Car Battery

[41magsnub]

What is the collective APS wisdom on the best midgrade car batteries?  My Mom's 2006 Subaru Tribeca needs one, the first cold snap this year killed it and it won't take a charge.  I've historically leaned towards a Sears DieHard Gold though I've heard of late the quality has fallen off.  In my Land Cruiser I stuck a Die Hard Platinum which is more than we want to spend on the Tribeca.

This particular rig takes a group 35 battery, not that it really matters because we are talking general brands and technologies rather than size.

This rig does not end up on the highway much so it does not get a heavy charge often.

Edit:  I R gud at wurds.

[Nick1911]

I hate to admit this, but I've had really good luck with Everstart batteries from Wal-Mart.  They even replaced one that died within warrenty for no cost. (Battery died because of charging system fault - no fault of it's own!)

[wmenorr67]

Anything you can get at Wally World or any other auto parts store will suffice.

[Monkeyleg]

An auto repair shop with a great reputation that I used often sells almost nothing but Interstate batteries. I've had a couple, and they've lasted a long time.

I don't know if it's still the case, but Johnson Controls once made the Die Hard batteries for Sears, and the contract forbade Johnson Controls from making a more powerful battery for any other company.  

[Regolith]

I've historically leaned towards a Sears DieHard Gold though I've heard of late the quality has fallen off.  In my Land Cruiser I stuck a Die Hard Platinum which is more than we want to spend on the Tribeca.

I don't know if it's still the case, but Johnson Controls once made the Die Hard batteries for Sears, and the contract forbade Johnson Controls from making a more powerful battery for any other company.  

Last time I got a battery at Sears was when the family minivan died in their parking lot. We went in an asked if they had a battery for that model, the salesman said they did and said it would work.  We took it out, tried to get it in, and it didn't fit. Then the bastard damn near wouldn't take it back.  

Ended up walking across the street and over to Walmart and getting a battery from them.

[41magsnub]

So..  basically we have a recommendation for any battery   ..  lol

[Brad Johnson]

The Duralast brand from Autozone always gets good marks in consumer testing.  Helps that there's an Autozone around pretty much every corner in most mid-large size towns.

Brad

[never_retreat]

I had a pair of interstates in by diesel ford, they lasted about 4 years.
I put a pair of Napa heavy duties in last fall, so far so good. I have always had good luck with both in the past.
Bearing in mind these trucks are very hard on batteries. I don't know the amp draw of the starter but I bet that cable is about 2/0.

[zxcvbob]

The Delco group 78 battery that came in my Silverado died a month or two ago -- it was 10.5 years old.  (I moved it from the truck to the old cadillac last year, then I think I just didn't run it enough is what finally killed it)  It was only a 600A battery. It's pretty easy to find group 75's that are more than that.  (a 75 looks just like a 78 but it's an inch shorter in length.)

The Cadillac battery it replaced was a Bosch 770 amp group 78 that was about 9 years old when it finally crapped out.

I went to a junk yard and bought another used Bosch 770A battery for $28.  It is 2.5 years old, on a 72 month battery with 3 years full replacement (I don't know if the warranty is still good or not.)  Although I've bought used tires occasionally -- but seldom -- this is the first time I've ever bought a used battery.  A new one was gonna cost close to $100. 

Then I took my old Delco dead battery to the scrap metal dealer and sold it for $9.25.  So for less than $20 net, I got a good battery that ought to last at least 5 years.  You might want to see if you can do the same.  If not, I can recommend Delco and Bosch batteries.  They've far outlasted anything else I ever had, even that J.C. Penny "The last battery your car will ever needâ„¢"

[HankB]

. . . I can recommend Delco and Bosch batteries.  They've far outlasted anything else I ever had, even that J.C. Penny "The last battery your car will ever needâ„¢"

Bosch must have improved - back in the '70s when we had a Mercedes, the Bosch batteries (huge things) they used lasted about 18 months.

After the second replacement died, my Dad replaced it with a Delco which lasted until he finally sold the car.

I understand there are only three actual manufacturers of batteries in the USA and that they collectively make all the other labels . . .

[Tallpine]

So..  basically we have a recommendation for any battery   ..  lol

I don't think there's a lot of difference, unless perhaps you have an extreme application like diesel truck or RV/boat.

You can spend more time than it's worth just shopping around.

Biggest thing is probably buying from a store that is handy for any possible warranty claim.

[SADShooter]

I don't think there's a lot of difference, unless perhaps you have an extreme application like diesel truck or RV/boat.

You can spend more time than it's worth just shopping around.

Biggest thing is probably buying from a store that is handy for any possible warranty claim.

This. Post-sale customer service is the biggest variable. I, too, have had good luck dealing with AutoZone in this regard.

[T.O.M.]

The Duralast brand from Autozone always gets good marks in consumer testing.  Helps that there's an Autozone around pretty much every corner in most mid-large size towns.

Brad

Just put a new Duralast battery in my 2001 Town and Country.  Cost was about $160.  It was replacing a 60 month Duralast that I put in myself back in January of 2006.  Best part was the guy at Autozone wouldn't let me put it in myself.  He was bored, so he politely insisted on doing it for me.  Nice guy.  Saw the NRA sticker on my van, so we talked guns while he installed the battery.

