New interstate batteries at Costco

[John105]

talked to the Costco tire guy about the warranty and why its where it is now. He said too many folks were bringing perfectly good ones in and getting new ones close to when the replacement warranty would end . Costco has no way to check them so they just get a new one . Costco don't care because its billed back to supplier anyways .

like computer return abuse a decade earlier, abuse of the return policy killed the battery warranty

Exactly a guy on the Lexus forum explained it wrong as he made it sound like he got free batteries for life. I’m the kid who puts his hand on the stove.

Say you bought a battery Oct 2016 and it had a 42 mo warranty back then. You could get as many batteries as you wanted in 42 mos. Get 7 in a week (but why, what is the benefit of such a fraud?). So if you’re gonna lie, just get a free battery on day 1,276 (back then). What is the purpose of saying in that guy’s case he got a new battery maybe 3x in the warranty period. Maybe it made him feel plush.

I get that we’re not a very honest society. I went to the dr in Feb and I’m the guy who looks at the claim. Said I was treated for depression, bp, bmi, and diabetes, when it was none of the above. And all was denied by Blue Cross. When my wife had Aetna all the bogus services were approved.

 

[tblt44]

That one still does, the new ones coming out now are pro-rated from date of purchase is what I was told.

If that's the case will buy at walmart then

 

[Carmudgeon]

Well that sure is a surprise. I bought an H6 Group 48 AGM Interstate at Costco just short of three years ago and it was made in the USA. About 8 months later and until recently they were "made in Germany"....and now China. I guess if I need another I will go with AC Delco AGM, which for the time being, are still "Made in Germany", presumably from Varta, same as where Interstate and Walmart used to get their "made in Germany" AGMs as well. Walmart on the West Coast, their AGMs all say "made in Korea". I think the jury is still out on the Chinese and Korean ones. I did pick up one of the Walmart Korean AGMs for a friends Highlander last winter...the four year warranty is reassuring at least.

It wasn't that long ago that JCI was importing batteries from their Saudi joint venture. Lately, it's been the Koreans, and inevitably, the Chinese. The future? Whatever source that is cheap enough to offset the logistics costs of shipping ~30 lb+ plastic cases filled with lead and acid across the oceans.

Car batteries have become commoditized, coming from the same handful of manufacturers, good/better/best segmented, with only stickers and warranties to differentiate the final retailer.

We can guess, and make assumptions based on prior experiences, but until seeing what's actually on the rack in the store, all bets are off.

And for those who like to gamble, there are cheap brands like this, doing direct sales of sorts (with free shipping!):

https://www.weizeus.com/products/we...otive-battery-120rc-760cca-36-months-warranty

 

[f355spider]

And for those who like to gamble, there are cheap brands like this, doing direct sales of sorts (with free shipping!):

https://www.weizeus.com/products/we...otive-battery-120rc-760cca-36-months-warranty

Started seeing those on Amazon late summer last year.

 

[JHZR2]

It wasn't that long ago that JCI was importing batteries from their Saudi joint venture. Lately, it's been the Koreans, and inevitably, the Chinese. The future? Whatever source that is cheap enough to offset the logistics costs of shipping ~30 lb+ plastic cases filled with lead and acid across the oceans.

Car batteries have become commoditized, coming from the same handful of manufacturers, good/better/best segmented, with only stickers and warranties to differentiate the final retailer.

We can guess, and make assumptions based on prior experiences, but until seeing what's actually on the rack in the store, all bets are off.

And for those who like to gamble, there are cheap brands like this, doing direct sales of sorts (with free shipping!):

https://www.weizeus.com/products/we...otive-battery-120rc-760cca-36-months-warranty

We see a lot of that down in the Caribbean. Everything is very expensive and folks look for new sources to save a buck. Helps when you can’t go further than 20 miles from home, as quality isn’t as much of a concern it seems.

Believe it or not, some of them do perform pretty well. At the same time I have seen them swollen up on pallets too. Reality is, similar to the harbor freight power tools and inverter generator situation, once a vendor builds something, iterates on it, works out the kinks, etc., then third world counterfeiting or at least duplication with a different sticker is pretty easy…

 

[John105]

We see a lot of that down in the Caribbean. Everything is very expensive and folks look for new sources to save a buck. Helps when you can’t go further than 20 miles from home.

Believe it or not, some of them do perform pretty well. At the same time I have seen them swollen up on pallets too. Reality is, similar to the harbor freight power tools and inverter generator situation, once a vendor builds something, iterates on it, works out the kinks, etc., then third world counterfeiting or at least duplication with a different sticker is pretty easy…

reminded me of my buddy's 2nd gen Maxima in NYC, early 90's. It was dying and we managed to get into a gas station in Manhattan, E96th St and 1st Ave. They sold him an entry level AC Delco battery for $140. That was huge as this was 30+ years ago.

He then asks to borrow an adjustable wrench, and the mechanic says $20.

I said forget that, let's push the car over to the pumps, it will be easier for AAA to hook up there (this was a busy 24 hour station). May take 2-3 hours they seem slow. Besides, the lighting is better there and I feel safer. The guy handed the wrench over. I guess I've always had my limits when it came to shenanigans

 

[nthach]

I’m seeing the “new” Interstates at Costco. Not Clarios or Korean(DTR/Hyundai Songwoo/Hankook Atlas). They look like Exide/Duralast - made by Stryten. No COO.

 

[drtyler]

I’m seeing the “new” Interstates at Costco. Not Clarios or Korean(DTR/Hyundai Songwoo/Hankook Atlas). They look like Exide/Duralast - made by Stryten. No COO.

Maybe they are ok. Stryten’s website states they make all batteries in the USA. I haven’t found the latest Costco Interstate batteries to be anything special, other than cost.

