Car battery

[Dave Lehnert]

Looking for a good car battery. For a car I do not drive a lot so don't want to spend big $$$. Guess my question is not what is best, but have you had a brand to stay away from? Brand you like?

[Gary Click]

Buy Walmart - Use Warranty

[Ben Rafael]

I've used many different brands from the big name ones to the no name ones. They all lasted no less than the length of time that was stated on the label. I was not unhappy or oversatisfied with any of them. I suspect that most batteries in the US are made by 1 or 2 factories and just have different labels slapped on them.

[Jim O'Dell]

I've heard Interstate batteries are good, but I've never had one. I will say don't get a Champion battery. Had those in both cars at one time. each car had to have 3 replacements. They were always covered under the warranty, but that was a real hassle. Jim.

[JohnT Fitzgerald]

if you're not going to drive the car a lot, I suggest that no matter which battery you get, you should look into getting some sort of trickle charger to keep it charged.

[Joe Pelonio]

Interstate are the best and a smart way to go if you are commuting a long way or using it for business daily, and want to pay top dollar.

Otherwise, we have gotten several from Costco, at about half the price of Interstate and never had one fail until well after the warranty was up. Back when we used Sears Diehards they would always die within a day or two after the warranty expiration.

Funny this comes up today, my son's battery died last night and needed a jump to get home. We're going to Costco tomorrow for a new one on his day off.

[Matt Meiser]

We bought a deep cycle battery for our camper at Wal-Mart after reading favorable recommendations on an RV site. I don't know if they are any better or worse than anywhere else, but the advantage is that if we had to replace it under warranty it is really easy to do regardless of where we are. Factory batteries seem pretty good--the Motorcraft in our Taurus was still fine after 6 years and 130K miles when we traded it in-- so I'd probably buy the OEM brand (Motorcraft or AC Delco) for our vehicles.

[Pat Germain]

I'm sorry to say I must disagree on the subject of Interstate batteries. Although they're rated pretty well by Consumer Reports, I've had rotten luck with them. Same story for my brother.

Many small, independent auto parts stores (when there were such stores) used to sell Interstate batteries. Therefore, a lot of cars used to have them. Every car my brother and I owned with an Interstate battery left us stranded and in need of a new battery. I admit, this was many years ago. But I've been burned enough to stay away from Interstate batteries.

I've had good luck with Auto-Zone batteries. They have three levels of quality and price for their batteries. I wouldn't put the lowest-end battery in a riding mower. But the mid-level batteries are pretty good and reasonably priced. What's nice about Auto-Zone batteries is you can return them to any Auto-Zone, of which there are many, for any warranty replacement or a free test.

The Sears Die-Hard is still an OK battery. And like Auto-Zone, you can return a Die-Hard to any Sears store for warranty replacement.

NAPA batteries are very good, but they're kinda pricey.

I used to buy cheap batteries when I was young and broke. I learned this was a very bad idea. We depend way too much on car batteries to skimp. A good battery is a very worthwhile investment; even for a vehicle driven rarely. In fact, I would argue a vehicle driven rarely demands a very high end battery to prevent being stranded.

The recommendation for a trickle charger is a good one. Those things really work.

[Dave Bender]

Dekka. They make batteries for many folk's (Carquest and Napa IIRC) and they are a very good, normal battery. I also like the warrenty with Bosch. Of course if you want the best then go with Oddessy.

[Steve Clardy]

I've never stuck with brand names on batterys.

Most of mine are mostly Walmart brand now.

I've had Interstate, no problems with them.

I had a deep cycle Interstate boat battery in my old ford ton truck for 8 or 9 years and it gave up last year sometime.;)

[Justin Leiwig]

The absolute best battery for a car that your not going to drive often is an Optima. However they are a bit pricey. Champion used to have a version of the Optima battery made by Optima, but I don't think they do that any more.

That said I've never had any problem with any batter in any of my vehicles. None of them expired before their warranty did. Batteries are about the most simple technology you can get and it hasn't changed in the past 30 years.

