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Old 09-20-2020, 06:13 PM
John V. John V. is offline
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Default Walmart Everstart Maxx Battery

I have sung the praises of this battery for years. Probably started buying them in the '90s if not earlier. They had a yellow case back then. I loved the warranty. At one time the pro rated portion was 72 months and then I think went to 84 months for a time.

More than a few times I have made use of the warranty. Sometimes during the free replacement period, sometimes during the pro rated portion.

Around 2010, Walmart cut the warranty. IIRC, they stopped offering the extended pro rata portion. I bought a Maxx during that time anyway but not long after, I needed another battery and went elsewhere because I found a superior warranty (don't recall the vendor but likely one of the chain auto parts stores).

I also noticed at some point that the Maxx was produced by Johnson Controls.

After a short hiatus, I saw that Walmart had brought back a pro rata warranty, 3 year free replacement plus 2 years pro rated. Not as good as way back when but better than nothing.

So in 2014 when the 3 yo OE battery died in my wife's 2012 Civic, I put in a Maxx 51R. Added felt washers and greased the posts as is my habit.

About 30 months later, the Maxx died. Replaced it with a "free" Maxx.

Last night that Maxx died. It is 42 months old. I took it in to Walmart thinking there should still be a little warranty left.

Was disappointed but not shocked when they told me the replacement battery only carried the balance of the original warranty, so no warranty remained.

In hindsight, I'm not sure if they knew that I got this battery in 2017 for "free" by the receipt I gave them or by scanning the bar code on the battery. If I didn't have the receipt, they might have gone by the bar code and date sticker on the battery. Perhaps would have received some pro rated discount.

So I paid full price (~$125).

I see that the battery is now distributed by Clarios. That is just a new company name for Johnson Controls so no change there.

But the kicker, when I asked if the new battery has a full warranty, I was told yes, but they only provide the 3 year free replacement warranty now, the pro rated portion is once again gone.

I still like Walmart because they are everywhere. But I'm not sure the new warranty justifies the price.

I didn't look at their less expensive battery prices. In the past, I was willing to pay more to get the better warranty. Now I'm not sure it is worth the premium for the Maxx.

Spilt milk for today but I'm thinking my next battery purchase will either be a value priced battery from Walmart or one with a better warranty sold elsewhere.

Not complaining but wonder what everybody else is seeing for battery warranties and pricing these days. Are the warranties being cut back by all battery makers? Anybody have good luck with value priced batteries in a newer car?

My past experience seems to be useless to me now.

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Old 09-20-2020, 06:39 PM
Chief of the 60's Chief of the 60's is offline
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There's a reason why people coined the phrase "Neverstart". But then, some people just get lucky I guess. But to answer the warranty question, Interstate recently cut back their warranty a tad on their high end batteries. No big deal, I have one that is on its 15th year.

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Old 09-20-2020, 08:00 PM
John V. John V. is offline
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15 years is amazing. What vehicle and how are you using it? What part of the country? Keep it away from Fla, it will be dead in no time!

As to Interstate today, they are not a battery manufacturer, marketing and distribution only.

Johnson Controls was sold to a private equity company (hence the name change I mentioned) that is still one of the makers of Interstate private labeled batteries. Exide is another. Don’t know the history of Interstate, maybe they used to actually make batteries. But no more.

I wouldn’t be surprised that the reason Clarios ended the pro rata warranty is the private equity ownership. In my experience these companies loathe Warranty liability and want to flip the asset quickly. Ridding the liability exposure will make the company a lot more attractive to the next buyer.

Still looking for any insights of recent vintage especially for “value” priced batteries being used in late model cars.

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Old 09-20-2020, 08:09 PM
Chief of the 60's Chief of the 60's is offline
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Its in a 13:1CR street/race car in NY where cold takes a bigger toll on a battery than heat. I pointed it out to my Interstate delivery driver and his exact answer to me was, "Well.... They don't make them like they used to".

