VX-6 Battery Additive

[Davescort97]

I was thumbing through the J.C. Whitney catalog the other day and came upon this battery additive. It says it's liquid Cadmium. I know Cadmium is used in small rechargable batteries. It claims that if you leave your lights on and run down the battery you can start your car if you turn the lights off for 15 minutes and then try to start it again. What do you folks think about this? Is this stuff bad for the battery in any way? Think it will do what they claim?

I've been having trouble with the + battery terminal corrosion. I clean it off and then within a matter of weeks the corrosion comes back. Is there a solution for this?

[MagicRat]

I came across this thread:

http://www.energeticforum.com/renewa...-additive.html

Also, I bought a reconditioned battery from a place in Cambridge, Ont. From their description, they will take a battery that has sulphated plates (where it will not charge up nor discharge properly) .... but the plates are not actually warped or shorted out... then add this stuff to each cell.
If its a sealed battery, like AC Delco, they will drill 6 tiny holes on top, inject the stuff into each cell then reseal the holes with epoxy.

So far, the battery has worked very well for me.

As for handling the stuff... if it really is cadmium, it is quite hazardous to handle.

[Davescort97]

Thanks much MagicRat. I think I will try it.

[Davescort97]

I got my order back from J.C. Whitney for the VX-6 battery additive. I had to take some of the battery sulfuric acid out to make room for the VX-6. Right away I noticed that my lights were brighter at night. Also, my car is cranking up faster than it was before. The charging voltage went from 13.8 to 14.3 volts after adding the VX-6. Only time will tell, if this stuff will really work out for me. It did say on the package that it wouldn't help sulfation which is contrary to what MagicRat posted. However, it seems like this stuff really works. ~Dave~

[eagleflyer]

I bought "VX-6" from JC Whitney for many years. My advice is do not wait until your battery will no longer charge. When you get a new battery, immediately obtain this cadmium sulphate additive. Pour 1/6 of a 2 oz bottle into each cell of a new 12 volt battery. My experience has been that preventing the buildup of depositions on the plates can double the expected life of your battery. JC Whitney still sells this product, but the product is now called "Charge-It Concentrated Battery Additive" by Solder-It (apparently the manf) at $10.99 for 2 oz or $25.99 for 1 qt (32 oz). I once bought this product from Checker Auto under the brand name "Instant ElectroStart" by Victor, but apparently Victor went out of business or stopped manufacturing this product in 2000. You won't find this product at Advance Auto or AutoZone or Checker any longer. I think the computer geeks who plan the store layouts realized that selling what used to be a $5.00 product with a $2.00 markup that would double the life of a battery could not justifiably take up shelf space in competition with a battery they can sell for $100 with a $60 markup. The big chains need to keep their shareholders happy by selling twice as many batteries. Oddly enough, it occurs to me this is an example where socialist central planning might result in more efficient use of resources for all of us. The old VX-6 boxes used to quote Lee Petty, Champion Nascar Winner, saying, "I'd Rather Race Without Tires Than Without VX-6 In My Battery."

[Davescort97]

I have used the VX-6 additive now for a few months. It says right on the package that the product will not extend life on a battery that has been sulfated. One day the battery just went dead. I tried a jump start and it would not stay running. I did have good luck with it up to that point. I left my lights on for 2 hours and it started right up. It seems their claims are valid right up to the point that the battery is shorted out internally. This product will come through up until the plates are shorted out due to sulfation. I don't know if I want to use it again. It gave me no warning that the battery was about to expire. Luckily, for me I was at Wal-Mart and able to buy a new battery. The battery I had was 8 years old, so I imagine it was past its service life by 2 years. In view of this I have to go along with everyone else. It will extend the life of your battery. It just won't give you any advance warning when it decides to go out.