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Hey everyone I'm about to buy a new battery and had a few questions. So i would like some opinions from people with experiences with battery's.
1: Whats a good brand.
(Thinking about going with a Auto Zone Duralast since i can get a good deal on one)
2: Whats the difference between batteries to look for.
3: Dose the higher Cold Cranking Amps (CCA) diminish your starters life, and whats the really necessary amount for day to day usage.
Lead/Acid battery technology is not rocket science. Get the highest CCA and best warranty combination you can afford. CCA would be more important than warranty if you must make a compromise. A high CCA will have no affect on your starter life.
gator1939
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2B1ASK1
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After all the commercial hype, a battery is pretty much a battery. It can be new, dead on a shelf or in the case of my mother-in-law's Ford Escape, last nearly 11 years. There is no way to know up front. Higher prices buy better warranties so you are paying for a partial replacement up front with the original price. As said above, figure out what your wallet can handle and buy the best warranty you can afford. The expensive battery is much like the cheap battery except for the warranty.
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2007 V6 Camry LE, Built TMMK 27 September 06
"People who think they know it all are particularly irritating to those of us who do."
The Following User Says Thank You to gdanaher For This Useful Post:
In my research, I found that Johnson Controls is one of the better battery manufacturers.
yes, there are only few makers of batteries that make them and slap on a particular name brand label.
when you buy a battery, you want the freshest one possible. the battery warranty mind you is a "pro-rated" warranty in which some replacements are free with in the first year, then you pay a percentage of the cost for every year up to the warranty end. the replacement cost is low at first, then climbs each month (or year) you have it.
i have found that getting the highest cold cranking amps (CCA) to be important, no matter what part of the country you live in.
now also, if you plan on keeping the car for less than 2 years, then buy a 24 month battery, why pay more for a better one, when you will not own the car beyond that point. of course, if you plan on keeping the car for a very long time, then you want the 72 month battery (6 years). i do not know if there are batteries beyond 72 months (warranty that is)
i have found that Interstate is good, and i also like Exide as well. my experiences with these brands were great.
in the past, i liked Sears Die Hard and NEVER had a problem with those either.
i do not know if Auto Zone sells batteries with a totally free replacement warranty or not, but i once heard "some auto parts store" sold lifetime free replacement batteries. maybe someone here knows what store that was/is....
The Following User Says Thank You to Glenn8963 For This Useful Post:
In my research, I found that Johnson Controls is one of the better battery manufacturers.
Johnson Controls makes about 8 out of 10 batteries in the US market. Chances are, whatever your "favorite" brand, it's really a Johnson Control battery with your brand's sticker on it.
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The Following User Says Thank You to Zembonez For This Useful Post:
After all the commercial hype, a battery is pretty much a battery. It can be new, dead on a shelf or in the case of my mother-in-law's Ford Escape, last nearly 11 years. There is no way to know up front. Higher prices buy better warranties so you are paying for a partial replacement up front with the original price. As said above, figure out what your wallet can handle and buy the best warranty you can afford. The expensive battery is much like the cheap battery except for the warranty.
This is my first battery I've had to buy. Im not sure about the higher prices better warranties cause optima's are a pretty penny but only offer a 3 year warranty as the Autozone battery offers 2 year full coverage and a 7 year pro rated warranty for half the price and I've heard many story's of optima's coming back blown up.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Shelbrain
In my research, I found that Johnson Controls is one of the better battery manufacturers.
How do i know if the battery is made by that company?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Glenn8963
yes, there are only few makers of batteries that make them and slap on a particular name brand label.
when you buy a battery, you want the freshest one possible. the battery warranty mind you is a "pro-rated" warranty in which some replacements are free with in the first year, then you pay a percentage of the cost for every year up to the warranty end. the replacement cost is low at first, then climbs each month (or year) you have it.
i have found that getting the highest cold cranking amps (CCA) to be important, no matter what part of the country you live in.
now also, if you plan on keeping the car for less than 2 years, then buy a 24 month battery, why pay more for a better one, when you will not own the car beyond that point. of course, if you plan on keeping the car for a very long time, then you want the 72 month battery (6 years). i do not know if there are batteries beyond 72 months (warranty that is)
i have found that Interstate is good, and i also like Exide as well. my experiences with these brands were great.
in the past, i liked Sears Die Hard and NEVER had a problem with those either.
i do not know if Auto Zone sells batteries with a totally free replacement warranty or not, but i once heard "some auto parts store" sold lifetime free replacement batteries. maybe someone here knows what store that was/is....
