Cost of car batteries

[motorguy222]

Originally Posted By: mpvue
Originally Posted By: raaizin
Originally Posted By: mpvue
OMG! prices are going up? I never heard of such a thing!!! what's the world coming to???


I just wanted an answer why something doubled in 4 1/2 years. Some people just feel compelled to reply even if they have nothing really to say. Lets try to stay on topic

your question is naive and ridiculous. has anything NOT gone up in price in 4 1/2 years?
market volatility, cost of crude components, cost of labor, etc etc etc.
I find it amazing that an adult cannot comprehend these core realities of life.


Theres sarcasm and then there is plain rudeness and this is rudeness.

It is one thing for a price to increase,it happens.It is another thing for something to jump double and more.

 

[Shannow]

I had to buy a replacement N70 for my Nissan the other week (silly thing died after only 7 years 9 months.

I'd seen them at BIGW for $220, and was pleasantly surprised that a local auto electrician had "Century" batteries for $155...then I got $5 back for the old one at the local scrap merchant on my test drive.

 

[mcrn]

Originally Posted By: Scorch
Originally Posted By: Steve S
If you aren't aware of what the government and its sponsers are doing ,,,they are printing paper money "fiat" and the more printed money there is the less the printed money is worth . Hence the price of everything is increasing. That price rise is called inflation. Hope and change for the people I would guess.

+1


+2!!

 

[CrAlt]

Believe it or not but i found that SEARS has the best price on batteries. About $20 cheaper then walmart or the parts chains. At least in my area...

 

[pavelow]

Spend more money up front and buy an Optima. They last longer than lead acid batteries so you get more battery for your dollar.

 

[pavelow]

Originally Posted By: artificialist
About the only thing that ever goes down in price is finished electronic goods.
That's because they are pretty much all made in China these days. lol

 

[ltslimjim]

I've heard mixed reviews about Optima. I saw a blue top in Costco with a plastic shrink wrap that had Interstate Battery clear as day across the front. Does that mean Interstate Battery is dealing with making certain Optima batteries?

I was considering an Optima(not carried in my group size at Costco, BUMMER!!!) since it 'claims' it can be fully discharged up to 200 times(not sure which group size that is relevant to), but it's still $135 even with AAP code in my app. I can get an Interstate Battery "Mega-Tron" clone for $60 with better warranty than Optima at Costco.

 

[06jds377]

Originally Posted By: pavelow
Spend more money up front and buy an Optima. They last longer than lead acid batteries so you get more battery for your dollar.


Optima batteries are lead acid.

I would highly advise against buying an Optima, I work for a major parts chain and the amount of defective exchanges we have had recently is alarming. Most of them are 1 year old. You're better off with a standard 3 year battery, as that's all the Optima has.


Optima hasn't been good since JC began building them, if you really want a great battery, look for an Odyssey.

 

[SteveSRT8]

X2 on Optima being a POS.

They suck, in my experience they are also overpriced.

 

[brianl703]

Originally Posted By: ltslimjim
I've heard mixed reviews about Optima. I saw a blue top in Costco with a plastic shrink wrap that had Interstate Battery clear as day across the front. Does that mean Interstate Battery is dealing with making certain Optima batteries?


Interstate Battery is a distributor, not a manufacturer. They may well supply batteries to Costco--I know they supply batteries to Saab dealers and several other dealership brands as well. They just put different stickers on the battery depending on who gets it.

 

[Hootbro]

Originally Posted By: pavelow
Originally Posted By: artificialist
About the only thing that ever goes down in price is finished electronic goods.
That's because they are pretty much all made in China these days. lol


That is because the market is very cyclic when it comes to electronics. When a new model comes out, research, development and marketing costs have to recoup fast. Once the new model comes out, the old model drops in price due to economy of scale and the process repeats. Battery technology does not turnover that much and prices stay relatively static with only inflationary increases in price.

 

[bdcardinal]

Interstate does not make batteries. Around here they are all made by Johnson Controls who also makes Optima. When I worked at Sears Auto all the Optimas I sold eventually were warrantied out.

 

[06jds377]

Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
X2 on Optima being a POS.

They suck, in my experience they are also overpriced.


Just did a defective exchange on a red top that was purchased and installed 9 days ago.

 

[fdcg27]

Check the appropriate forum, use one of the AAP discount codes, and buy the same battery at a lower price online at AAP.
Drive to the AAP you've selected for pickup, and they'll even R&R it for you at no charge.
IOW, look for a battery from a different retailer.

 

[Silver_civic]

I will offer a honest answer: friend of mine that was in the military with me, works for a lead mine in central/midwest U.S.A. and he tells me that there is NOT a lot of lead that can be or is being mined, hence why it is important to recycle the lead from junk things like old lead pipes, batteries and so on. If I am wrong about this correct me.


thank you and enjoy your weekend

 

[2cool]

Just to throw my $.02 in; there are only 3 major national makers of SLI (Starting, Lights, Ignition) batteries in the US.
1. Johnson Controls (aka Interstate, Optima, et al)
2. Exide (NAPA Nascar, et, al)
3. East Penn Mfg. (aka DEKA,et al).
There are a handful of smaller regional makers that can be found on the internet.
All of the big three bid on contracts for all of the mass market retailers. Those Wal-Mart, NAPA, Sears Die-hard, Kirkland etc. are made by the big three. Of the three I have work-related experience with Exide (not good) and East Penn (Very, very good).
The reason for the price increases are two-fold.
1. The dollar ain't what it used to be when we were a creditor nation. Thank the corporations and the wealthy for that.
2. When oil is over $100/bbl., that means that crude oil-BEFORE REFINING INTO ANYTHING- costs $2.38 per gallon.