SabrToothSqrl

So, as some of you know the newer Tahoes only charge the starter battery some of the time.

This has lead to issues starting, and premature battery failures with some weaker batteries.
(I'm still on my same Optima Yellow Top from 2009!)

I found this article amusing because BMW appears to have really jumped on this bandwagon. To the point of an epic fail. Save some gas, consume some batteries!


Enginerdy: Why BMW's N63 twin-turbo V8 eats batteries

I personally don't see how disengaging a charging system from an American V8 hauling around 5,000 lbs of metal could save that much fuel, but if someone could show me the numbers, I'd take a look.

in2pro

Very interesting... I am wanting to install the AMG or Optima but I have to figure out the battery terminal thing as I am way to OCD about form and fit to have the positive terminal sitting funky, Energizer also makes an AMG and that should be a direct drop in, but Sam's was out of them last week when I was ready to plop down that $200 bucks....

It was refreshing to read the phrase "It is undeniably a good customer service move" by BMW as I really wonder if this is in GM's lexicon...

{tpc}

I have a yellow top in my 2007 and it fit right in. So I'm not sure about what you mean with regards to form and fit. I left the handle on mine..so maybe it isn't as aesthetically pleasing...but you can take it off. But the bracket on the bottom holds it in just fine and I didn't modify anything to get it in.

It is irritating that they don't call out a "specific" optima for use with the tahoe. When I first saw mine (was a gift, came in mail from amazon), I thought it was too small to fit in properly. But it went in just fine. Have yet to have any issues with it though i just got it for xmas.

{tpc}

Oh wait, with regards to the positive terminal.. you mean that on the optima there isn't a step, and the cable has a step in it, right?

Guess that makes sense. Good thing I didn't read this first, I probably wouldn't have asked for an optima! But on the other hand, I'm not under the hood enough looking at it for it really to bother me, and I like not having to start the truck every day just to make sure its going to start come the workday. lol

in2pro

{tpc} exactly, its the way the battery terminals are situated on top of the battery... they sit inward to the engine, where as the factory battery sits with the post to the fender... so putting the positive terminal on with the post facing the engine leaves it sitting awkwardly.. a bridge to no-where

Yeah I keep my engine spotless, it looks as new as the day it rolled off the line even 8 years later, so aesthetics are important for me

SabrToothSqrl

you could always change the connector on the truck side.

My OEM battery, brand new back in 2009, couldn't play the radio for the time it took me to wash and dry the truck, then start it to put it in the garage.

The dealer did replace the battery... twice... still not enough juice.

The Yellow Top could play the radio for 2+ hours and start right up like nothing ever happened.

{tpc}

Hmmn. This seems odd to me. I say so because I specifically looked at mine this morning, and I have my optima in place with the posts to the fender. Negative cable is attached closest to the firewall, positive is attached closest to the coolant bottle, etc.

I do notice the "step" in the red covering over the positive cable that looks as if it would fix nicer on the stock battery where the post is stepped down a little from the top, but other than that...

Regardless of fear that you will see a dirty engine bay lol, I'll try and grab a pic of how mine is.

SabrToothSqrl

I'm not finding this battery you speak of

Hey, @in2pro, you mentioned if GMs heard of customer service?

Where would you rank a manufacturer performing a house call for you at?

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/n...gins/index.htm

(I also had a door handle fail - not the drivers. They replaced ALL FOUR of mine with a newer version, without me even asking). No hand slicing or finger loss either... and my free loaner was a P85... which means it had 100 more HP than the one I own.... which now means dammit I want that one!

{tpc}

So I'm sitting here waiting on an oil change and I'm thinking to myself, why not search for proper ways to clean the engine bay. Reading threads...then it dawned on me, why not ask in2pro??

So what's the secret to cleaning this thing without damaging anything like belts or getting water into something you shouldn't?

I have read something about hosing the whole thing down cold, spraying with simple green right out of the bottle, waiting 5 and rinsing it down. Just unsure how simple green reacts with stuff under there.

Last thing I need is to "clean" the engine and have it not start or run like crap when it does.

And I know these things can get wet when it rains...but it's not the same as opening the hood and dumping water and cleaning agents right on the engine....

SabrToothSqrl

They do make engine degreaser products.

I spray simple green on EVERYTHING.

This kid gets 'r dun


Of course, I can't begin to think of how far down on the todo list cleaning my engine bay would be...

Unless it's the engine bay of my boat... that I'll make clean

So he doesn't remove the cover huh...