nipper Posted January 4, 2009 Share Posted January 4, 2009 Blu needs a battery. I can only get interstate batteries here through a repair shop and do not want to pay that kind of markup, nor labor costs. Last time i had sears look under my hood it left a bad taste in my mouth. SO Auto Barn, Auto Zone, Pep boys, Advanced auto ... who has the best batteries. i will go to sears if i have too. I havent really heard of some of the battery brands in the other stores. So who makes batteries for whom? nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frag Posted January 5, 2009 Share Posted January 5, 2009 Or you might make a foray north and buy an Eliminator battery at Canadian Tire. That's what I have and it's a very good battery. Ten years warranty, and around a hundred bucks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wxman Posted January 5, 2009 Share Posted January 5, 2009 I'm in the market for a new battery too. I think the bulk of the car batteries are made by two companies, Johnson Controls and Exide. You can go to a website http://www.autobatteries.com and see the battery brands made by Johnson Controls. I guess the designs may be tweaked to the specific store's desires, but they should generally be similar. Consumer Reports has rated the EverStart Maxx from Wal Mart (a Johnson battery), very highly the past few years. It is about $75 and has one of the longer replacement and warranty periods. I'm leaning toward that battery myself at the moment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bheinen74 Posted January 5, 2009 Share Posted January 5, 2009 the wal mart Maxx is BAD. I have had 2 of them bad, one was bad the first week i had it. The other stopped taking a charge after about 5 months. They paid consumer reports to rate it high. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted January 5, 2009 Author Share Posted January 5, 2009 God how i hate wallyworld, i break out in a rash whenever I go in one. Luckily there are none near me I'm not seeing a guide as to who makes what on that link. nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njdrsubaru Posted January 5, 2009 Share Posted January 5, 2009 Blu needs a battery. I can only get interstate batteries here through a repair shop and do not want to pay that kind of markup, nor labor costs. Last time i had sears look under my hood it left a bad taste in my mouth. SO Auto Barn, Auto Zone, Pep boys, Advanced auto ... who has the best batteries. i will go to sears if i have too. I havent really heard of some of the battery brands in the other stores. So who makes batteries for whom? nipper WHAT? u go to sears to have your battery installed? OMG!! its such an easy task! :lol::lol: ok ok well i have had god luck with walmart batteries so far and also advance auto parts batteries are goo as well for what i hear.. battery is a battery specially for a 10yr old car dont go crazy on it... hmmm arent u an automotive engineer? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted January 5, 2009 Author Share Posted January 5, 2009 WHAT? u go to sears to have your battery installed? OMG!! its such an easy task! :lol::lol: ok ok well i have had god luck with walmart batteries so far and also advance auto parts batteries are goo as well for what i hear.. battery is a battery specially for a 10yr old car dont go crazy on it... hmmm arent u an automotive engineer? A battery is NOT a battery. Sorry i dont cheap out on important parts like some people as a 10 yo car has to get home like a 3yo car. So the wiseass remark is not needed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster2 Posted January 5, 2009 Share Posted January 5, 2009 I'm in the market for a new battery too. I think the bulk of the car batteries are made by two companies, Johnson Controls and Exide. You can go to a website http://www.autobatteries.com and see the battery brands made by Johnson Controls. I guess the designs may be tweaked to the specific store's desires, but they should generally be similar. Consumer Reports has rated the EverStart Maxx from Wal Mart (a Johnson battery), very highly the past few years. It is about $75 and has one of the longer replacement and warranty periods. I'm leaning toward that battery myself at the moment. I have been using Wal Mart's EverStart Maxx in all three of my cars. It is a very good battery, and you save a few bucks. I have installed all myself. However, for some strange reason all three batteries have been low on water at time of purchase. Typical of the morons in Wal Mart's automotive section, they don't have distilled water available to fill the battery. However, Wal Mart sells a plastic gallon of distilled water for less than a buck. Good to pick up a gallon of the distilled. It is sold in the beverage section of the grocery side of Wal Mart. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bucky92 Posted January 5, 2009 Share Posted January 5, 2009 A battery is NOT a battery. Sorry i dont cheap out on important parts like some people as a 10 yo car has to get home like a 3yo car. So the wiseass remark is not needed. So if you dont want to cheap out..just get a red top and be done with it no questions asked Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njdrsubaru Posted January 5, 2009 Share Posted January 5, 2009 I have been using Wal Mart's EverStart Maxx in all three of my cars. I i agree walmart batteries are good.. again batteries are batteries specially for a 10yr old car... unless u go with the yellow top batteries, all other batteries are the same Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster2 Posted January 5, 2009 Share Posted January 5, 2009 the wal mart Maxx is BAD. I have had 2 of them bad, one was bad the first week i had it. The other stopped taking a charge after about 5 months. They paid consumer reports to rate it high. Bet the batteries were installed low on water, read my later post! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wxman Posted January 5, 2009 Share Posted January 5, 2009 If you check the "about" link it says the site is put out by Johnson Controls. I figured, perhaps mistakenly, that they made all the batteries on the "leading brands" link. Here is another link http://www.batteryfaq.org/ that has a list of who makes what. Since it seems most auto batteries are made by the same few companies, probably a battery with the longest non prorated warranty period, at the best price, is the best bet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bucky92 Posted January 5, 2009 Share Posted January 5, 2009 I use either the Wally World ones or the Advanced Auto Silvers ( slightly above the cheap) Only had problems with one from Advanced..but all I had to do was take the 30 seconds required to remove it..and run it back to the store and they gave me a replacement. that battery has been in 2 cars now.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted January 5, 2009 Author Share Posted January 5, 2009 I know how they are made, the properties, why some batteries are rated at 12,24,36 months etc and why some are deep cycle and others are not. I just wanted to know other people s real world expieriences to avoid over paying. I swear I ask a simple damn question and NJdrsubaru has to get all over me about it, and im pissed. Thanks for the link. I did not know i would have to defend myself for doing some research and asking my freinds opinions. I dont have a test lab to test on my own, and havent bough a battery in 5 years. Sorry but Njdrsuabru i dont buy junk. nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njdrsubaru Posted January 5, 2009 Share Posted January 5, 2009 well since u brought up my name and all... it is ok for you to make wise rump roast remarks in my posts and all but when someone makes a comment on one of your posts you get all defensive about it... i didnt get in your case about anything, i just asked a question of since u are an automotive engineer and know it all u should know which battery u have to use! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edrach Posted January 5, 2009 Share Posted January 5, 2009 (edited) Blu needs a battery. I can only get interstate batteries here through a repair shop and do not want to pay that kind of markup, nor labor costs. Last time i had sears look under my hood it left a bad taste in my mouth. SO Auto Barn, Auto Zone, Pep boys, Advanced auto ... who has the best batteries. i will go to sears if i have too. I havent really heard of some of the battery brands in the other stores. So who makes batteries for whom? nipper Do you have an Interstate Distributor near you? I have one 20 minutes from here and I always buy my batteries from them (or PAP ). Anyway when I buy there, I always ask if they have a "blem" battery. Price of the "blem" is generally half of full price and they carry the same warranty as full price. I've never seen the blemish that put them in that category, but I don't care if it's scratched or ugly as long as it works. As to what I think of Interstate batteries. Last time I bought a battery from them for one of my cars was 6 years ago. It's still working like a champ and we've recently had the coldest weather in 30 years for the two weeks before New Year's Day. I used to buy Sears until it dawned on me that they never lasted the full rated time period and buying another at the "pro-rated" price was actually a waste of MY money since the pro-rate was calculated on the list price of the battery and not the sale price I paid. Not a very good deal in the long run. I bought a pair of Interstate batteries for my son's BMW ($350 EACH from the dealer!!); they cost me $300 for BOTH. When I asked them about the "blem" price they said they were out. "Dealers buy our "blems" as fast