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Thread: Car battery question...

  1. #31
    Quote Originally Posted by Jerome Stanek View Post
    The Walmart batteries I bought all failed just after the warranty was off one made it to 2 years and 1 month one made it 1 year and 1o months another that had a 60 month warranty made it 3 years. That one they prorated and I ended up with one of the others. I replaced three of the Walmart batteries with Exide that I bought from Rural King and the one in my diesel tractor is now over 6 years old
    Another issue that hasn't been _explicitly_ pointed out is that if you're getting a new battery, make sure that it's as fresh as possible (i.e. recent manufacture.) Many places like to sell the oldest ones first, for obvious reasons. There are ways of checking the date codes, and you can Google for that. A seller that has a lot of throughput is a good bet (not the corner shop blowing the dust off it, etc.)

    Walmart OTOH has good throughput, and is at least good for giving you a new battery every year, but it gets tiresome after a while. ;^)

    Google "Walmart Vlasic Pickles bankruptcy" and you can see the kind of pressures that companies are under that deal with them.

  2. #32
    Quote Originally Posted by Doug Dawson View Post
    Another issue that hasn't been _explicitly_ pointed out is that if you're getting a new battery, make sure that it's as fresh as possible (i.e. recent manufacture.).
    Costco seems to have a good turnover of its batteries.

    Simon

  3. #33
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ronald Blue View Post
    As for exploding batteries. The one that blew up while jump starting it. That was caused by most likely not following recommended jump starting procedures. The hydrogen gas being emitted ignited and burst the battery. If it put battery acid all over it was an explosion. Just saying.
    +1. One of the first things I was taught when I took a summer job at a filling station nearly 6 decades ago was never make a spark near the battery. Positive to positive first and bare metal to bare metal away from the battery assuming negative ground.

  4. #34
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    Quote Originally Posted by Doug Dawson View Post
    Google "Walmart Vlasic Pickles bankruptcy" and you can see the kind of pressures that companies are under that deal with them.
    I used to sell to HD and Lowes, so I am well familiar with the pressure.

    If the Walmart battery lives to its warranty, I will be happy.

  5. #35
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    Quote Originally Posted by Doug Dawson View Post
    I've bought many many batteries over the years. Sears, Walmart (average lifetime maybe one year,) parts jobber house brands (hit-or-miss,) over-the-counter OEM's (which are usually stale because nobody buys from them unless the customer demands it,) and probably about a dozen Interstates, and the latter are the only ones where I've never had a premature failure, not one. Perhaps it's a matter of QC, but in my experience this is beyond anecdotal.
    Just curious how many vehicles you own or have owned? After 45 years of driving I'm not sure I have bought 20 batteries. Personal use that is. Work is another story. I know from experience and that includes hundreds of batteries in heavy equipment that I have replaced just as many Interstate as any others. Look up 8D 12 volt batteries. You don't look forward to changing these and they are a two person lift at 130 lbs each. In most instances I get what's available where I'm working. I don't have anything against Interstate branded batteries but they are just as likely to fail as any other. If we had found them to be superior we would have made them the battery of choice. I'm glad you have found them to be better. My experience hasn't been the same. There many factors that lead to battery failures and they often get blamed when they aren't actually faulty. Parasitic load and a weak alternator are common causes of no start situations. Batteries fail no matter who makes them. It's kind of like asking who makes the best tire. That will get 100 opinions from 50 posters. Well maybe not but you get my drift. Get what makes you happy.

  6. #36
    Currently, local Costco is selling Interstate batteries, at an inflated price. The 230 CCA,12V lawn mower battery is right at $40, with six month warranty. Go to Walmart, and $21.99 get you a battery with same specs. As for "Die Hards," we have had two that lived up to their name- DIED HARD! First one wife bought while working at Sears, using employee discount. When it failed she no longer worked for Sears, so prorated adjustment was based on current retail price. She got back more than she paid for battery originally. My Die Hard (2 yrs old) failed while on vacation. Thank God for jumper cables. My best luck has been with Bosch Professional Batteries. Unfortunately they got bought out and cheapened to AutroZone's Duralast line. Where the parts house has you is no matter where your battery failed, you need it for a "core." This means most of the time that the original vendor doesn't have to adjust it out, as you used it as a "core." I see customers in Autozone complaining about Advance's batteries and the same in reverse at Advance. Both parts house buy their batteries from either Johnson Controls, or GNB, so they are the same battery. LKQ, a pick your part salvage yard sells "reconditioned batteries," which Interstate does for them.

  7. #37
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    I think you will find people have good and bad luck with all brands.
    I had a boat battery from Walmart and it lasted 9 years. Mower battery from Walmart is on it 4th year.
    Purchased a battery from a local owned auto parts store and it lasted for many years. Purchased another for the car and it only lasted less than a year.
    A coworker purchased a battery from Rural King and did not make it a year.
    "Remember back in the day, when things were made by hand, and people took pride in their work?"
    - Rick Dale

  8. #38
    The manufactured date on the battery shouldn't make much of a difference. They don't add the acid until you buy it and that's when it starts producing power. Otherwise it's just lead sitting around in a sealed container. Might want to charge the battery up first and then equalize it. Then you can put it into the car.

  9. #39
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    If I had to replace every battery on the farm at the same time, it would cost me over 5K. Thus I always seek out the best battery for the $.

    Most of my batteries are lasting 6 - 9 years.

    Duralast Gold from Autozone used to be the best, but now I’ve switched over to the ones from Batteries plus.

    Regarding when to replace a battery, simply make sure that it is fully charged and do a load test on it. The meter will let you know if it’s strong, weak, or needs immediate replacement. There is no need to replace a 4 year old battery if it passes a load test.

    Modern cars will not let the starter engage if the battery falls below 10 volts (so the electronics are not damaged). That’s why you might have lights but no cranking.

  10. #40
    10.5 volts is 0% state of charge with most, if not all 12 volt lead acid batteries. If it's reached 10 volts you have damaged the battery and it's likely it will never be 100% again. Simple wet cell batteries are the easiest to "fix". Sealed cells, not so much.

  11. #41
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    One thing that will help a batter live longer is to keep the top or the area between the terminals clean.

    One of my early lessons with car batteries was with a 6V system that wasn't taking or holding a charge. A mechanic took out a couple of quarters, put them on top of the battery and then put the probes of his VOM (Volt Ohm Meter) on the quarters. It showed voltage. The charging was hampered by this and then the battery would discharge through it. It wasn't all that dirty, but after that it is one more thing check and address as necessary.

    jtk
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
    - Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

  12. #42
    Batteries arrive with acid in them now. On most batteries there is a little round sticker on side showing the date they were built. It will have the year and the month

  13. #43
    I thought the battery lost its charge due to the weather.
    Tint Tools

  14. #44
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    My diesel is on its third pair of batteries. I've been driving it for 18 years. The truck starts fine when the batteries start to go, but I can tell that it's time to change them when the Allison transmission starts to act strange. It has a really complicated software package, and I guess the computer doesn't stay reliable once the batteries become weak below some critical stage. It's something over 6 years though.

  15. #45
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bruce Wrenn View Post
    As for "Die Hards," we have had two that lived up to their name- DIED HARD!
    My running joke was always, "They may die hard, but I've never had any trouble killing one."
    I had two of them blow up the same way back in the mid-'80s, leaving the case cracked on the positive end cell. Gave up on them, even though they were both replaced under warranty: not worth dealing up with the idiots at the local Sears' auto department.
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