[The Champ]

Originally Posted by 455Grandville

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

If it is an ACDelco Professional Series Gold, it is the same regardless of where you buy it.



ACD also makes a Professional Series Silver with a 30 month free replacement warranty (made in the same plant by Johnson Controls in St. Joeseph, MO). Their Advantage line, with an 18 month free replacement warranty, is made in Korea.

As a Territory Manager for an ACDelco warehouse distributor for 10 years, I can guarantee you that in my territory (southern MN and northern IA), whether it was a new car dealer, a fleet, a used car dealer or an independent repair shop - all the batteries were the same.

I was only aware of one chain store in my territory that chose to stock ACD batteries (only at the local level).

I was invited to tour the JCI plant in St. Joe, MO back around 2013, IIRC. Before I could go in the plant, I had to have 8 hours of battery training. At the time, JCI also made Interstate and MotorCraft batteries in the same plant (among others).

But just because they were made in the same plant, didn't mean that the batteries were all the same. ACD batteries were built to ACD specs, Interstate to their specs, etc. I know for a fact that Interstates batteries and JCI parted ways a number of years ago. Many (if not all) Interstates now are sourced from Mexico.

['ol Pinion head]

Can't comment on what auto battery gives "good" service. Can state, have had EXCELLENT results with the Duracell Platinum AGM type batteries in my Cummins Dodge. Our older 4Runner has one as well. Really try & support my local NAPA owner as he is an independent, & I consider him a longtime friend, but the NAPA battery warranty is not that long.

A nice thing about Sam's is they are open 7 days a week, can't say that about most NAPA's & chasing down an AC Delco & getting hosed, I'll leave that for those that can't install their own battery's & have to call a shop & the shop's buddy wrecker service to get their battery swapped out.

Convenience... In the 90's when I was racking up tons of miles on the road hauling in partscars & specialty core parts, I tended to run a WalMart Everstart battery in my work vehicle. Walmarts with auto batteries were everywhere, & most open til 10PM & their batteries were decent performers. Things have changed. like nearly everything WalMart, its gone down hill. I might make it into a Walmart 4 times a year & it's typically a quick jaunt through the garden center door to the back aisle for Shell Rotella or a jug of diesel fuel conditioner, nothing else. An amazingly different culture right up the road @ Sam's.

My neighbor also has a similar pair of Duracell AGM design batteries in his 2017 Duramax, bought them 18 months ago when his OEM AC Delco batteries gave up the ghost. Both of us bought our Duracell Platinums @ local Sam's. The ones in my Dodge were under $130 a piece, 3 yr free replacement warranty.

Early last week, my son called & asked me about a battery for his wife's car He had online cked batteries (mainly for price) @ local Zone & ol'Effie's. Told him price wasn't the only thing to check, you can get bent over at either of the parts stores. Also suggested he make the short drive to the east side Wichita Sam's & buy a Duracell. Wade was quoting me near a $200 price on Zone's Duralast, just flat crazy for a mediocre quality Johnson Controls auto battery. He ended up getting a Duracell.

3 years ago pulled an entry level Interstate that was less than a year old off a car trailer I'd just bought to replace my stolen open car trailer. Brought the battery into my shop where I put a battery minder on it, only to reinstall it on the trailer when needed. Ended up putting the Interstate in my old XJ Cherokee & it went a while, but about what I expected, it might have been 30 months old when it died. I was much more happy with the Interstate batterys i bought new in the early 00's. To be fair to the Interstate Battery bunch, over the years, I've picked up "seconds" for friends who needed a battery to get a car running that they were about to trade off. These "2nds" worked well for their purpose, bought them from the local Interstate distribution facility, & they were no more than $50 a piece & had a one year warranty. Throw this out to those that are in a similar jamb & about to get out a driver vehicle for another.

[mgarblik]

I think this thread must have given me some bad Karma. The original battery in my wife's Grand Cherokee just died this morning. It's a 2011 model. Can't complain about 10 years of service but it isn't easy to replace and it's an expensive one. Located under the passenger seat, tight fit, 850 CCA AGM replacement only, vented outside the vehicle. Just a tick under $200.00 my cost as a dealer. Retail is much higher. NAPA 3 year free replacement.

