[poncho-mike]

My last three batteries for my daily drivers have been AutoCraft from Advance Auto. The local Advance store was local and very convenient, so I've been buying the AutoCraft Gold for my car with a 3 year free replacement. Well, it seems these things are designed to die just past the three year mark. My receipts are emailed to me, and my last three AutoCraft batteries died at 3 1/2 to 4 years of life. My daily driver's sit outside. I'm in NC, so we don't really see extremes in winter cold or summer heat.

Up until the last few years, I think my batteries were averaging about six years of service life. I also noticed Advance Auto no longer sells AutoCraft, they offer DieHard.

What do you guys generally get for car battery life in your daily drivers? What brand of batteries do you prefer?

[gtohurstjudge]

I use the Super Start batteries from O'reilly auto parts. They are
the best batteries I have ever seen......On average I get 6-7 years out of them.
I put one in my wife's 2010 Camaro in 2011 after the Delco crapped out at 12 months and it lasted until the spring of 2020. Also they have a flat top good for
using battery toppers for a correct look and they never ever boil acid. I sell
them at my car repair shop and I never have to replace them unless they are at least 6 years old. I currently have them in all 8 of my own vehicles and some of them are years and years old and still start the car right up after sitting for several months.

[Baron Von Zeppelin]

Generally getting 3-6 years out of the $50 , 1 year Walmart batteries.
Shortest was 3 years, longest is still going past 6 years.
Been using them every time in every thing the last 10+ years.

[hobbygto65]

I guess I must have bad luck, I went through 3 batteries from Walmart in one year. Have had really good luck with Duracell batteries from Batteries Plus.

[Sirrotica]

I also have had good luck with the Duracell batteries, which are made by East Penn batteries. East penn seems to make good quality batteries from my experience.

[Stuart]

I've had good luck with the Batteries+Bulbs store. They've carried different brands over the years, I see they currently have Duracell (and as others have pointed out in previous threads, there are really only a few battery manufacturers that make all of them, regardless of the name on the side of it. ) https://www.batteriesplus.com

[tjs72lemans]

Regardless of brand, if it isn't started and driven much, it hurts the battery. I use battery maintainers and have gotten 9 years out of one and usually about 6 out of most of them. Before I use to maintain them, I got about 3 years out of them.

[Ben M.]

My main concern is having a place that will deal with them. I've taken to buying batteries from AutoZone or the last 8-9 years once the last independent shop went out of business. If there's a warranty issue there's always one nearby and I'm in the computer. If there's no AZ nearby, I go with NAPA and their Gold line. I drove my '73 regularly and my '05 Lincoln Town Car with them in the same weather you have and never a problem over 4 and 5 years.

[mgarblik]

Originally Posted by Sirrotica

I also have had good luck with the Duracell batteries, which are made by East Penn batteries. East penn seems to make good quality batteries from my experience.

East Penn is a manufacturer as you mentioned. They are the primary supplier to NAPA for their batteries. I have had good luck with them. I have also had good luck with AC Delco batteries.

[455Grandville]

Wal Mart Premium Everstart, despite the Wal Mart name they’re good batteries and typically they’re $50 less from what Auto parts chains charge for their batteries.

[marxjunk]

NAPA is the best ive found..we go thru a lot of batteries or equipment and trucks etc..and i personally have had the best luck with the NAPA stuff

[The Champ]

Why over think this? The OE batteries in my GM new car purchases have lasted far longer than any aftermarket batteries I've purchased from other companies.

GM OE is ACDelco. My current daily driver is a 2014 Cadillac ATS4. It still has the original ACD battery that came with it. I live in MN, so it has made it through 7 cold harsh winters already and is working on #8.

The vehicle I traded in on the ATS4 was a 2006 Pontiac Torrent. I replaced that battery in December of 2013, despite the fact that it was still working fine. Why? We took a vacation to Germany over Christmas that year and I wanted to be sure that we didn't have a problem when we returned after 12 days of the car sitting outside in a parking lot by the Minneapolis airport.