Well i plan on keeping this car till the wheels fall off as far i as know at the moment so i want a battery that will last. I was originally gonna buy the battery with the highest cca but just had to make sure it wasn't bad for my starter.
Quote:
Originally Posted by touringcamry
I've been using Costco batteries for a while. They generally are a good value and recommended by Consumer Reports.
Ive heard people say they are good but its just inconvenient for me to go there.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Zembonez
Johnson Controls makes about 8 out of 10 batteries in the US market. Chances are, whatever your "favorite" brand, it's really a Johnson Control battery with your brand's sticker on it.
Optima has a certain mystique about it because of the unique case design. They come back blown up because due to the mystique, guys who run large audio systems tax them to the max, put a lot of amperage through them, and well, they can't take it any better than a simple old black case battery.
Just go get a battery. It will cost you from $90-105 right now, with some additional charges for recycling the old battery and taxes. The new battery will last anywhere from 6 weeks to 10 years.
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2007 V6 Camry LE, Built TMMK 27 September 06
"People who think they know it all are particularly irritating to those of us who do."
Wallmart one is good by CR and personal experience.
I was just wondering if anyone had experience with Walmart batteries.
Quote:
Originally Posted by gdanaher
Optima has a certain mystique about it because of the unique case design. They come back blown up because due to the mystique, guys who run large audio systems tax them to the max, put a lot of amperage through them, and well, they can't take it any better than a simple old black case battery.
Just go get a battery. It will cost you from $90-105 right now, with some additional charges for recycling the old battery and taxes. The new battery will last anywhere from 6 weeks to 10 years.
My friend works at a Auto store he said they come back blown up from simple usage ive heard alotta mixed reviews on that so i guess ima just go and buy the one i originally wanted and hopefully i don't get the 6 week one.
To me all batteries are about the same VIP, Advanced Auto Parts, Auto Zone, Walmart, Sears, etc…(besides the way overpriced made in the usa - Optima) Definatley go with the highest product in the battery class (some are gold other's are platium… but this group usually says the battery is good for 84 months) NOW... the only thing is, who has the best price. Every few weeks/months either VIP/Auto Zone/Advance Auto Parts/Pet Boys... etc... will have a $25 of $100 coupon or a $20 off $100 coupon etc... I purchased a battery from advaced auto parts like six months ago... got 20% off from Bing (no long doing this) and was able to use a $25 off $100 coupon.. Battery regular price was $94.99 and purchased something for $5.00 and I ended up paying... $55.00 for the battery and a five dollar item. The point is look for a deal. Good Luck.
Last edited by joshuaboston; 11-16-2010 at 01:37 PM.
The Following User Says Thank You to joshuaboston For This Useful Post:
To me all batteries are about the same VIP, Advanced Auto Parts, Auto Zone, Walmart, Sears, etc…(besides the way overpriced made in the usa - Optima) Definatley go with the highest product in the battery class (some are gold other's are platium… but this group usually says the battery is good for 84 months) NOW... the only thing is, who has the best price. Every few weeks/months either VIP/Auto Zone/Advance Auto Parts/Pet Boys... etc... will have a $25 of $100 coupon or a $20 off $100 coupon etc... I purchased a battery from advaced auto parts like six months ago... got 20% off from Bing (no long doing this) and was able to use a $25 off $100 coupon.. Battery regular price was $94.99 and purchased something for $5.00 and I ended up paying... $55.00 for the battery and a five dollar item. The point is look for a deal. Good Luck.
That's a pretty good deal, but most people that I know (including managers) that work at Autozone say that they don't get discounts on oil and batteries unless there's a sale or coupon that's available?
I'm looking for a battery too and was looking at the advanced page and saw that they have some 20% off code on the home page that you can use on anything too. So I guess that give you some options of places to go with discounted prices.
Brand Manufacturer
ACDelco
Johnson Controls
Advance Auto
Johnson Controls
AutoCraft Johnson Controls
Autolite Exide
AutoZone Johnson Controls
Bosch Johnson Controls
Champion Johnson Controls
Costco Johnson Controls
Delco Johnson Controls
Delco-Remy
Exide
DieHard Johnson Controls
Duralast Johnson Controls
Duralast Johnson Controls
Equalizer Johnson Controls
EverStart (Wal-Mart) Exide or Johnson Controls, depending on model
Firestone Johnson Controls
Interstate Johnson Controls
Marathon Exide
Motorcraft Johnson Controls
NAPA Exide
Optima Johnson Controls
Orbital Exide
Pep Boys Johnson Controls
Sears Exide or Johnson Controls, depending on model
Wal-Mart Exide or Johnson Controls, depending on model
The Following User Says Thank You to Glenn8963 For This Useful Post:
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