BJ's car batteries
- Thread starter mclasser
- Start date
- Status
Exide would be a no go for me just because of what I've read on here. East Penn Deka is the way to go if it were me. I just got a Deka group 35 for my Altima.
Johnson Control makes some very good car/truck batteries as well. It just matters who you purchase from as to what quality you can get. Which vehicle is the for mclasser?
Johnson Control makes some very good car/truck batteries as well. It just matters who you purchase from as to what quality you can get. Which vehicle is the for mclasser?
Maybe save some $$ and check out a salvage yard to repower your older vehicle. I have gotten year old or less name brand batteries for around $30. Once MN gets into snow season the wrecked auto bodies come in with some nice batteries
I have had mostly bad experiences with all Exide batteries. I had one that lasted 5 years but leaked like crazy, they always leak. It was bulging at the end of its life too.
Avoid Exide unless the price and warranty is much better. I'd pay more for East Penn and usually end up with JCI just because advance auto has the best coupon codes and the warranty is the same here which is 3 years full replacement for gold.
Avoid Exide unless the price and warranty is much better. I'd pay more for East Penn and usually end up with JCI just because advance auto has the best coupon codes and the warranty is the same here which is 3 years full replacement for gold.
Avoid Exide
I've hated all my Exide branded or made batteries with a passion
Leaky, weak, battery cable ruining, jump start frequenting, warranty not honoring pains in the [censored]
And the Exide made Diehard Gold was even worse
Leaky, weak, battery cable ruining, jump start frequenting, warranty not honoring pains in the [censored]
And the Exide made Diehard Gold was even worse
- Joined
- Apr 13, 2013
- Messages
- 3,255
Originally Posted By: bbhero
Which vehicle is the for mclasser?
For my Accord. With the cooler morning temps lately, the car cranked over slower than usual. Headed over to Advance Auto and their machine failed the 6 yr old Autocraft Gold battery, saying 300 CCA at a battery temp of 88F. Didn't want to chance it so I ended up getting another Autocraft Gold installed on the spot.
Thanks everyone for the input. Glad I didn't go with the Exide now.
Which vehicle is the for mclasser?
For my Accord. With the cooler morning temps lately, the car cranked over slower than usual. Headed over to Advance Auto and their machine failed the 6 yr old Autocraft Gold battery, saying 300 CCA at a battery temp of 88F. Didn't want to chance it so I ended up getting another Autocraft Gold installed on the spot.
Thanks everyone for the input. Glad I didn't go with the Exide now.
Last edited:
The last car battery that I replaced last week was a 60 month Exide that was 68 months old.
Exide has went through Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2002 and in 2013. I wonder if this has caused them to have more quality control issues, especially if they were cut off by any suppliers or reduced staff to try to stay afloat.
Battery life overall seems to be a regional thing. Batteries up north can easily last 5 or more years, but you're lucky to get 3 in the deep south. Heat damages batteries very quickly. Cold weather, on the other hand, is very good at making an already bad battery fail to start the car.
Exide's issue seems to be quality control... lots of posts about leaking / corroding terminals and sudden failures on less than 3 year old batteries. Seems like they work OK as long as you get past the first year and a half or so. Lead acid batteries are old technology and should not be difficult to make without too many duds. Every brand has occasional issues, and some of these may be due to stores not rotating stock properly. I have seen batteries more than a year old on the shelf at Wal-Mart, and I have my doubts they have been charged every few months to prevent permanent damage.
Until I stop hearing about short lived Exide batteries, I will continue to buy East Penn or Johnson Controls, in that order, with the most recent manufacturing date. Of course sometimes there isn't a choice and you just have to get what is available on a Sunday night away from home when a previously good battery suddenly develops a shorted cell.
Battery life overall seems to be a regional thing. Batteries up north can easily last 5 or more years, but you're lucky to get 3 in the deep south. Heat damages batteries very quickly. Cold weather, on the other hand, is very good at making an already bad battery fail to start the car.
Exide's issue seems to be quality control... lots of posts about leaking / corroding terminals and sudden failures on less than 3 year old batteries. Seems like they work OK as long as you get past the first year and a half or so. Lead acid batteries are old technology and should not be difficult to make without too many duds. Every brand has occasional issues, and some of these may be due to stores not rotating stock properly. I have seen batteries more than a year old on the shelf at Wal-Mart, and I have my doubts they have been charged every few months to prevent permanent damage.
Until I stop hearing about short lived Exide batteries, I will continue to buy East Penn or Johnson Controls, in that order, with the most recent manufacturing date. Of course sometimes there isn't a choice and you just have to get what is available on a Sunday night away from home when a previously good battery suddenly develops a shorted cell.
I have had good luck with my duralast gold in my equinox. Been about 4 years now in some serious cold and heat and have never had an issue. We have an interstate in the Malibu for about 5 years now without any issues either. I would avoid exide
Originally Posted By: jim302
I have seen batteries more than a year old on the shelf at Wal-Mart
Exactly how does the data code work on WalMart batteries?
I have seen batteries more than a year old on the shelf at Wal-Mart
Exactly how does the data code work on WalMart batteries?
Originally Posted By: zzyzzx
Originally Posted By: jim302
I have seen batteries more than a year old on the shelf at Wal-Mart
Exactly how does the data code work on WalMart batteries?
Usually just a month and year on a sticker, for example 09/16. This is the typical method used on batteries manufactured by Johnson Controls.
Batteries sourced from other manufacturers will usually use that manufacture's format for date codes. There was picture on this forum a while back of an EverStart battery that seemed to be made by East Penn, with their date code format. East Penn's format is a letter and number. The letter is for the month - A for January, M for December (I is not used). So J6 would be September 2016.
Distributors and/or retailers should also mark the date they re-charged the battery if it has been sitting on the shelf, but this assumes that they bother to check their stock regularly. Walmart doesn't have a reputation for being a service oriented company and the old batteries I have seen there had enough dust on the top to make me think they hadn't been touched in a while.
Originally Posted By: jim302
I have seen batteries more than a year old on the shelf at Wal-Mart
Exactly how does the data code work on WalMart batteries?
Usually just a month and year on a sticker, for example 09/16. This is the typical method used on batteries manufactured by Johnson Controls.
Batteries sourced from other manufacturers will usually use that manufacture's format for date codes. There was picture on this forum a while back of an EverStart battery that seemed to be made by East Penn, with their date code format. East Penn's format is a letter and number. The letter is for the month - A for January, M for December (I is not used). So J6 would be September 2016.
Distributors and/or retailers should also mark the date they re-charged the battery if it has been sitting on the shelf, but this assumes that they bother to check their stock regularly. Walmart doesn't have a reputation for being a service oriented company and the old batteries I have seen there had enough dust on the top to make me think they hadn't been touched in a while.
- Status