Interstate is currently made by J.C. and Exide. IMO, Exide sucks. We'll see how the new Exide made Interstates hold up.

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Old 09-20-2020, 09:03 PM
694.1 694.1 is offline
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Bought a used beater many years ago with a Walmart Battery. It died well before it's time but try to Warranty a battery in a used car...
Local Salvage yard had some used batteries on the shelf & wouldn't ya know, there is the Maxx. $10.
Best part is that it had the warranty tucked into that little plastic pouch stuck on the side
Took the paperwork with the dead battery & got a pro rated new one, Sent the Ten buck battery down the road with another car

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Old 09-20-2020, 09:26 PM
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I've had very good luck with the everstart batteries. Most seem to last between 7 and 10 years for me and I don't use trickle chargers as a rule. Through the years I guess they change manufacturers so who knows.

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Old 09-20-2020, 09:34 PM
Chief of the 60's Chief of the 60's is offline
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Best battery ever


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Old 09-20-2020, 10:09 PM
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Last I knew Walmart warrantied their own batteries, not the manufacturer. This is why the cheaper less powerful batteries sold there have longer warranties then the same brands sold elsewhere. As a retailer you can have a battery printed with whatever warranty you wish to cover.

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Old 09-20-2020, 11:42 PM
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Find a JC Penney with an auto center...

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Old 09-21-2020, 06:34 AM
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For the record, heat is harder on a battery than cold. Cold storage is actually better for a battery than uncontrolled heat is. This was made perfectly clear in the 8 hours of battery training I had prior to being allowed to tour the Johnson Controls battery manufacturing facility in St. Joe, MO.

Many batteries are replaced in the winter because of the fear of a "no start" in the bitter cold - people are just more concerned and are more willing to do preventative maintenance. In the summer, people are more willing to limp along with a weak battery because it's not a life threatening issue.

Pro rata warranties started going away several years ago after Interstate lost a class action lawsuit over the pro rata warranty policy.

https://topclassactions.com/lawsuit-...nt%20batteries.

Basically, many people hear a 5, 6 or 7 year warranty and assume that is full replacement, even though the full replacement period and pro rata period are clearly represented. They got pissed off when they find out their "warranty" on 59 month old battery is $1.98 towards a full price battery when at current costs - not the sale price they paid 59 months ago.

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Old 09-21-2020, 06:58 AM
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Elarson Elarson is offline
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I've found the best prices on Rural King batteries which are made by Exide.

I don't think I've ever had a Napa battery fail before it's warranty period was up.

Every other brand has been pretty random....some fail early and some go way past the warranty.

Eric

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Old 09-21-2020, 07:48 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Elarson View Post
I don't think I've ever had a Napa battery fail before it's warranty period was up.
I've never had a NAPA battery fail before it's warranty period was up either.

Of course, I've never owned a vehicle with a NAPA battery....

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Old 09-21-2020, 07:50 AM
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Had two Everstarts in my 7.3 Powerstroke;lasted from 2007-2017.Never an issue.

Interstate is iffy nowadays;there is a shop a few miles down the road that can`t warranty them fast enough.

The worst battery we see,or I should say the most replaced,are the batteries from AAA.

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Old 09-21-2020, 08:55 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Chief of the 60's View Post
Best battery ever

I remember those. My Uncle put them in a 73 f350 super camper special that had 2 batteries. They did fail quite often so he loved the warranty but ultimately Firestone took over the warranty and you only got 1 replacement after that. I remember he was PO'd because firestone reneged on it.

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Old 09-21-2020, 03:40 PM
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Default This:

Quote:
Originally Posted by The Champ View Post
For the record, heat is harder on a battery than cold. Cold storage is actually better for a battery than uncontrolled heat is. This was made perfectly clear in the 8 hours of battery training I had prior to being allowed to tour the Johnson Controls battery manufacturing facility in St. Joe, MO.

