Which battery to buy?

[unterseeboot]

I just bought a new Ti and have been going over it ordering new parts to replace all the mickey mouse repairs done by P/Os. I noticed the positive battery terminal is corroded with the lovely white crust. It appears the old battery was the culprit here as the corrosion is mostly knocked off the terminal connector and not all over the replacement battery. However the dealer appears to have just stuck in a duralast unit that happened to fit. It has no vent connection on the side.

I ordered new parts to replace the broken battery box and a new box cover as the old one was gone. So, i noticed through a google search that this is a common issue on Tis as it is on alot of other cars. Will going to an expensive AGM battery from BMW remedy this? I do not want it to come back. I hate cleaning it up.

I have researched what causes this and as usual i find about 1000 different reasons battery terminals corrode. I do not know if the vent system was hooked up on the previous battery, but it is long gone now. I dont know if simply having the vent hooked up will keep the terminals clean or not. I assume the positive terminals position so close to the engine heat is a contributing factor.

Any info is appreciated. Id like to be able to open my hood in the future and not have to stare at the white blob!

[cooljess76]

All batteries corrode at the terminals. The best way to prevent this is to either buy new parts ie; battery and cables, or clean your old ones very thoroughly(you can neutralize the corrosion with a water/baking soda mixture), wipe everything clean, install cables onto the corresponding terminals and then coat them with a terminal protectant such as these:
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j...ksT7ivJeExVlYg

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j...uZ8_Ww0_Hv1YvQ

http://www.google.com/products/catal...ed=0CC8Q8wIwAA

[unterseeboot]

Ive been there many times. I never had corrosion issues on any of my vws. When we bought the audi A6 the battery was under the back set. Crappy napa battery and it leaked all through the battery area and rusted the floor up. The previous owner apparently did not hook up the vent system as it was under the back seat. That was a mess. My wife's 07 Corolla does it constantly, i finally just gave up. I used all the products, changed the battery, and it still does it. I would just like to get it taken care of for once in my car.

As far as my OCD research goes the corrosion is nothing more than corroded lead, this is caused by electrolysis and venting of gasses from the battery. I suppose the grease and terminal pads help if the battery posts are fairly well sealed, but if it is a nasty issue, they wont do much for long. I have heard the BMW AGM batteries will not vent like this, at least in theory. Just wondered if anyone else has had this issue and how they fixed it.

[pdxmotorhead]

Oddesey... 950... $$ but it will jump start a battleship...

Dave