Interstate or Diehard
- Thread starter loneryder
- Start date
I personally dont think much about batteries. I replace them every few years Ill never go past 5 in the hot climate here. Normally 4 years.
Batteries are cheap, with a fresh one or one not to old, less stress on the charging system and Ill never have a dead battery by waiting to long.
So with that said I would pick the highest CCA and go for price and of course your desire for AGM was well as convenance of which is easier to buy near you. I also try as best I can to look at the Reserve Capacity. This sometimes is tricky if they dont use an industry standard rating.
I do also sometimes try to check the weight of the battery but not really a buying decision though I do notice sometimes the more heavy ones just feel better made, not that it means it is more powerful and yeah, 3 year free replacement is a big plus if for some reason your vehicle or someone in your family wrecks the battery in 3 years.
Be careful if you find a really good price, you may find its not the AGM the you want some of the specs on retail sites aren't always correct and I try to check manufacturers sites to confirm.
.... and I jsut read through the thread ... you got the Interstate but not deleting my post after typing it *LOL*
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Thankyou. I prefer just using reserve capacity for my buying decision. With modern cars, the fuel and ignition are so good CCA are not as important- these cars start so easily. Especially in a warm climate such as yours. IMO, reserve capacity is more indicative of battery quality since the plates are thicker and don't warp or break internal connections as easily. More important in warm climate over CCA.
I dont disagree, CCA is the first number I look at, for me AGM batteries, maybe just lucky but for the most part I find they correlate with a higher reserve. Good point though. Other times that reserve number isnt always clear how/what they measured. It will say something stupid like reserve but not list how they arrived at the number, though I normally can find it.
Maybe just lucky the way its worked out for me.
One thing to be aware of, Im sure you already know this, heat absolutely KILLS batteries which we learned when we moved south 15 years ago, so looking for strong CCA and yes reserve IF you can reliably compare the reserve are two good measurements.
Again, pretty much, 4 years is normally the max (+/- 1 depending on vehicle and sound of cranking power) and I replace, batteries cheap to me and better then taxing the electronics and changing system of our car, truck, boat and motorcycle. Boat typically 3, bike max of 4 and cars never more then 5
Interesting because my battery spins and starts the car fine. Put a load on it with a tester and it fails. When it starts the car fine, you don't suspect the battery but my experience with 2 other MB's is that it your battery even hiccups, MB's will through all kinds of codes that don't relate to batteries.
This is probably the heaviest battery I've ever lifted.
Setting all kinds of codes unrelated to a malfunction is common on recent cars, esp German types. The manufacturer WANTS you to repair a malfunction by setting 10 unrelated codes and flashing lights to get your attention "YO! get this fixed now"! Unscrupulous mechanics take advantage of this by replacing the parts identified by those codes or lights
Pretty sure JC has been sold a couple times since then, to Clarios, and then to a hedge fund, Brookfield Business Partners. FWIW, East Penn is the same solid company it has always been.
I put a Duracell from Sam's club in my wife's car 5 years ago. Still going strong. My truck has a Walmart battery,their best from 8/13. Still going strong. You pays your money and spins the wheel.
Snap-on tools ?
I bought the Duracell group 35 from Sam’s Club for $84.35 made in USA by East Penn and has a 36 month nationwide free replacement warranty extended by East Penn. That means if you are more than 25 miles from the Sam’s Club where you bought it they might direct you to O’Reillys and give you a SuperStart Extreme instead that sells for $179.99. It’s the same battery. East Penn reimburses O’Reilly directly so no cash leaves your wallet. Here it is:
The group 35 Interstate sold by Costco costs $89.99 and is Hecho en Mexico. It also has a 36-month warranty but that warranty is only honored by Costco warehouses and only if you are still a member of Costco. Break down far away from a Costco or let your membership lapse, and your warranty coverage is zero. If you are still a member you do still not get a battery either, you get a refund of what you paid then have to buy a battery at full price they cost at that time. So if the price has gone up from $90 to $105 you pay $15 out of pocket. You also have to pay the $15 core charge on the new battery so now you are $30 out of pocket. Why? Because Costco handles it as a return not an exchange. The battery you returned, you got a refund for and that old battery became Costco’s property. You cannot use that same battery to avoid the core charge on your new battery purchase. When you then turn around and buy a new battery you pay the $15 core charge.