 

[Tdbo]

Absolutely...Exide batteries have a very deserved reputation of being garbage...especially when compared to East Penn and Clarios batteries. I used to buy top of the line Exide batteries in the '90's and early 2000's and never got more than 3 years before they died. Also leaked acid from both terminals after a year.

As a result of those experiences, I switched to Johnson Controls (now Clarios) ~15 years ago and have subsequently moved on to East Penn over the past 5 years.

Besides, even if one is pro-Exide, one can go to their local Rural King and purchase the same battery for about 1/3rd less, with a better warranty on it than Costco.

 

[John105]

My BMW OE battery installed in 2011 is made in USA by Exide. The original was not. It’s 2024 now and it still works. Not sure how Exide can summarily be described as garbage

 

[silversport]

battery manufacture may also depend on where in the world you are buying...some have reported their Walmart Everstart Maxx to be Exide manufacture whereas the same group battery bought elsewhere (in the States) has been a Clarios manufactured battery...

Good luck with your choice

Bill

 

[Zack1978]

My brand new 24F that I picked up from Costco yesterday afternoon.
I have no clue what company made it…….

 

[drtyler]

My brand new 24F that I picked up from Costco yesterday afternoon.
I have no clue what company made it…….

View attachment 211450

View attachment 211451

Clarios/JCI

 

[Zack1978]

Started seeing those on Amazon late summer last year.

It wasn't that long ago that JCI was importing batteries from their Saudi joint venture. Lately, it's been the Koreans, and inevitably, the Chinese. The future? Whatever source that is cheap enough to offset the logistics costs of shipping ~30 lb+ plastic cases filled with lead and acid across the oceans.

Car batteries have become commoditized, coming from the same handful of manufacturers, good/better/best segmented, with only stickers and warranties to differentiate the final retailer.

We can guess, and make assumptions based on prior experiences, but until seeing what's actually on the rack in the store, all bets are off.

And for those who like to gamble, there are cheap brands like this, doing direct sales of sorts (with free shipping!):

https://www.weizeus.com/products/we...otive-battery-120rc-760cca-36-months-warranty

I have one of these batteries in my ATV currently. I purchased it on Amazon and so far (I think about a year) it has been perfect.

 

[Ken2]

Clarios/JCI

Yep, the cell caps are the tell-tale.

A couple of years ago I needed a Group 140R battery. Summit Racing had an ACDelco German AGM for the same price as a flooded lead acid (EastPenn in that size) from other stores. It worked well for the time I had that car.

 

[f355spider]

Yep, the cell caps are the tell-tale.

A couple of years ago I needed a Group 140R battery. Summit Racing had an ACDelco German AGM for the same price as a flooded lead acid (EastPenn in that size) from other stores. It worked well for the time I had that car.

Yes the AC/Delco AGMs have been made by Varta in Germany for 5 or 6 years now. Not sure how much longer...Varta was making the Interstate and WalMart EverStart Platinums too. But WalMart appears to have switched suppliers recently. Korean made for their West Coast stores...

 

[don-7519]

New purchase directly from an Interstate distributor and never saw a battery case-top like it...Was going to post a thread asking here - but it matches the text-description by the OP of this thread.

Needed a 500CCA 51R. Seems the Interstate web-site has some out-of-date photos (with a typical JC/Clarios look), but the MT-51Rs and several others at the local distributor were different. In this area, the Interstate was best price and best sticker-date (6/24) found for the size - and - even if it took a couple of months at sea to get here - likely the best manufacture-date available.

Never saw a battery of this small size (BCI 51R) come with a handle. Front-label has "Silver" printed on it, and on the top-label "Made-In-Vietnam." No apparent heat-stamped case-code.
When asked if those tab-like projections on either side of the carry-handle hinges were lift-up tabs (to access cells), tech said it was a heat-welded plastic sealed top maintenance-free "calcium" battery - with the expected claim - "should be no functional loss of electrolyte for the service-life of the battery..."
-

 

[John105]

The bottom line is a few bad apples spoiled the bunch. That’s human nature. Jeff Bezos predicted Amazon would go out of business one day. If the stock price, and the customer service levels with fluctuating prices are any indication, it’s well on its way.

Costco on the other hand continues to deliver hits like the guy on the Cubs in the minors, PCA.

One can say essentially Costco batteries have no warranty as sold today (there is no benefit to pretending a battery failed now). So why would anyone buy a battery there? Convenience and previous experience. They never actually failed. My first was fall 2016 and I bought a new one spring 2021. The car Sat March 2020 for one year. That likely didn’t help on the battery’s life.

I remember a guy on a forum claiming he bought one costco battery and simply gets a new one every 24 mos.

Well, that made no sense so I fact checked him. Back when costco had a 42 mo free replacement, maybe his math is off as he posted. He could have gotten one at 24 mos and another < 18 mos later. 3 for 1. But the warranty followed the original purchase for 42 mos. It didn’t reset with every replacement like he claimed.

It’s interesting how the fraud of a few eliminated the warranty altogether. So why would anyone buy a costco battery today. Convenience and the belief they won’t actually need to be replaced under warranty. Imho costco is big enough to require decent products to be sold under their roofs. My .02 I’ve had 4 costco batteries and I replaced them when the load test indicated the CCAs were significantly lower than they should be. Often at 4-5 years old, beyond the warranty period.

 

[FordSVTGuy]

That is a shame. Whatever happened to ethics? I just purchased an Interstate 65 from Costco this AM to replace the 4 year old battery (same Costco Interstate) in my Exploder. Totally happy with 4 solid years and you can’t beat the price/value. The price did inch up to $123 from $119.