There only a few firms that make batteries so the name on it means nothing. Auto Zone. O'riellys and Advance all sell batteries. Even Sears before they go out of business. All you need is the proper size for your car at a price you are willing to pay. Don't make it difficult.

 

Pretty much every battery available is made by Johnson Controls. That includes everything from Interstate, Duralast (Autozone), Autocraft (Advance Auto), Toyota (Interstate Rebrand), Everstart (Walmart), Diehard (Sears), Optima, etc., etc.


All you are really paying for is the name and warranty. They are all the same. If your Walmart is out, did you try the next Walmart over? If Walmart is out, I always to Advance Auto as they are close to me and I can use coupon code TRT30 to purchase online and get 30% off.

Short of that, buy the cheapest battery with the best specs and warranty. It is identical to the other batteries.

 

Home Depot sells car batteries. Did you try AutoZone or Pep Boys?

 

Thanks, guys. I ended up getting an Interstate battery from Firestone. Hardtop, I especially appreciate the explanation of the different Johnson Controls batteries. Makes a lot of sense.

 

You'll like the Interstate. I use Interstate on all my cars as I have a connection at my local Firestone. As mentioned before, get the biggest battery you can fit with the highest warranty and CCA and you are golden. When I got my corolla used, it had a junk battery with low CCA's that give me start up and electrical problems, the interstate fixed it.

 

high cca's don't mean much for her car since she lives in florinda. Not like it really gets cold there plus each battery manufacture has a different method of testing their batteries so CCA at times means nothing when comparing battery to battery....

 

Got mine at Advanced Auto but paid a lot for it $120

 

Just a reminder for those who belong to Costco and other "club" stores, they also sell car batteries. Costco (at least mine now) sells Interstate branded batteries rather than Kirkland branded batteries. Not that it makes all that much of a difference on the lower end since a majority of car batteries are made by just three companies (Delphi, Exide and Johnson Controls Industries). Apparently the free replacement warranty period on the Interstate batteries from Costco are now at 42 months rather than the 36 for the Kirkland brand.

 

Douglas and East Penn are the other two major manufacturers. But honestly, there are major differences in quality between the different ones. I only run Johnson Control batteries, but it is beyond the scope here to try to explain how to tell if you are getting a JCI or something else. WalMart, Advance Auto, AutoZone, and many others are normally JCI. Interstate is definitely JCI. You can do the online coupon with Advance and get a good price. Your Corolla uses a group 35 I believe.

I can speak with some authority since I spent 15 years in the battery-only business.

 

Doesn't anyone believe in their local battery store anymore? Surely, there is a reputable battery shop in Florida. I bought an AGM Deka battery (East Penn) from my local shop, https://deepcyclebatterystore.com/ . Good people and they know their stuff. And prices are competitive.

 

Since I started driving I'd only run JCI batteries but I believe they have gone downhill in the last few years. I think my next battery will be an Exide Extreme. Home Depot has the best pricing.

Some of the Duracell line sold at Sam's Club etc is made by East Penn. I only saw a few reviews for them. They do not seem to be anything special. Some sites claim that Rayovac auto batteries are also made by East Penn.
Enersys has about 1/4 of the market globally so they should be mentioned. Batteries Plus is listed as a retailer for them but I do not see their line in the catalog. Some sites claim they make the Duracell line but I do not think they make the whole line. It is all too complicated.

Regarding the Group 35 battery being out-of-stock, I would not use a group 35 battery anyway. The 24F usually costs only a few dollars more, drops in, and has a more capacity in every way (capacity will vary some by line and manufacturer. Depending on what is available you might want to try fitting the similar 124R.) I had a very detailed battery option post at MatrixOwners.com but unfortunately that site is down more often than not anymore. If you catch it up please re-post my post here and I'll make it a new topic. Also unfortunately the internet archive did not capture that post.

 

I'm using an excellent old NAPA Power Start 34/78 made by East Penn which I've inherited a few years ago... A bit smaller than your 24F, it's also a bit lighter and less expensive, but with same CCA rating. I just use a wooden spacer under battery hold-down.

https://www.napacanada.com/en/p/NAB3478U3

"http://www.homedepot.com/p/Exide-Extreme-34-Auto-Battery-34X/204852596"

 

I found this Jem AGM group 24f at my local costco for $159 Canadian (thats $119usd today for you American folks). The battery is slightly too wide and touches my upper radiator hose - but is awesome otherwise. Car cranks super quick. Crossing my fingers let's see if this will last double a standard SLI battery will

sent from a Secure BlackBerry Android device

 

Bennor, if I may ask. How much does cosco sell an interstate battery for. Thanks

 

Don't know off hand what they are currently going for, haven't checked their prices in a while. Figure around $80 for it plus a deposit (if your location does it) on the old battery that is refunded when you turn in the old battery.

Edit to add: Found a photo I took on August 8th of 2016 that indicates the Costco Interstate Battery Group Size 35 battery price was $72.99. Unknown if that price has changed.

 

What's the difference between wet and dry? Costco has wet/dry listed.