. Every
other
| brand I tried either had the terminals reversed (plus and minus
on the
| wrong sides to match the cables) had additional side terminals
(which
| interfere with the housing shield), or had a carrying strap
that also
| keeps the shield from slipping down over the battery.

Aha!
Yup.
The Sears size 35 battery that came with this car has no shield.
The cables fit properly -- they're neatly dressed -- and it
appears to be held down nicely via ears on the battery at the
bottom (I haven't looked closely). I don't see any side terminals
on it; if it had them, I'd be a bit nervous about unintentional
shorts. The battery is guaranteed for ten years (!).

From the looks of the space provided, it appears that the
original battery may have been longer (I should measure this
thing). Now, I'm guessing about this: it's likely that Hyundai
did not provide a premium battery in the first place. Therefore,
I'm guessing that by using a premium battery as a replacement,
the prior owner achieved the same or even better energy delivery
in a smaller container, so this is one way to solve the problem
neatly (I've had it with non-standard batteries!).

Make sense?

Richard

 

Read the fine print. It's a pro-rated warranty. When the time comes that
you have to replace it, it's not worth much.

Case designs vary and it's not unusual for the overall size of
comparable batteries to be a bit different. As long as it fits and it's
secure, you're good.

 

| Richard Steinfeld wrote:
| > | > | Richard Steinfeld wrote:
| > Aha!
| > Yup.
| > The Sears size 35 battery that came with this car has no
shield.
| > The cables fit properly -- they're neatly dressed -- and it
| > appears to be held down nicely via ears on the battery at the
| > bottom (I haven't looked closely). I don't see any side
terminals
| > on it; if it had them, I'd be a bit nervous about
unintentional
| > shorts. The battery is guaranteed for ten years (!).
|

| Read the fine print. It's a pro-rated warranty. When the time
comes that
| you have to replace it, it's not worth much.
|

Oh, I know that. But I bank on the fact that the battery will
work pretty well (especially in my mild climate) to get close to
its warranty end. The logic is pretty similar to Hyundai's: a
manufacturer hates to shell out to handle a warranty claim. I
learned with stereo equipment to search out products that offer
an exceptional warranty. Nowadays, that means a reasonable period
for _labor._ Back to the topic at hand, if a battery is warranted
for ten years, I figure that it will serve me well for nine.

| > From the looks of the space provided, it appears that the
| > original battery may have been longer (I should measure this
| > thing). Now, I'm guessing about this: it's likely that
Hyundai
| > did not provide a premium battery in the first place.
Therefore,
| > I'm guessing that by using a premium battery as a
replacement,
| > the prior owner achieved the same or even better energy
delivery
| > in a smaller container, so this is one way to solve the
problem
| > neatly (I've had it with non-standard batteries!).
| >
| > Make sense?
|
| Case designs vary and it's not unusual for the overall size of
| comparable batteries to be a bit different. As long as it fits
and it's
| secure, you're good.

Thanks for your input. It appears that a standard Size 35 battery
is a great replacement for a '00 Sonata's original battery.
That is, if there's some safety issue that I can't fathom. We
also lose whatever that cover is (my used car came without it).
In my old, old 2-stroke SAAB, the battery was next to the
fusebox; acid fumes from the battery constantly corroded the
European VW-tpe fuses (your lights would go out at night).
Changing to American chrome-plated fuses provided a nifty fix.
For the tail light bulbs in the next SAAB, genuine Philips brand
bulbs were essential. Moral: there's fine points to these subs.

Richard

 

Not likely. It's pretty rare for a battery for last five years, let
alone double that. The warranty is largely a marketing ploy. Sears knows
that the battery will never last that long and they build the pro-rated
warranty cost into the price. That's one reason why they cost more.
They're also betting that you won't keep your car that long and the next
owner will not attempt to use the warranty. While it certainly may be a
better battery than their less expensive models, it may just be the same
thing with a longer warranty and a higher price tag.

 

| >
| > | Read the fine print. It's a pro-rated warranty. When the
time
| > comes that
| > | you have to replace it, it's not worth much.
| > |
| >
| > Oh, I know that. But I bank on the fact that the battery will
| > work pretty well (especially in my mild climate) to get close
to
| > its warranty end. The logic is pretty similar to Hyundai's: a
| > manufacturer hates to shell out to handle a warranty claim. I
| > learned with stereo equipment to search out products that
offer
| > an exceptional warranty. Nowadays, that means a reasonable
period
| > for _labor._ Back to the topic at hand, if a battery is
warranted
| > for ten years, I figure that it will serve me well for nine.
|
| Not likely. It's pretty rare for a battery for last five years,
let
| alone double that. The warranty is largely a marketing ploy.
Sears knows
| that the battery will never last that long and they build the
pro-rated
| warranty cost into the price. That's one reason why they cost
more.
| They're also betting that you won't keep your car that long and
the next
| owner will not attempt to use the warranty. While it certainly
may be a
| better battery than their less expensive models, it may just be
the same
| thing with a longer warranty and a higher price tag.

The Johnson Controls battery in my recently-departed Ford
Aerostar has an 8-year warranty, and was still working perfectly
for me in its 7th year. I bought it at Costco. I'll add that I
live in a mild climate area where batteries are lightly loaded.
If I lived in an area where it snows and battery current delivery
squnches down to 30% in the winter, I might agree with you.

However, consider this point: Costco is the type of outfit that
does not take manufacturer slight-of-hand like this lightly. I
assure you that they do not want to have to handle a lot of
disgusting, leaking, dangerous batteries brought in by customers
if it's avoidable. They can ride herd on a supplier, even one as
large and arrogant as Johnson Controls. In other words, if
they're putting Johnson's warranty on a battery (labeled with a
Costco brand), they're going to be yelling on Johnson's horn
pretty loudly if those batteries don't come through. Johnson
should understand this, since I have already read a pamphlet sent
out to their suppliers by Johnson, that said, in essence, "You
will make parts for us for 30% lower price and you will make them
with no reduction in quality." ("You Will Do What We Tell You And
You Will Like It!")

Too bad that my Aerostar was totalled beause it would have been
interesting to see if the battery had fulfilled the entire
warranty. On the other hand, the insurance money helped put me
into this Sonata ("Money talks, nobody walks!").

Richard