So my grandpa called me.

[Rust_Belt_Pete]

My grandpa is an old eastern european fella who is at that ripe age that makes him always right.
He does not speak much english so he called me for some help, the 7 or so year old battery in his Lincon MKZ or MKS I forgot which one died. I offered to take him to NAPA auto parts or look up a local interstate dealer. He insisted on going to Auto zone, I argued with him but gave up. We show up at auto zone and they only had their brand battery,it was their "gold" version. We get home and install it ok.

2 weeks later grandpa calls me from the Ford/Lincoln dealership, the battery they sold him was already 4 years old, the tech put a tester on it and it was barely alive. Of course grandpa paid with cash and dint keep the receipt..

I recently bought a battery for my wifes car at NAPA and they had a the right one up front but the guy looked at the date on it and told me to hold on he will get me a new one, the one up front "has been sitting here for a while".

 

[RISUPERCREWMAN]

Hopefully Grand Pa will learn from this one!

 

[Benito]

So he called you for your automotive expertise and you didn't check the date on the battery they sold him when you were in the store with him?

 

[Ga129]

So was it a duralast battery or does Autozone have a store brand battery?

 

[gathermewool]

Originally Posted By: Benito
So he called you for your automotive expertise and you didn't check the date on the battery they sold him when you were in the store with him?


I was just thinking the same thing...

 

[ronbo]

Got a "blem" (return, cosmetic defect, etc.) from the Interstate Distributor in Hamburg NY 3 years ago. Called first to see if they had my size. Paid $40 plus tax, $15 core charge so I R&R on their lot. 6 month warranty. Got it checked recently at ADVANCE AUTO and it's good for a fourth year.

 

[Jarlaxle]

Originally Posted By: Ga129
So was it a duralast battery or does Autozone have a store brand battery?


Duralast IS their brand battery.

 

[Brybo86]

Originally Posted By: gathermewool
Originally Posted By: Benito
So he called you for your automotive expertise and you didn't check the date on the battery they sold him when you were in the store with him?


I was just thinking the same thing...


Pete you just incriminated yourself!

 

[HTSS_TR]

I don't check the date on oil, filter and other parts but date on battery is importance, same for milk.

 

[crazyoildude]

i prefer auto duralast gold

 

[Ga129]

Originally Posted By: Jarlaxle
Originally Posted By: Ga129
So was it a duralast battery or does Autozone have a store brand battery?


Duralast IS their brand battery.


That's what I thought. The wording made it sound otherwise. I've used several duralast batteries with no problems over the last several years.

 

[Wolf359]

Originally Posted By: Benito
So he called you for your automotive expertise and you didn't check the date on the battery they sold him when you were in the store with him?


Not only that, but when you buy the battery, they usually ask for you info so they can keep that in their computer so you just need to give them your phone number for them to look it up.

And you guys are right about checking the battery date, it's usually some letter code for the month and the year. I always grab one from the back that has the newest date. Most of the time they're usually only two to three months old at the front and the one at the rear is usually within a month.

 

[Voltmaster]

Originally Posted By: gathermewool
Originally Posted By: Benito
So he called you for your automotive expertise and you didn't check the date on the battery they sold him when you were in the store with him?


I was just thinking the same thing...


Dude give the guy a break... No one expects to be sold [censored]... I wouldnt have checked either probley, but also wouldnt buy [censored] from AZ.

I been going to napa lately, and I have to say I wish I started years ago.

 

[Voltmaster]

Originally Posted By: Rust_Belt_Pete
My grandpa is an old eastern european fella who is at that ripe age that makes him always right.
He does not speak much english so he called me for some help, the 7 or so year old battery in his Lincon MKZ or MKS I forgot which one died. I offered to take him to NAPA auto parts or look up a local interstate dealer. He insisted on going to Auto zone, I argued with him but gave up. We show up at auto zone and they only had their brand battery,it was their "gold" version. We get home and install it ok.

2 weeks later grandpa calls me from the Ford/Lincoln dealership, the battery they sold him was already 4 years old, the tech put a tester on it and it was barely alive. Of course grandpa paid with cash and dint keep the receipt..

I recently bought a battery for my wifes car at NAPA and they had a the right one up front but the guy looked at the date on it and told me to hold on he will get me a new one, the one up front "has been sitting here for a while".


Sorry to hear.
Elderly can be tough to convince, trust me.

I wouldnt blame you for not noticing its old.... I wouldnt walk in expecting to be sold [censored]..but thats the world we live in today.

 

[Rust_Belt_Pete]

Originally Posted By: Benito
So he called you for your automotive expertise and you didn't check the date on the battery they sold him when you were in the store with him?


He called me because he does not speak much English.
I will be checking battery dates from now on, common sense isnt so common.

 

[gathermewool]

Originally Posted By: Voltmaster
Originally Posted By: gathermewool
Originally Posted By: Benito
So he called you for your automotive expertise and you didn't check the date on the battery they sold him when you were in the store with him?


I was just thinking the same thing...


Dude give the guy a break... No one expects to be sold [censored]... I wouldnt have checked either probley, but also wouldnt buy [censored] from AZ.

I been going to napa lately, and I have to say I wish I started years ago.


You would have checked the date. We ALL check the date. Barring bringing in your own multi-meter, it's the ONLY check there is to do, really.

 

[ZeeOSix]

Originally Posted By: gathermewool
Originally Posted By: Voltmaster
Originally Posted By: gathermewool
Originally Posted By: Benito
So he called you for your automotive expertise and you didn't check the date on the battery they sold him when you were in the store with him?


I was just thinking the same thing...


Dude give the guy a break... No one expects to be sold [censored]... I wouldnt have checked either probley, but also wouldnt buy [censored] from AZ.

I been going to napa lately, and I have to say I wish I started years ago.


You would have checked the date. We ALL check the date. Barring bringing in your own multi-meter, it's the ONLY check there is to do, really.


Bringing the voltmeter might not help much, as some stores will charge the batteries on the shelf once and a while, so it may show good voltage even though it's already 4 years old. Gotta check the date too.

 

[Dave Hess]

When I buy a car battery..... I ALWAYS pick my battery, I don't let the employee give me one. The freshest battery for me, not 3-6 months old.

The employees look at me if I'm crazy.

 

[Wolf359]

Originally Posted By: Mr Nice
When I buy a car battery..... I ALWAYS pick my battery, I don't let the employee give me one. The freshest battery for me, not 3-6 months old.

The employees look at me if I'm crazy.


There's usually no employees around when I'm buying a battery. I usually grab the one in the back so that usually means taking one or two batteries off the rack and grabbing the back one. Another thing to keep in mind is that if you get a battery that's 2-3 months old, they go back the date on the battery for warranty purposes if you don't have a receipt so you may end up losing several months worth of warranty if you don't grab the newest battery.