My wife's 2012 Citadel is sitting at the dealer with a 180 amp alternator (conveniently left out of the recall) that cooked itself and blew the battery.

The dealer is negotiating with my on price, which is good, but they insist a gel battery is required. I know because of the mounting location the gel is better than AGM, but is it required? That's an extra $100 for gel, and not as good a warranty as an Interstate AGM.

Any recommendations?

 

Did it have a gel battery to begin with?

 

Gel is not required, but there are a few advantages to it.

Gel batteries keep your wires from corroding, since there is no acid to leak from the case/terminals.

They also offer superior vibration and heat protection, compared to a wet battery.

However, a good wet battery with some anti-corrosion grease will work just as well in 99% of circumstances.

 

Battery under the passenger seat ..............FTW !

 

My suggestion would be to replace the battery with the same OEM that the D came with. Note that the OEM AGM battery has a vent tube; this is a safety requirement when batteries are mounted inside the passenger cabin or trunk. You can also Google "difference between gel and agm batteries" to help you in the decision and read articles like the link below.
https://www.batterystuff.com/kb/arti...el-vs-agm.html

 

Just fyi ... I just replace the battery in my 12 D with an AGM type. If you decide to do it yourself be sure you have a 10mm wrench and especially a 13mm deep socket with extension. Without that deep socket and extension, it is difficult to loosen the battery hold down plate. And be prepared to lift the 50 lb battery out of the hole.