The group 35 Interstate sold by Costco costs $89.99 and is Hecho en Mexico. It also has a 36-month warranty but that warranty is only honored by Costco warehouses and only if you are still a member of Costco. Break down far away from a Costco or let your membership lapse, and your warranty coverage is zero. If you are still a member you do still not get a battery either, you get a refund of what you paid then have to buy a battery at full price they cost at that time. So if the price has gone up from $90 to $105 you pay $15 out of pocket. You also have to pay the $15 core charge on the new battery so now you are $30 out of pocket. Why? Because Costco handles it as a return not an exchange. The battery you returned, you got a refund for and that old battery became Costco’s property. You cannot use that same battery to avoid the core charge on your new battery purchase. When you then turn around and buy a new battery you pay the $15 core charge.
^^^ Good post but the problem is there are many different models of the same group batteries from all companies. Meaning from least expensive/least powerful to most expensive/most powerful.
So the Cosco price means nothing compared to the Sams Club priced battery as you have the specs of the Sams Club battery posted but not the Cosco.
BTW I have 2 new Sams Club Duracell Batteries I literally just installed in the last 3 months, one in our boat and one in our Mazda so I have nothing against them.
BUT ... *L* I am also a new member of Cosco and I am curious about their batteries and Interstate according to the Interstate website has about 7 different models of their group 35 battery so quoting a price of $89 from Cosco doesnt help if we dont know which battery we are getting compared to the Duracell.
Sams Club and Walmart 3 year replacement is great. I have used many Walmart batteries in the past and now use many of Sams Club batteries ... but if the Cosco battery is more powerful I will go for power and price over just price. I could almost but not quite care less about the warranty if I am getting a better (more powerful) battery.
So the Cosco price means nothing compared to the Sams Club priced battery as you have the specs of the Sams Club battery posted but not the Cosco.
BTW I have 2 new Sams Club Duracell Batteries I literally just installed in the last 3 months, one in our boat and one in our Mazda so I have nothing against them.
BUT ... *L* I am also a new member of Cosco and I am curious about their batteries and Interstate according to the Interstate website has about 7 different models of their group 35 battery so quoting a price of $89 from Cosco doesnt help if we dont know which battery we are getting compared to the Duracell.
Sams Club and Walmart 3 year replacement is great. I have used many Walmart batteries in the past and now use many of Sams Club batteries ... but if the Cosco battery is more powerful I will go for power and price over just price. I could almost but not quite care less about the warranty if I am getting a better (more powerful) battery.
2006 Acura TSX.
Costco gave me a new battery when I brought in the Interstate that was weak. Just pulled another off the shelf and put it in my cart.
I had no receipt; they looked it up.
FYI, the battery size in the 1st gen Acura TSX is too small. There is no room for a full size battery. The K24 Accords have the small battery as well, while the V6 cars had the larger size. It is a simple conversion. But not in the TSX.
Costco gave me a new battery when I brought in the Interstate that was weak. Just pulled another off the shelf and put it in my cart.
I had no receipt; they looked it up.
FYI, the battery size in the 1st gen Acura TSX is too small. There is no room for a full size battery. The K24 Accords have the small battery as well, while the V6 cars had the larger size. It is a simple conversion. But not in the TSX.
The Duracell is 640 CCA just like the Costco Interstate. It is East Penn’s top tier lead acid battery. Their most expensive. Yes it is all very confusing but not to East Penn. They make one top tier battery only and market it as Duracell as well as a number of other brands to various retailers. That is how they can offer nationwide exchange not just at Sam’s. That is how they know which other store to send you for a Duracell or even non-Duracell replacement. It is the identical battery O’Reilly lists for $179.
With Costco it is not warranted by Interstate or the manufacturer, only by the retailer: Costco.
I'd get paranoid if my wife ever even thought to ask how old the battery was in her car. I'd probably be looking over my shoulder for the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.
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