More on this damn car battery!

[speedemn]

Okay here's the next saga of my car battery problems.

Just to recap, the battery that I had in there from before is the Canadian Tire Motomaster brand (Eliminator 84). It has 36 months full warranty and then 84 months pro-rated warranty (ie if they have to replace the battery you pay a percentage of the value of it, otherwise service on the existing battery is free when you take it in). Now this battery was weak and I got a battery indicator light on my dash. So I took it into Basil at T-Lex.

Now Basil tests the battery and we notice that all 6 cells are running very low on fluid. Basil recommends that I REPLACE the battery immediately before it causes the alternator to go bad as well (mucho $$$ in that case).

So I called Motomaster and explained to the lady about the battery being extremely weak and the cells being dry. She says, "Sorry sir, the battery is past warranty so there is nothing we can do about it. You have to get a new one."

So I go ahead and replace it with one of his Interstate batteries (beefy 1000 CA, 800 CCA).

Then I take this old battery back to Canadian Tire and they said that they can test it out for me and if it is bad then they can refund me half the value of the battery (the pro-rated value since I used it for 38 out of the 84 months). They slap it on the tester and the battery comes out GOOD. The service manager tells me that he cannot give me a refund since the battery is still good. He said that he would top up the fluid in all 6 cells and pop the battery back in my car, but "his hands were tied" to give me a refund.

Now I'm pissed at this point because Basil told me that I should replace it and I spent $130 on a new battery from him. The lady on the phone told me to replace it too. But now it seems like my old battery was fine! I feel ripped-off in a way.

Now my question is, should I get the old battery topped up and put it back in the car? Will I have to worry about it losing power again very soon and possibly destroying my alternator? OOORRRR should I try to put up a big fuss with the Motomaster manager on the phone since his staff told me that there was nothing that could be done with the old battery.

I could really use the $130 back in my pocket so I don't want to spend it unless I HAVE TO. If there is any way that the old battery can be topped-up and put back in and run normally I would like to do that. But if that battery is pretty much toast then I don't mind spending the $130 now.

I need you guys to give me your advice... maybe if you have some knowledge about batteries... or past experiences.

Thanks!

[SCEPTER300RR]

bug them to get ur money back cos the interstate battery is way better than wat u have in my opinion...
plus it was tested by a 3rd party mechanic as bad so they should replace it since the customer service lady on the phone also told u to replace the battery and u did so at motormaster's advice and ur mechanic's.... use that as an argument u should get ur money back from motormaster though....

humpty

[SpectraBlueCam]

I don't think Basil will advise you to replace it unless it needs replacing. Basil told you the battery was "weak", but CT told you it was "good". These are all qualitative words. The best thing is to get the test readings.

Anyway, why would CT give you a battery that doesn't fit on your battery tray and is obviously the wrong size to begin with??

[Jzs147-RR]

CT will have to replace it its there fault its a POS.Keep the interstate that is a very good batery.

[speedemn]

The problem is, I saw the battery run on the tester and I saw the tester return a "GOOD" for it. It was just the fluid levels in the cell that were low which had to be filled up.

My only concern is the $130. I would rather keep it now if the old battery still can work... bottomline... car starts and operates normal... that's it. I will spend the $130 later but I can't spare it now unless I ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO on this new battery.

[speedemn]

The problem is, I saw the battery run on the tester and I saw the tester return a "GOOD" for it. It was just the fluid levels in the cell that were low which had to be filled up.

My only concern is the $130. I would rather keep it now if the old battery still can work... bottomline... car starts and operates normal... that's it. I will spend the $130 later but I can't spare it now unless I ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO on this new battery.

[Jzs147-RR]

Just sell your old one off and keep the quality one.

[speedemn]

Know of any buyers?

On 2002-01-21 18:13, CamryRR wrote:
Just sell your old one off and keep the quality one.

[Silver Streak]

First off, if you're using the new Interstate battery, how are you planning to return it if you've already used it? Did you buy it off of him? I don't think Basil would like that too much.

