Help Revive My 1999 Corolla Ce's Battery. Buy New One Or Add Water - Toyota Corolla, Chevy Prizm (1998-2008)

So my 1999 Corolla CEe's battery decided to die on me on a freezing Monday morning. I read on the internet somewhere that you can add water to a dead battery and it will work again? Is that true?

But how will I know if my battery are capable of adding water or not? some batteries are allow to add water some are not right? do the 99 ce have that option?

or should I just buy a new one? currently it reads 350 CCA but I found two in Advance Auto Parts that I might buy...however one is 500 CCA that cost $85 and one is 540 CCA that cost $70. I'm leaning towards the $85 one just because it seems better....what do you guys think I should do?

http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_Battery,-Group-Size-35,-500-CCA-AutoCraft-Silver_2040050-P_2916_R|GRPBATTAM2_1372055203___

http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_Battery,-Group-Size-26R,-540-CCA-Economy_2070111-P_2916_R|GRPBATTAM2_1373235458___

Most of the batteries are the "maintenance-free" type, meaning they may have caps on the top, but may or may not be able to pull them off without damaging the case of the battery. Adding water to revive a dead battery only works if the battery's electrolyte level is low - assuming the battery was fine to begin with otherwise.

If this is the original battery - guessing that it is a Dephi battery - then it is likely the battery is too old. Typically, these batteries have a 5 year lifespan - if conditions are too cold or too hot, battery life can be affected as well.

As for the CCA rating - generally more CCA (Cold Cranking Amps) will yield better starting performance in colder weather. Batteries that have higher CCA ratings also tend to be bigger and/or heavier as well - so keep that in mind. To get the right battery - make sure you note the BCI group number of the battery. I believe it will be a BCI number 35, which specifies the physical size of the battery. If the battery looks too tall - you'll have to remove the bottom spacer, if it looks too short - then you need to add the spacer back in.

I also agree with your choice - if those were the two to pick from, I'd go with the 500CCA one, the 540CCA spec's doesn't seem right to me, might be a misprint on the website. Need to check on that in person.