[dhcarguy]

NAPA for me, so far so good. Besides ,just the name is worth buying

[Vid]

Seems like several years ago I did a spreadsheet type comparison on car batteries, hunting down every brand I could find, and I focused on CCA's. I believe BOSCH came out on top, but that data is prolly 8-10 years past it's expiration date. I remember being disappointed in the DIEHARD brand and all I can tell you from personal experience is I've had very good luck with Interstate brand and Autozone Gold (or was it Platinum?).

[The Champ]

Originally Posted by 'ol Pinion head

A nice thing about Sam's is they are open 7 days a week, can't say that about most NAPA's & chasing down an AC Delco & getting hosed, I'll leave that for those that can't install their own battery's & have to call a shop & the shop's buddy wrecker service to get their battery swapped out.

Nearest Sam's Club is 28 miles away, and I'm not a member, 2nd is 86 miles and 3rd is 94 - all to the north of me. If I still lived in my hometown, the nearest Sam's is 72 miles. Sam's Clubs just aren't that common in rural America.

I"ve got 4 GM dealers, 2 ACD warehouse distributors and more than 30 independent repair shops that stock ACDelco batteries and will honor the ACD warranty that are closer. No, none of them are open on Sunday.

I know how to install a battery and don't need to call a shop or a wrecker service to change out a battery.

I'm not saying that Duracell batteries are bad - they may be excellent. But if you aren't near a Sam's Club, where do you get a warranty replacement?

[The Champ]

Originally Posted by Vid

Seems like several years ago I did a spreadsheet type comparison on car batteries, hunting down every brand I could find, and I focused on CCA's.

For current vehicles, CCA's is the last thing you need to compare as most vehicles sold today don't need a whole lot of cranking power (4, 6 and small 8 cylinder engines don't demand a lot of CCA's).

These smaller engines typically run 0W20, 5W20 or 5W30 oils and most of us are running synthetics which allow the engine to spin more easily.

With all the electronics and computers - reserve capacity is much more important.

[mgarblik]

X2! Reserve capacity is what separates the Cheap batteries from the better ones. CCA's when tested on almost any decent new battery will test at 115-125% of whatever the CCA listed on the case. Reserve capacity is closely related to the amount of active material on the plates in the battery. A $55.00 Rural King battery may have 50-60% of the active material in a given case size of a higher quality battery. Even though the CCA rating may be the same. One of the reasons they don't last as long. It's a "get what you pay for" situation. Nothing wrong with a Rural King Cheapie battery if the car is junk anyway, or my daughter will be wrecking it in 3 months!

[GT182]

Used to swear by Tri State batteries. I had on in my Kubota that I bought in 1997 and it lasted to 2018. The one in my Jeep lasted close to 8 years. Then when I bought a new one for the Jeep it's warranty was for 40 months... but only lasted 14 months and died. The wouldn't replace it.

So now it's Exide batteries for me. They've been very dependable..... as long as it's relatively new. So watch out for the date on them. Case in point. I needed a battery for my Generac generator fast. I went to my parts store and they ordered one from their supplier Auto Plus (owners of Rock Auto). When it came in the following day the guys laughed their butts off. The date on it was 2016. 4 years old and Auto Plus had the nerve to sell it as new. Yeah it had a charge but wouldn't hold it for long. No problem as it was sent back and I got my money back. No need for it tho... the generator was hit by lightening back on August 2nd, when the hurricane came thru here, and blew the control panel and stator. It's totally unusable. So now I'm waiting for a new one to replace it.... and I'm told it's a long wait.

And Napa is also a good choice.

[455Grandville]

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.

The premium is the one you gotta get, the others I’m told are pretty lousy.
I have 2 that are 5 years old in my 7.3 turbo diesel that started this morning without issue and diesel vibration is pretty hard on a battery.
Someone mentioned Rural King cheapies, I got 3 years out of one in my old beater Jeep that’s for off road use only, considering it was $50 and the Jeep does a lot of nasty off roading I think that’s reasonable.