Many batteries are replaced in the winter because of the fear of a "no start" in the bitter cold - people are just more concerned and are more willing to do preventative maintenance. In the summer, people are more willing to limp along with a weak battery because it's not a life threatening issue.

Pro rata warranties started going away several years ago after Interstate lost a class action lawsuit over the pro rata warranty policy.

https://topclassactions.com/lawsuit-...nt%20batteries.

Basically, many people hear a 5, 6 or 7 year warranty and assume that is full replacement, even though the full replacement period and pro rata period are clearly represented. They got pissed off when they find out their "warranty" on 59 month old battery is $1.98 towards a full price battery when at current costs - not the sale price they paid 59 months ago.
Exactly. I sell and warranty batteries every day I'm at work. I have yet to see a "pro-rata" over $30.00. I try and convince them to just buy a new one with me knocking off 10% so they get the full 3 year warranty. Most batteries sold in parts stores and wallymart are made in Mexico. The longevity just isn't there. Most Optima's I warranty are around 3 years old. The juice isn't worth the squeeze. From what I'm seeing the ODYSSEY batteries are the "Speedqueen" of batteries. I believe they are made in the USA.

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Old 09-22-2020, 07:15 AM
1965gp 1965gp is offline
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I’ve always felt you were lucky to get your 3 years out of a wall mart battery. Back when they were cheap it was worth the risk of getting stranded, now not so much

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Old 09-22-2020, 01:00 PM
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ta6point6 ta6point6 is offline
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I have used the chea versions of Walmart batteries for years. If a vehicle is going to sit a while I use a cut off switch. The battery in Trans Am is going on 6 years now, it sweats a little but starts TA every time. The battery in the 79 truck is a Die Hard and that thing is going on 10 years now. My parents always believed in Die Hard batteries and that is what was in it when they gave it to me. It does have a cut off switch though for my piece of mind. The CCA on battery is just more paste on the plates and a selling point IMO. When I worked at Western Auto in my 20's, we would get a kick back every time we would up-sale on certain auto parts like batteries. I would rather spend 50 on a 1 year warranty battery rather then buy a 280 optima with a 3 year warranty. If you have a good running vehicle that will start after just 2 to three cranks (stock carb vehicle) then that should be all you need. That money people spend on a yellow/red tops could be spent on more important things for the vehicle.

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Old 09-22-2020, 09:17 PM
John V. John V. is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by The Champ View Post
For the record, heat is harder on a battery than cold.
I thought everybody knew this. Chemical reaction science is the reason, easily proven scientifically, anecdotally too. Old adage, winter cold kills the battery but it was summer heat that made the death possible.

In Chicago, batteries always lived a long life for me. Winter would make starting more difficult but not shorten their life. I can recall only 2 times that a battery failed to start my car in sub-zero weather in more than 20 years living there. Both times the batteries were jumped with my other daily driver and both batteries survived.

Lived 19 years in Florida, I ran thru a lot of batteries. Part of that was the increased number of vehicles when my kids started driving but with the '08 Civic (recently totaled when my son who inherited it got rear ended) and the '12 Civic, I was always on borrowed time after 3 years. Sometimes I could jump start the car, other times not even a jump start would get it fired. If you were lucky you would notice a little slower cranking. Ignore that and maybe a month later it would be dead.

For full disclosure, I just checked my records for the '04 Grand Prix. Replaced the OE battery when it was just past 7 years old, all in Fla. The Maxx 34S installed lasted 7 years almost to the day, replaced with another Maxx 34S in late 2017. The GP gets driven once a month if its lucky these days and stays in the garage. So will be interesting to see if it lasts 4 more years.

The Civic uses a very small case battery vs. the GP, figure it has something to do with the short life. Beyond that thought, not sure why the Civics have eaten batteries. The '08 had an issue with corrosion forming on the terminal post (positive I think) that was mostly cured when I added felt washers. The '12 has a different cable terminal set-up and seemed less prone to any corrosion. Again, no idea what Honda may have changed to eliminate the corrosion.

