What Batteries are in Your Cars DD or Classic and Which Brand you Perfer?

[SpiderGearsMan]

hhr and cobalt batteries last due to in trunk position ..caddys buicks under the rear seat too

[Runner1972]

Costco and Les Schwab. Both have excellent warranties and have covered them when the battery went bad. In fact, I just had to replace them (costco) in my diesel truck - cost me $40 for the difference in price (prorated, and price increased) for two batteries. The batteries were 4 years old.

But here's the bit that I find best - neither Schwab nor Costco checks the battery. I've had a battery that went dead, and while the store admitted the battery was not fully holding its charge, because the little needle on their tester said it was "okay" they wouldn't do anything for me....

I've had issues with that plenty of times in my job. This one old guy recently bolt a 6 volt battery for an old jeep and I took this old core that was completely dead. He comes back a few hours later and the battery I just sold him isn't working either, hook it up to the battery machine and it's reading 200 CCA then it should. I make up a test code and gave him another battery

I've been in the same boat when batteries I know were no good and the person in charge didn't want to either warranty the battery or just a complete piece of work to put it lightly.

But, I have also had to tell people no because how can you kill 3 batteries in a few months?
Had a big problem with a guy driving an old Toyota that needed an alternator, but just kept showing up wanting this battery replaced.

Had to get my boss involved on that one and haven't seen the guy or that damn car since

[38P]

only fools buy a battery by warranty a silver and a gold are the same battery. you just pay extra, betting it'll die before the time runs out

Wrong. The better batteries usually weigh more and have better plate insulator material.

[squirrel]

The more expensive batteries are usually better made, but the added quality is not proportional to the added price. Most of the extra cost goes towards the warranty and the advertising.

With the price of alternators for late model cars, replacing the battery before it dies can be a cost saving measure

[38P]

I've had issues with that plenty of times in my job. This one old guy recently bolt a 6 volt battery for an old jeep and I took this old core that was completely dead. He comes back a few hours later and the battery I just sold him isn't working either, hook it up to the battery machine and it's reading 200 CCA then it should. I make up a test code and gave him another battery

I've been in the same boat when batteries I know were no good and the person in charge didn't want to either warranty the battery or just a complete piece of work to put it lightly.

But, I have also had to tell people no because how can you kill 3 batteries in a few months?
Had a big problem with a guy driving an old Toyota that needed an alternator, but just kept showing up wanting this battery replaced.

Had to get my boss involved on that one and haven't seen the guy or that damn car since

The hardest rule in tire & battery retail . . . the customer's always right. Back in the old Western Auto days, I never bought a new battery because we always had such a supply of nearly-new customer take-outs. Then Sears switched us to AC/Delco . . . lots of warranty fun . . . .

[Stich496]

Wrong. The better batteries usually weigh more and have better plate insulator material.

wrong... I got it straight from the horses mouth.. when we toured the factory that made sears batteries..
again you where say'n
all your paying extra for is a piece of paper with more months on it

[38P]

The more expensive batteries are usually better made, but the added quality is not proportional to the added price. Most of the extra cost goes towards the warranty and the advertising.

That may be true with a few nationally-adverstised products. And some of the extra cost usually goes into a small commission (spiff) for the salesperson, too.

But otherwise, a battery is like a gas tank in a street car . . . you just can't have one that holds too many CCAs or too much reserve capacity. The number and depth of a battery's cycles are good predictors of its lifespan (assuming a properly maintained charging system). A just-big-enough economy battery will fail much sooner than a premium product with a CCA and reserve capacity surplus.

I always liked selling economy batteries, though, because I knew the mope would be coming back for another one in a year or two. Especially when the customer was a "know-it-all" or the battery was going into something that heat-soaked the starter motor and required a lot of cranking to start (i.e. Big cam SBC with headers).

[38P]

wrong... I got it straight from the horses mouth.. when we toured the factory that made sears batteries..
again you where say'n
all your paying extra for is a piece of paper with more months on it

That's just bull! I've weighed cheap and expensive batteries on a scale to prove it. Back in the day, I extensively trained on the factory tech materials and was a corporate sales trainer. I had comparative plates and insulator materials to show students.

[Stich496]

That's just bull! I've weighed cheap and expensive batteries on a scale to prove it. Back in the day, I extensively trained on the factory tech materials and was a corporate sales trainer. I had comparative plates and insulator materials to show students.

ok whatever you say.. it's your money.. me I have a 29 buck battery thats 13years and counting..

[squirrel]

I always liked selling economy batteries, though, because I knew the mope would be coming back for another one in a year or two.

I guess you didn't read my earlier post, I said I buy the least expensive batteries at walmart, and replace them every 5 years. I haven't had any fail prematurely (when less than 5 years old) for a long time, I think the last one that died early was a pep boys battery in the early 90s.

The only thing that kills normal batteries for sure is leaving them sitting for a while. Optimas have a big advantage here, they'll last a long time without being used. It's not enough of an advantage for me to buy them.

[squirrel]

I have a 29 buck battery thats 13years and counting..

What's the reserve capacity of that battery? Bet it won't crank an engine very long....

[38P]

Let's see . . Squirrel buys a new battery every few years. I've sold thousands of batteries (many to the same mopes) and had extensive factory training. And I've had a lot of personal experience with batteries in scores of cars over the past three decades. I wonder who has the most reliable anecdotes?

[Cyclone03]

I have an Optima Red top on the Mustang,Duralast Gold in the '02 SportTrac,Duralast Gold in 08 Mazda,why di it EAT a battery in 3 years?,and a Bosch in the wifes BMW.

BTW the Battery in the SportTrac came out of my Marauder when I sold it in '06.The Marauder battery DIED with the engine running,car just shut off.I'm convinced "jumping" my nieghbors car killed it,it was so dead it wouldn't crank.
The Mazda started to do that little grunt when you turned the key,then would start,I was proud of my daughter when she noticed it one day before class,then told me "it only does it first time I start it,then it's ok during the day." She then said "it's getting worse,now it does it when I leave school" Charging didn't help it would only show 10.7 on the voltmter.
BMW also did a little grunt when it was first started,the meter showed 9.8v(!) after sitting overnight.

[38P]

Eleven Most Entertaining Things I've Heard at The Battery Counter

11. "You don't need to look it up . . . Just gimme a battery for a 350 Chevy . . . ." (often these customers would come back complaining that a generic "Group 24" battery wouldn't fit).

10. "I don't drive it very much . . . Just gimme the cheapest one you've got" (240 CCA doesn't last very long churning an old, sleeping big block with an amp-guzzling, worn-out starter motor)

9. "There's nothing wrong with my charging system!" (get ready to sell some hard parts on the next comeback)

8. "You don't need to charge it before you test it!" (on old analog load test equipment, a discharged battery would always test bad)

7. "I pulled the positive cable and it kept running . . . so the battery has to be the problem!" (Dude, ever heard of a short?)

6. "Battery cables never wear out!" (spoken by the guy with the ancient, corrosion-packed OEM cables)

5. "The location of the terminals doesn't matter." (spoken by the guy who soon says "My @#$% cables won't reach")

4. "The belt's not squeelin' so why replace it?"

3. "No sir, I didn't hammer on it!" (Battery posts obviously beaten to death)

2. "I don't need no hold-down . . . the battery can't fall out (shock to plates from batteries sliding around is a known source of premature failure).

1. "All batteries are the same."

[HillbillySailor2]

Duralast in all of mine. American made (made by Johnson Controls...the same guys that make Interstate and Die-Hard batteries) and I've never had an issue out of them.

And Speed, what the hell is a "mope"??