[Jeff Monson]

I'd highly recemmond an Interstate battery, I own and operate a auto repair shop, (14 years) and we have sold Interstate from the start. I've sold alot of cheaper batteries also as a second line and they dont compare. I see the warranty rate on most battery makers and Interstate (which is made by johnson controls) has one of the lowest, I can also vouch for those numbers as there is rarely a warranty battery on the return shelf.

Battery cost has skyrocketed this fall, we are paying 15 to 20 dollars more for each battery we sell. Cheap batteries are getting to be a thing of the past.

[Joe Pelonio]

Here's some interesting information from Consumer Reports. If true, we might as well save some money.


"Most auto batteries are made by just three manufacturers, Delphi, Exide, and Johnson Controls Industries. Each makes batteries sold under several different brand names. Delphi makes ACDelco and some EverStart (Wal-Mart) models. Exide makes Champion, Exide, Napa, and some EverStart batteries. Johnson Controls makes Diehard (Sears), Duralast (AutoZone), Interstate, Kirkland (Costco), Motorcraft (Ford), and some EverStarts."

Link:

http://autos.msn.com/advice/CRArt.aspx?contentid=4023696

[Dave Lehnert]

Here's some interesting information from Consumer Reports. If true, we might as well save some money.


"Most auto batteries are made by just three manufacturers, Delphi, Exide, and Johnson Controls Industries. Each makes batteries sold under several different brand names. Delphi makes ACDelco and some EverStart (Wal-Mart) models. Exide makes Champion, Exide, Napa, and some EverStart batteries. Johnson Controls makes Diehard (Sears), Duralast (AutoZone), Interstate, Kirkland (Costco), Motorcraft (Ford), and some EverStarts."

Link:

http://autos.msn.com/advice/CRArt.aspx?contentid=4023696

Years ago we use to sell car batteries and when the truck came to deliver we would tell him what we wanted. His truck was full of blank car batteries. He would look up what brand we sold, Then pull out the brand label from his file and stick it on.

[Curt Harms]

I have a 2001 Ranger that has had the factory battery in it 'til this past weekend. On Friday A.M. I hit the starter, it turned over a couple times normally but didn't start. Hit the switch again and click-click-click. I was figuring on a new battery before cold weather set in so wasn't too upset. I'd heard good things about Interstate so went that route and so far so good. I find myself at unattended airports late at night so I like my pick-em-up truck to start reliably.

[Scott Erwin]

Joe is right with his research...There are 3 main players in the battery market as he found out. One of the things to remember which is false information 'get a deep cycle battery'. These are NOT designed for use in a car/truck/etc. A deep cycle battery is designed for draining the battery down low, then recharging it. This type of an environment is like an electric trolling motor of a boat, a camper or trailer where the battery controls the lights (12v) and is on for a long period of time without being recharged. Hence the words deep cycle. A car battery discharges a little bit when starting/running lights without engine running/over night for computers to keep the clock time right and such. When the car is started, the battery has a slight discharge and is quickly charged back up. This is a normal cycle for a car battery. Getting a deep cycle battery is not going to get you any more life from it as it is not being used for how it was designed. In fact, it will most likely give you less.

Another note. DO NOT put a battery on a trickle (2amp) charger and leave it there like most people think either. This will overheat the battery and will kill it. Extreame heat and cold are the two things that will take the life out of a battery.

The correct item you want to get if you are going to leave the 'charger' hooked up is called a battery tender. You will see these at motorcycle shops as bikes are not riden all the time and the batter tender will let the battery discharge before it startes a charge cycle. This is similar to starting the vehicle and then having the battery charge back up. Other places you can find them are RV stores, as they too are not driven on a regular basis...even more so now with gas being the price it is. (That is just an editor's note)

Another thing to think about, get the right battery for the vehicle, dont think you are going to save a few bucks on getting a battery that just fits the bill. Get the right size (group) and the right CCA (cold cranking amp) battery for the vehicle it is going into. In the long run you will be better off. -- Then again, if you are just putting a battery in it to sell it, get what ever will start it for the least money and be done with it, if you want the cheap way out...

Hope this helps...

[Jeff Monson]

Yes it is correct that 3 companies produce most of the batteries out there, BUT not all batteries within the company are created equally.
This has been pointed out several times to me by battery vendors.

Just like auto makers produce different levels of cars within their company, bottom line, you get what you pay for.