Chief, thanks for posting the JCP Forever Battery ad. Had forgotten them. Never had one. Back then, I don't remember ever replacing a battery. Longest I owned a car, I ordered my '80 Phoenix with the HD Battery option (checked off almost every option on that car). It was still in the car when I sold it in '88. Met my wife when she owned her brand new '78 Cougar. Sold it in '87. Don't recall ever buying a battery for it but won't swear on that one.

Would have been fun to have bought a Forever Battery and gotten free ones for years but never kept a car long enough in those days. I did put lifetime Sears HD shocks on my cars in the '70s. Got my dad to do the same. Not sure I ever got warranty replacements though. My in-laws had a friend who told me that in the '60s and '70s he would take his brand new cars into Sears and immediately have them install lifetime shocks and I think mufflers too. He figured, he was gonna buy them once anyway, may as well put them in from the start. Those were the days.

Pretty sure those warranties were born from the idea that most people didn't keep their cars very long (they also didn't usually last very long) in those days. But as time went by, people started keeping their cars much longer. Suddenly people were keeping their cars long enough to take advantage of the lifetime parts warranties and the vendors stopped offering lifetime warranties. Since the warranty only applied to the original purchaser, it was mostly a gimmick.

ta6point6, good input about the cheap Walmart battery. Not sure they would last as long in the south but I suspect might last as long as the Maxx for a lower price.

Hopefully it will be awhile before I have to decide.

Thanks to all for your comments.

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Old 09-23-2020, 08:10 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by John V. View Post
I thought everybody knew this.
As evidenced by this thread, everyone didn't.



Quote:
For full disclosure, I just checked my records for the '04 Grand. Replaced the OE battery when it was just past 7 years old, all in Fla.

The Civic uses a very small case battery vs. the GP, figure it has something to do with the short life. Beyond that thought, not sure why the Civics have eaten batteries. The '08 had an issue with corrosion forming on the terminal post (positive I think) that was mostly cured when I added felt washers. The '12 has a different cable terminal set-up and seemed less prone to any corrosion. Again, no idea what Honda may have changed to eliminate the corrosion.
The GP had a 3.8 L V6, the Honda Civic only had a small 4 banger - the primay reason for the smaller case battery. Smaller battery also weighs less - so helps with the fuel mileage a tad.

The Honda's were 4 - 8 years newer - possibly more electronic modules using power. Also - your comparing a Honda OE battery to a GM (ACDelco) battery.

My personal experience with OE GM batteries has been fantastic. My '98 GP's OE battery lasted over 8 years and I replaced it in November just because I felt it was preventative maintenance.

My '06 Torrent's OE battery was replaced in December when it was 8 years old. Why?

I was going to Germany for Christmas with my wife, daughter and grandson and the Torrent was going to sit outside at the airport for 12 days in Minneapolis and I just didn't want to risk needing to call for a jump at night after flying all the way from Frankfurt.

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Old 09-23-2020, 09:04 AM
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Ben M. Ben M. is offline
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I think the biggest reason batteries don't seem to last so long is cost. It's cheaper for the manufacturer to make a lesser quality battery and charge just as much for it (or more) as they used to. What are you going to do when it dies? Not buy another? The other problem is our anecdotes from 15-20 years ago aren't necessarily applicable to a battery you'll buy today. Anyone who has bought batteries for a few decades has noticed the cost increase and lifetime issues have gotten worse in the last 10 years. We won't know the result of any cheapening in the manufacturing process until a few years down the road.

I do say that if I get 6 years out of a battery I consider that acceptable in our modern world and look at it as I look at tires and belts, they will eventually wear out through no fault necessarily on the owner's side and are part of the cost of ownership. The best battery I do recall was actually a Walmart Everstart battery that was in my '78 Bonneville when I bought it in 2007. I had that car for 4 years and when the battery finally started cranking slowly (never died) I replaced it and found it was 11 years old.

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