as we get them in!" was the reply I got. My son has been very happy with his batteries but he hasn't had them in the car for over 4 years yet. Edited January 5, 2009 by edrach Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bucky92 Posted January 5, 2009 Share Posted January 5, 2009 Oh Advanced also installs for free ..and will test for free also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OB99W Posted January 5, 2009 Share Posted January 5, 2009 (edited) I've generally had good results with mid-line batteries from one of the Johnson Controls brands. They OEM for a lot of companies; many domestic-market Subarus came with Johnson Controls batteries. It's important that the battery be fresh -- a "stale" battery will suffer from sulfation to at least some degree, shortening its capacity and life. Batteries that seem to "need water" when purchased have probably been sitting around too long or in a too-warm environment. See: http://autos.msn.com/advice/CRArt.aspx?contentid=4023696 . Edited January 5, 2009 by OB99W Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PAezb Posted January 5, 2009 Share Posted January 5, 2009 I have Interstates in my both my 96 OBW and my travel trailer - good batteries, but when I recently priced one for the 05 OBW and found them to be selling at almost $100, I got turned off on the brand. So I'm searching also. I haven't found the issue yet but I believe Consumer Reports rated one of the NAPA batteries at the top, just not sure which model/series. Anyone? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flowmastered87GL Posted January 5, 2009 Share Posted January 5, 2009 (edited) How much are shops charging for interstate batteries? I got one for my old legacy thats BETTER than the stock on in the baja for like $64 I think (no markup.... I know people) Are you a costco member?? Last I checked optimas were like $140 or so there... (and worth it) Oh... and I assume you know to look at the CA and CCA (cranking amps and cold cranking amps) The higher the better Get as many as you can afford! Edited January 5, 2009 by Flowmastered87GL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suzam Posted January 5, 2009 Share Posted January 5, 2009 I've had no complaints on the 3 Kirkland brand from Costco that I've been using, I've got 6 years on one right now. In fact the battery in our MY01 Outback is still the original and I'll be changing it out this spring with a Costco Kirkland. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bheinen74 Posted January 5, 2009 Share Posted January 5, 2009 I would rather pay 100 for a interstate and have it last 7 years plus, than pay 63 for a walmart and have to deal with their service desk for replacement in 2 or 3 years. I have Interstates in my both my 96 OBW and my travel trailer - good batteries, but when I recently priced one for the 05 OBW and found them to be selling at almost $100, I got turned off on the brand. So I'm searching also. I haven't found the issue yet but I believe Consumer Reports rated one of the NAPA batteries at the top, just not sure which model/series. Anyone? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PAezb Posted January 5, 2009 Share Posted January 5, 2009 (edited) Regarding the NAPA - some quick googling came up with the NAPA Legend 7535 as being a top choice - around $65 - but I don't know how current it is. http://www.napaonline.com/NOLPPSE/(S(wew3udvpoa2zumittxzv5i45))/Results.aspx?Ntt=bat%207535&Ntk=Keyword&N=0&Nty=1&D=bat%207535&Dn=0&Dk=1&Dp=3 http://partimages.genpt.com/partimages/682967.pdf http://www.jgdarden.com/batteryfaq/batbrand.htm Regarding Interstate - both the Interstate stores and Tires Plus here in MN are selling them at $98. The salesman I spoke to at the direct store stated that prices on the "lead" in the batteries are going up due to shortages:rolleyes: Edited January 5, 2009 by PAezb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bheinen74 Posted January 5, 2009 Share Posted January 5, 2009 Is that a new Ford? Never heard of the sucof before I just bought a battery for my mother in laws' Ford sucof from NAPA and that cost 107.00 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
howards11 Posted January 5, 2009 Share Posted January 5, 2009 I recently replaced my Sears Diehard Silver with a NAPA 65 month battery (16 month replacement.....no prorating.) The Diehard was 5 yrs old; warranty was 6 yrs. It started having corrosion problems; that white chalk stuff all over the battery and the hold down. I kept cleaning it off and used that purple colored preventative spray but it kept coming back. When I used my turn signals at night with the headlights on; the headlights used to go off for a second or two. My mechanic said that the NAPA is made by Deka. ~Howard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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