Ease of getting an ACD battery warranteed? Any GM dealer can do it, along with any independent repair shop that carries ACD batteries and the ACD warehouse distributors that supply them.

I live 1 mile outside of a town of 1100 people and can get my battery warrantee replacement 1 mile from my house (independent repair shop stocking ACD batteries). Within 10 miles, I have an additional 7 locations (5 independant repair shops and 2 GM dealers). If I stretch that to 25 miles, I have an additional 3 GM dealers, 2 ACD warehouse distributors and well over 25 independent repair shops that stock ACD batteries.

The ACD Professional Gold series batteries have a 42 month Free Replacement warranty.

[455Grandville]

Originally Posted by The Champ

Why over think this? The OE batteries in my GM new car purchases have lasted far longer than any aftermarket batteries I've purchased from other companies.

GM OE is ACDelco. My current daily driver is a 2014 Cadillac ATS4. It still has the original ACD battery that came with it. I live in MN, so it has made it through 7 cold harsh winters already and is working on #8.

The vehicle I traded in on the ATS4 was a 2006 Pontiac Torrent. I replaced that battery in December of 2013, despite the fact that it was still working fine. Why? We took a vacation to Germany over Christmas that year and I wanted to be sure that we didn't have a problem when we returned after 12 days of the car sitting outside in a parking lot by the Minneapolis airport.

Ease of getting an ACD battery warranteed? Any GM dealer can do it, along with any independent repair shop that carries ACD batteries and the ACD warehouse distributors that supply them.

I live 1 mile outside of a town of 1100 people and can get my battery warrantee replacement 1 mile from my house (independent repair shop stocking ACD batteries). Within 10 miles, I have an additional 7 locations (5 independant repair shops and 2 GM dealers). If I stretch that to 25 miles, I have an additional 3 GM dealers, 2 ACD warehouse distributors and well over 25 independent repair shops that stock ACD batteries.

The ACD Professional Gold series batteries have a 42 month Free Replacement warranty.

Are the ones you buy at the dealer the same quality as the ones from an auto parts chain ?

[mysticmissle]

I have been told that the OEM batteries have all new lead, where the auto parts stores walmarts etc tend to be recycled components. I do not have proof though. But my experience is the same OEM seem to last a lot longer.

[Sirrotica]

Originally Posted by mysticmissle

I have been told that the OEM batteries have all new lead, where the auto parts stores walmarts etc tend to be recycled components. I do not have proof though. But my experience is the same OEM seem to last a lot longer.

I'd take that with a grain of salt. New lead couldn't get much dirtier than coming from ore in the earth. Lead when re-smeltered floats the impurities same as most other metals do when heated. Lead has been reclaimed probably more than most any other metal, and usually fetches a fairly good price when scrapped compared to most common metals.

I'd tend to believe that skimping on the amount of lead in the construction of the plates has more to do with battery longevity than new lead, vs recycled lead.

Electrolysis does consume the base metals inside of storage battery, it only makes sense that if you start out with more base metal inside, the battery has a better chance of living longer.

I've noticed through the years that the longest lasting batteries are usually the heaviest batteries.

Champ makes a good point for the AC Delco brand, having worked in many GM dealerships over the years they usually outlast anything from the aftermarket sources. I also remember that they had an advanced design for the insulating envelopes separating the plates touted back 30-40 years ago, which they promoted in their advertising. Vibration from the road can be a killer of batteries when the insulation between plates fails.

I've never heard of who is actually the manufacturer of AC Delco batteries, but they must manufacture them differently than the average aftermarket battery is made. There's a reason they outlast other brands. From my own experience, I'm guessing, 33%-50% longer than the other batteries, but you usually pay for the extra endurance also in the purchase price.

Same goes for the Duracell/East Penn batteries, they're usually more up front than the alternatives. Last Duracell I got 10% off, and it was still about $110 out the door from Batteries and Bulbs. They tend to be about the same life as an AC Delco, usually average 5-6 years. As with most things, you get what you pay for.

[dataway]

Question for you guys ... this topic is very timely. Yesterday I go to start my 2011 GMC and it was absolutely, completely dead, I mean not even a dome light or dash LED.

