I replaced mine when the battery died after letting the car sit for a week without being started...

 

Interesting ... so I guess mine's still okay!

 

Began having similar experience with MY04; slow to crank in winter. I took a look at the battery fluid level window in the top of the OEM Panasonic battery and it appeared low (even though this is supposed to be a sealed-style battery). I bought a bottle of distilled water at the grocery store and slowly filled to the 'full' ring indicator at the base of the screw-off battery cap. I then hooked a half-amp charger to the battery for 36 hours. I have not had any more problems since then. This is in an 18,000 mile S that is garaged all winter.

 

Wow, that's expensive!

If you have to get one, I would go with an aftermarket replacement.

 

lol, many taxi rides in HK!

 

I've had good luck with dry cell batteries like Optima or Odyssey. I routinely replace the OEM battery at the 4 - 5 year mark, even if it load tests OK I'd rather not take the chance vibration may cause a mechanical problem with the plates. Cheap insurance IMO, I once had a battery totally die late one night on a date at a "scenic location".

 

it

 

take it to the city morgue. they can tell you with 100% accuracy if it's dead or not.

 

[QUOTE=cmdr s,Apr 22 2009, 10:39 AM]Began having similar experience with MY04; slow to crank in winter.

 

This technique is for the small 9V batteries only. For car batteries, you'll need wires. Try at your own risk!