[ta6point6]

A battery is a battery and it all depends on the paste and the grid that is used IMO. I always buy the cheaper 49.00 Walmart battery. I have in the 79 Trans Am, 79 Chevy Truck and 84 Camping van. I think this article helps explain a lot about car batteries
https://ricksfreeautorepairadvice.co...cranking-amps/

Should you buy a battery with more CCA?
No. Automotive engineers aren’t stupid. They know how batteries are made and they know there’s always a trade-off when packing more CCA into the same size battery. To get more CCA, a battery manufacturer can use either thicker grids or more (thinner) grids. Each design has advantages and disadvantages. For example, if you buy a battery with a higher CCA rating that is recommended by the car maker and the battery achieves that higher CCA rating by using thinner grids with a higher paste density, that design is far more sensitive to high temperatures. It’s not the outside temperature per se that damages the battery, but the combination of high ambient temperatures and high under hood temperatures can literally cook the battery, dramatically decreasing its life. Thicker grids, on the other hand, allow less room for battery electrolyte. So the battery may have high initial CCA but quickly lose its ability to output high amps because of lower levels of electrolyte.

[455Grandville]

Originally Posted by The Champ

If it is an ACDelco Professional Series Gold, it is the same regardless of where you buy it.



ACD also makes a Professional Series Silver with a 30 month free replacement warranty (made in the same plant by Johnson Controls in St. Joeseph, MO). Their Advantage line, with an 18 month free replacement warranty, is made in Korea.

As a Territory Manager for an ACDelco warehouse distributor for 10 years, I can guarantee you that in my territory (southern MN and northern IA), whether it was a new car dealer, a fleet, a used car dealer or an independent repair shop - all the batteries were the same.

I was only aware of one chain store in my territory that chose to stock ACD batteries (only at the local level).

I was invited to tour the JCI plant in St. Joe, MO back around 2013, IIRC. Before I could go in the plant, I had to have 8 hours of battery training. At the time, JCI also made Interstate and MotorCraft batteries in the same plant (among others).

But just because they were made in the same plant, didn't mean that the batteries were all the same. ACD batteries were built to ACD specs, Interstate to their specs, etc. I know for a fact that Interstates batteries and JCI parted ways a number of years ago. Many (if not all) Interstates now are sourced from Mexico.

Yea, in some cases lesser quality goods come from one make depending on where they’re sold.
For instance, if you buy a AIRTEX fuel pump from Autozone the wiring is thinner and cheaper made than one that a mechanic shop would get.

Interesting as I was told Optimas are now made in Mexico and are no longer what they used to be. I had a Interstate in my Trans Am and it didn’t last, and they really had a bad attitude about backing its warranty. Maybe it was Mexican made, but for the money I expected better quality.

On St Joe, the one in Herculaneum closed in 2014 and
I was just at the real old one today in Park Hills that closed in 1972 and it’s now a big off roading place.

[dataway]

Originally Posted by 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.

Examining the old battery on the bench ... opened up the cells (maintenance free but you can still unscrew the flush caps) All the cells were a bit low in water ... one cell had some 3/8" shiny'ish needle like things floating on the surface ... doing a desulfication on it now to see what happens.

Just started it up after sitting for about eight hours with the new battery ... started fine ... does spin the engine noticeably faster than the old battery did .... truck starts so fast it's hard to notice. Guessing the old battery was on deaths door and the small draw from the normal idle electronics killed it.

Wonder if there is a spec for a vehicles resistance cable to cable when shut off (and disconnected from battery) to get an idea of the current draw when not running.

[Sirrotica]

Originally Posted by dataway

Examining the old battery on the bench ... opened up the cells (maintenance free but you can still unscrew the flush caps) All the cells were a bit low in water ... one cell had some 3/8" shiny'ish needle like things floating on the surface ... doing a desulfication on it now to see what happens.

Just started it up after sitting for about eight hours with the new battery ... started fine ... does spin the engine noticeably faster than the old battery did .... truck starts so fast it's hard to notice. Guessing the old battery was on deaths door and the small draw from the normal idle electronics killed it.

Wonder if there is a spec for a vehicles resistance cable to cable when shut off (and disconnected from battery) to get an idea of the current draw when not running.

FWIW, when I worked in the automotive field when checking for a draw, we'd disconnect the battery cable, and but a 12 volt test light in the circuit between the battery and the cable. If there was enough draw to light the test light bulb there was enough to draw the battery down in a day or two. If it didn't light the bulb, it was negligible. You're going to get some draw on most cars, but if it won't light the test light bulb, it's not worth chasing down.

