The battery pack in my 08 Civic has finally given up the ghost after 8 years of grid charging. The car itself is low mileage (90k) and runs perfectly so, it makes sense to extend its life.
I am considering rebuilding the pack using brand new cells from Alibaba or such like. I heard, some new cells (Hymax) offer much better performance than oem.
Has anyone got any tips or recommendations?
Many thanks.

 

All available replacement cells are Chinese made and of notably lower quality and longevity than the original Panasonic and Sanyo cells used in Honda packs.

 

Hi Steve,
Glad to hear from you! As always, thanks for your valuable input.
I found a company here in London UK, who advertise using new, improved performance cells of japanese origin, giving 3 year/100,000 mile warranty. There is another up north, who boast chinese Hylite cells which are 15% better than oem, allegedly.
I'd like to purchase these cells and swap them myself, if only to satisfy my urge to tinker...
I share your reservations re: dubious manufacturing claims made by asian companies. But surely, there must be one, worth its salt?
Otherwise, is using old, re-balanced sticks the only option for rebuilding a pack?

By the way, my grid charger/discharger did an excellent job over the years.

 

It's all marketing to me. I don't believe any of it. I would only engage in an option if I was okay with it being a complete loss.

The 08 uses dual sticks, so you'll have to ensure the cells provided can be arranged thusly and fit in the pack properly.

 

Of course!

 

We got ours about 10 years ago at

bumblebeebatteries.com

and are still happy with what we got!

 

Thanks for your input. Unfortunately Bumblebee are on the other side of the pond from me in the UK.
I have done some research and found several chinese suppliers: Yesa, Yabo, Ennocar, MaxPower, Himax who are willing to supply loose sticks/pairs for about $1150 per set of 11 including shipping to Greater London.
Steve doesn't share my enthusiasm and no doubt he is right, judging by his vast experience.
However, the car is 16 years old and worth less than a pack rebuilt using new sticks by a specialist company. I am trying to establish who makes sticks that specialists use or reputable chinese company via Alibaba, which are likely to last 2-3 years. By then our Civic will be worth zilch.

 

Did you ever reach out to Peter Perkins?

http://www.solarvan.co.uk/

 

No, his operation never came up in my searches, very useful, thanks Steve.
But the question of the source/supplier of those reliable cells still remains...

 

True, but like Bumblebee, Mr. Perkins has likely tested and has results with multiple brands/manufacturers and knows who's an actual manufacturer vs. reseller/packager..