[Hawkmoon]

I used to buy nothing but Sears DieHard Gold. But Sears reportedly changed suppliers for their batteries a few years ago and I've heard a lot of complaints that the "new" DieHards are nowhere near the quality of the old ones. My auto tech friends agree that Interstate is the best battery out there right now, but I don't have any Interstate dealers near me -- and finding one for a replacement if/when traveling is also a potential issue. So second choice among my tech friends is NAPA. I just last week bought a new NAPA 75-month battery for my wife's Cherokee. It's much too soon to know how well it will perform or last, but I was a bit unhappy that a battery of the correct group size designation was taller than the OEM battery and it was almost impossible to install the hold-down over the new battery.

[wmenorr67]

Well I really like and think Optima is one of the best batteries out there. 

[41magsnub]

Well I really like and think Optima is one of the best batteries out there. 

I'm torn between optima red tops and the Odyssey's (Diehard platinum is the same battery) on the high end.

[wmenorr67]

I'm torn between optima red tops and the Odyssey's (Diehard platinum is the same battery) on the high end.

Used to sell Optimas when I worked at an auto parts warehouse.  I had one that was returned that wasn't supposed to be any good.  Got it for nothing once the rep gave us credit for it.  Worked fine, even after I shorted out the side terminals.

[coppertales]

I have been using the Walmart brand for years now.  They last.  I have one in my motorcycle that is going on 5 years now.  That is unheard of with a motorcycle battery.....chris3

[Waitone]

Size the battery according manufacturer's recommendation and add a little windage for severe cold.  Oversizing a battery is insurance.  Then buy however many months you want.  Batteries are a commodity.  Brand is not necessarily an indicator of quality, durability, or reliability.

[Tallpine]

I just bought a new battery for our Suburban (about $95) from the local Car Quest parts store that has been around near forever and that I have been trading with for 15 years.

I don't even remember what brand it is 

Batteries are one thing than I can think of that hasn't gone up that much in price over the years.  Seems like they were about $60 back in the 1970s and everything else has gone up 4 to 10 times since then.

[41magsnub]

Follow up:

The battery in Mom's rig was an Optima red top battery.  It has one month of warranty left.  However, Dad had bought it on the Internet.  Lots of auto parts stores had that exact battery in stock but would not warranty it because one of the two part numbers were different, at each store there was a NAPA, or O'Reilly, or other vendor specific part number.        Since she needed the car, I put in a new O'Reilly house brand battery that works fine.


Mom called the place he bought it from and they basically told her it is impossible for that battery to have failed and she is doing something wrong.  Let's see..  the battery is only putting out 20 amps.  It had a trickle charger on it for a couple of days, then we did the fast charge for a day.  No improvement.  I'm pretty sure it is toast.

I'll be calling them today.  If that does not accomplish anything I'll be going direct to Optima.

[wmenorr67]

That is the issue you run into when you buying stuff off the internet.  Optima's are good batteries but as with anything man made some fail before there time.  I used to work for a auto parts warehouse that specialized in want to have as opposed to need to have parts.  Optimas was one of the things we carried.  I would say that 1 out of every 100 or so had some issue or other.  Some of course were operator error but I never saw Optima decline us our money back.

[Brad Johnson]

  If that does not accomplish anything I'll be going direct to Optima.

Unfortunately they will tell you to go back to the vendor if the battery is a vendor-specific unit (produced as a unique product run for that particular seller).  They will, however, listen quite intently to a customer that is not being properly supported by a vendor.  Optima is rightfully proud of their products and is good about making sure their vendors properly follow up with customers.

Have the battery tested at a local parts store that will give you a printed receipt showing that it failed.  Also, who is the vendor so the rest of us don't get suckered into buying from them.

Brad

[41magsnub]

The battery we have only has a single part number:  35A.  That part # is on all of that model of battery at any vendor.  There is a 2nd line for another part number where NAPA and the like put in their own specific number.  On our battery that line is blank.

Where the local parts stores were concerned and wouldn't warranty it is because of that 2nd line.  According to the optima site any dealer can warranty the battery.   

He bought it from:  http://www.1stwebsales.com/

[Brad Johnson]

I've got some red flags going up. 

35A is the battery group number (size) and, according to the Optima web site, it's not 35A, just 35.  Also, the Optima-specific product number (8020-164) should be somewhere on the battery.

I did some checking on 1stWebSales.  Here's what I found on Manta...

1st Web Sales LLC in Aurora, NE is a private company categorized under Business Services (Unclassified). Our records show it was established in and incorporated in Nebraska. Current estimates show this company has an annual revenue of $900,000 and employs a staff of approximately 1.

I also looked at their web page, specifically the Contact Us part.  Sorry, but anyone who won't list a phone number in a business as customer-service intensive as auto parts is a complete idiot... or a crook. Also, if you'll look at the page and click on a category (Tools, Batteries, etc) all you get is a "No Products Listed In This Category" message. 

By the way, according to a business directory search on their listed physical address, their phone number is (402) 694-9879.

Not to sound negative, but all of this is beginning to add up to something fishy, like maybe they are selling a counterfeited product.  How much did your dad pay for the battery?  If it was any less than around $145 plus freight then it's definitely a bogus part as $145 is consistently the lowest price I'm finding on the web.  A call to Optima (owned by Johnson Controls) should confirm the vendor's "authorized dealer" status.

Edit to add - Their web site designer is an idiot, too.  I followed a link to the site designer's web page.  Aside from being dull and uninspiring, the dunderhead doesn't give you any way to contact him.  None.  Not a good idea on a web site that's supposed to entice people to contact you with their business.

Brad