As for that crap a** CT battery, it still probably has some juice it in and I'm sure you can still use it. How did Basil know it's weak? Can it hold a charge? Did he hook it up to this big battery charger thingy, put a load against it and see if it was any good? If he didn't, then I don't think he can say it's weak...he probably just wanted to make $130 off of you...who knows...I'm sure he's pretty honest, but hey, he runs a business, I'm sure money is important to him. But anyway, you're battery is 3 years old and is pretty crappy, so I'd say keep the interstate.

I went through the exact same probably as you, I actually returned the CT battery about 3 times. The last time, the warranty was over...but they still gave me a brand new battery, PLUS full warranty! No charge. I did it at Kennedy and Steeles, spoke directly with the parts manager guy. You just have to prove to them that they sell a really crappy battery and nothing is wrong with your car...plus you have to be a talker....

[speedemn]

Basil didn't do any of that... he just looked in the cells and saw the fluid levels were low... and coupled with the fact that it was a Motomaster, he concluded that it was a bad battery.

I might try to sweet talk the chick on the phone for Motomaster products into giving me a refund of some sort for this battery so at least I know that even though I've spent $130 I have a battery that is damn solid.

ARGH still $130 that I could use now.

On 2002-01-21 20:43, Silver Streak wrote:
First off, if you're using the new Interstate battery, how are you planning to return it if you've already used it? Did you buy it off of him? I don't think Basil would like that too much.

As for that crap a** CT battery, it still probably has some juice it in and I'm sure you can still use it. How did Basil know it's weak? Can it hold a charge? Did he hook it up to this big battery charger thingy, put a load against it and see if it was any good? If he didn't, then I don't think he can say it's weak...he probably just wanted to make $130 off of you...who knows...I'm sure he's pretty honest, but hey, he runs a business, I'm sure money is important to him. But anyway, you're battery is 3 years old and is pretty crappy, so I'd say keep the interstate.

I went through the exact same probably as you, I actually returned the CT battery about 3 times. The last time, the warranty was over...but they still gave me a brand new battery, PLUS full warranty! No charge. I did it at Kennedy and Steeles, spoke directly with the parts manager guy. You just have to prove to them that they sell a really crappy battery and nothing is wrong with your car...plus you have to be a talker....

[bigcarlos59]

i work retail go to a tirhd party and havr the battery tested if comes up weak at all take it back and demand to talk to a manager. just keep pressing it until they cave in. Trust me they will sooner refund part of your money than fight with you. the other good thing to do is talk to the other customers bad mouthing the porducts at the store while they are working with you. but you will not want to shop there again. if it tests good call up the guy who sold you the interstate battery and tell him you are noy pleased with the way he treated you and ask for and adjustment on the battery i hope this will help you

[speedemn]

Thanks for the advice. I guess being persistent is the only way. But I will make sure first if the battery is bad or not.

On 2002-01-21 23:45, bigcarlos59 wrote:
i work retail go to a tirhd party and havr the battery tested if comes up weak at all take it back and demand to talk to a manager. just keep pressing it until they cave in. Trust me they will sooner refund part of your money than fight with you. the other good thing to do is talk to the other customers bad mouthing the porducts at the store while they are working with you. but you will not want to shop there again. if it tests good call up the guy who sold you the interstate battery and tell him you are noy pleased with the way he treated you and ask for and adjustment on the battery i hope this will help you

[chesstompowell]

Speedemn, as someone who's dealt with Crappy tire also, I'd steer clear of that place in the future. The wife and I were jerked around in there as well when we were seeking advice on obtaining a new battery for our car. I remember we drove in there, took the old battery out of the car and brought it up to their counter for it to be tested. The lady tests it and then tells us that the battery is completely dead. I then asked her to explain how the hell could we have drove in here then if the battery was completely dead? She then became quite rude and tried to pressure us into purchasing a battery of her choice. We thought, screw this crap, and went over to Wal Mart to buy a battery.

[touringcamry]

Uhm...this thread is 4 years old

[chesstompowell]

Originally Posted by touringcamry

Uhm...this thread is 4 years old

Holy crap, I didn't notice that!! Thanks touringcamry.