4 days ago I drove it into town same as always, no issues at all. Temps have averaged around 30 degrees. Forgot to unplug my dash cam but that thing will run years on a car battery, have forgotten many times before no problems.

Battery is 7 years old ... so yes, pretty much garbage anyway (DieHard Gold), but I have never had a battery fail like this, from working fine to totally discharged in four days.

Only time I touched the truck in that four days was to change the gas cap that was throwing a code. I might have started it to see if the cleared code would come back, don't remember.

Anyway ... have others had a battery fail like that? I know the emissions system on this truck will sometimes do "things" after it's shut off, I've heard it, little whirring noises and such, barely audible. Any chance it did something like that and killed the very old battery?

Got the old battery on a computer type charger now just to see if I can diagnose any problem. Got a new NAPA Legend battery for it today ... after charging the old battery to get me into town ... which it did no problem.

I have no issues with replacing the old battery ... just wondering if something is amiss that caused it to discharge like that.
Thanks

[Sirrotica]

In my own experiences, usually when it's dead as a doornail there is a draw that completely discharged it down to nothing. Batteries usually fail one cell at a time showing up at like 9-10 volts which will still either click the starter ot light the dome light dimly.

I've had a inverter with an internal cooling fan run my battery dead in my 99 GP twice recently. My wife has used the same inverter in her Vibe, but the lighter socket shuts off when you shut off the ignition. The GP is hot all the time, and if started every day it didn't discharge the battery enough that it wouldn't start the car, but over 4-5 days it ran it flat.

I hope that helps you find out if it's the, battery or a draw, but you're in the time frame where if the battery hasn't failed, it probably will in a short time.

[68lemans462]

I buy everything I can (including RV/car batteries) at COSTCO. They sell interstate batteries. The batteries are OK although I did have one failure at right under the 48month warranty (at 46 months) and they replaced it for free. Price is right there for sure, usually the batteries are around $100. I picked up a Super Start battery in a pinch from o'reilly couple weeks ago for a friends '02 suburban right before we were taking off on a fishing trip/5 hour drive.. Paid like $180 for it out the door! Wasnt my $ so I didnt cry but I NEVER would have bought it myself. He doesnt care.

[OCMDGTO]

Just replaced a Walmart Everstart in my car under warranty that was a year old. Had one in my 4wlr that died in one year also recently. I personally think they should change the name to Neverstart and would not recommend them unless you are in a jam. Not much to choose from around here but I will try NAPA next time. I've had good luck with my OEMs in my Silverados getting 5yrs out of them which is what I expect from any new battery.

[Sirrotica]

Originally Posted by OCMDGTO

Just replaced a Walmart Everstart in my car under warranty that was a year old. Had one in my 4wlr that died in one year also recently. I personally think they should change the name to Neverstart and would not recommend them unless you are in a jam. Not much to choose from around here but I will try NAPA next time. I've had good luck with my OEMs in my Silverados getting 5yrs out of them which is what I expect from any new battery.

Walmart has changed suppliers within the last couple of years, I'm sure it was a move for price. You get what you pay for, still holds true. I believe that Walmart formerly used Johnson Controls as their main supplier, same as most mass battery merchandisers, but went with a new corporation that I can't remember the name of, off the top of my head. But they don't use only one manufacturer exclusively, it can vary depending upon what battery you buy.

I used to buy Walmart batteries, because they were cheaper for the same quality you were getting from parts stores, and lasted about the same as more expensive parts store batteries, but that has changed over the years. Walmart also didn't have as many choices in their lineup as they do presently, when they started offering more grades of batteries, I believe that's when they also became more failure prone.

Sams Club still sells the Duracell line, which Walmart doesn't offer, probably one of the best values available, but I no longer have a Sams Club membership. I have a mistreated a lawn and garden battery that is at least 8 years old and still held a charge last time I tried using it. It sits outside and only gets used about once a year during Norwalk, but it also cost about 40 bucks when I bought it, about twice the cost of the cheapy lawn and garden battery.