If you use a digital VOM you're probably going to detect some voltage, the test light bulb is an easy way to determine if it was severe, or not. It was also easy to just keep looking at the bulb to find out when pulling fuses, and checking circuits. If you found the circuit with the draw, the bulb would go out, without having to look at the meter each time you pulled a fuse.

[Baron Von Zeppelin]

Originally Posted by dataway

..doing a desulfication on it now to see what happens.

What method
or machine
do you use ?

I did a full-drain and reverse charge on one , one time as an experiment.
Thats as far as i went.
It had a dead cell and i was just playing with it to see if that much of the process was really possible. It did recharge in reverse and swapped + / - post polarity.
That was supposed to also "de-sulfate" the plates... to an extent

[daduck]

I buy AutoZone Duralast batteries for all my vehicles.
There are 4 AZ's within 10 miles of my house and one is 24/7.
I just replaced a Duralast that was 10 years old in a vehicle that I drive occasionally............sometimes it sits for 2 weeks at a time.

Never used a trickle charger on anything I own.

[Formulajones]

I use batteries from a few different places but the majority are Interstates from Costco.

I just replaced the battery in the mustang today. Coincidently I put a Napa brand battery in it 6 1/2 years ago. I noticed it was starting to crank a little slow and figured it was time, so I drove straight to Costco, bought an Interstate and swapped it in the parking lot.

I have an O-Reilly brand in the Firebird and it's been fine for the last 5 years now. It's in there because the battery died 2 blocks from an O-Reilly one day, so I pulled it out and walked it over there.

The Nomad sits a lot so it basically just sits on a trickle. I still had to replace that battery a couple months ago, it was about 7 years old. I just went to Walmart and bought one there, it was cheap for a car that sits a lot anyway, I just need to move it around occasionally.

The Z also has a Napa brand, as it's the only place that carried the correct battery for it. Everything else here has Interstates in them, and they all have lasted me beyond their warranties.

Doesn't matter to me a whole lot as you can see. They all seem to work pretty well for me.

[fyrffytr1]

I used Super Start batteries from O'Reilly's because I got them at employee discount cost which was a very good price. Still came with full warranty too. But, I no longer work there so I don't know what battery I will go with when it comes time to replace the one in my 2018 GMC or the wife's 2019 Honda.
On a side note about four years ago a customer bought a new battery from us and turned in an Optima red top as a core. I tested the Optima and it showed 50% remaining life so I bought it for the $5.00 core charge. I am still using it to start cars and even run the winch on my friends car trailer. It will turn a 6 volt motor over real fast

[dataway]

Originally Posted by Baron Von Zeppelin

What method
or machine
do you use ?

I did a full-drain and reverse charge on one , one time as an experiment.
Thats as far as i went.
It had a dead cell and i was just playing with it to see if that much of the process was really possible. It did recharge in reverse and swapped + / - post polarity.
That was supposed to also "de-sulfate" the plates... to an extent

I'm using a Noco Genius 10. I've always been skeptical of the process ... will have to figure out a way to test the battery afterward. Did notice some slight bulging on the sides ... might have frozen slightly at some point ... so probably mostly destroyed.

Sirrotica .... test light ... great idea, hadn't though of that.

[dataway]

So in the process of investigating my dead battery I found out a few things. I bought it Feb. 16, 2015 (looked up my CC records). Die Hard Gold wanting to compare it to my NAPA Legend that I know has been working in my tractor a long time I started looking for hints as to date of manufacture ... since I never pull the little date circles off the label like I should.

Both batteries had clock style date codes on the bottom of the cases.

Die Hard manufactured Nov 2014, purchased Feb 2015

The NAPA Legend manufactured Dec 2007 .... and it's still going, starts my tractor just fine, been in the tractor since it was purchased. But to be fair, the tractor only gets started a fraction of the times of the truck, and it's been removed charged and stored inside probably half a dozen winters. Still, that's pretty freakin good ... 13 years and still going, the way it charges leads me to believe it's still got a few more years if I continue to bring it inside for the winter.