Walmart EverStart Platinum AGM online purchase and delivery experience

[f355spider]

So this is my third Walmart EverStart Platinum purchase in the past 18 months. The other two are working well. I usually purchase in store.

Family member needed a 51R for a 2019 Honda Pilot with 17k miles. Short trips and only driven two or three times per week. I figure a good candidate for an AGM to replace the factory flooded battery that is testing slightly weak.
Ordered online, took about 8 or 9 days for delivery. Two day delay caused by Fed Ex...unsure why, but not Walmart's fault.

Shipped directly from Clarios warehouse in Holland, MI.
Nicely packaged with foam packing on top and bottom, well protected from damage.

March 2025 manufacture sticker.
Appears close to fully charged.
I put it on a Pulse Tech charger until installation later this week.

Tested on my Ancel BA 101.
How do I interpret the internal resistance rating??

I will take the old battery to a WalMart to collect the $12 store credit for the core charge.

 

[Klutch9]

I bought a Platinum AGM from WM last year, and mine was also packaged incredibly well and shipped directly from the warehouse. I was impressed. Only issue was that getting my core refund was nearly impossible. The tire/auto center could not figure out how to give me my $12 back when I gave them the old battery. We finally settled on a $12 gift card after much confusion and manager intervention. The problem was that the invoice didn’t fully show that I was ever charged the core fee in the first place, although you could see it in the price breakdown.

I hope it’s an easier process for you haha. Maybe take it to the refund desk instead? I figured the auto center would know more than them, and I wouldn’t have to wait for other people returning items.

 

[FoxProTwisty]

Project Farm did a vid on those load testers. Cant really trust any of them for accuracy.

An AGM will have a lower internal resistance than a flooded which means it will discharge quicker. So lower is better.

The other issue is with CCA ratings. In an apples to apple test at room temp situation you have reliability but it's no where near accurate unless you're at 0°F.

 

[Nukeman7]

So this is my third Walmart EverStart Platinum purchase in the past 18 months. The other two are working well. I usually purchase in store.

Family member needed a 51R for a 2019 Honda Pilot with 17k miles. Short trips and only driven two or three times per week. I figure a good candidate for an AGM to replace the factory flooded battery that is testing slightly weak.
Ordered online, took about 8 or 9 days for delivery. Two day delay caused by Fed Ex...unsure why, but not Walmart's fault.

I'm pretty sure the 2019 Honda Pilot uses a larger Group 48 (H6) battery as shown in the videos below. The Group 51R is a tiny battery that normally fits in Civics, CR-Vs and smaller Honda 4 cylinders. Was the original battery previously replaced with the undersized 51R unit? I am assuming the 2019 Pilot has the J35 V-6 motor.

 

[Patrick0525]

The battery should have CCA beyond 435 CCA. It is new. According to the Odyssey customer representative a new AGM should hold a 100% soh for months at 12.7+ voltage. Your AGM is 3months from date of manufacture. It is not ideal but u should charge it before installation.

My AGM battery sat for 12 months and it only dropped 0.1Volts. Yes, Odyssey and Clarion AGM chemistries are different but the AGM is behaving like a flooded cell battery.

see post#21

Odyssey 24F

 

[f355spider]

The battery should have CCA beyond 435 CCA. It is new. According to the Odyssey customer representative a new AGM should hold a 100% soh for months at 12.7+ voltage. Your AGM is 3months from date of manufacture. It is not ideal but u should charge it before installation.

My AGM battery sat for 12 months and it only dropped 0.1Volts. Yes, Odyssey and Clarion AGM chemistries are different but the AGM is behaving like a flooded cell battery.

see post#21

Odyssey 24F

As I stated in my first post, I AM charging it on a Pulse Tech charger, as it does test a bit low.

This is a "flat plate" AGM. Odyssey and Optima AGMs are charged and tested differently. My chargers and the Ancel BA 101 have specific settings for charging and testing Odyssey/Optima.

 

[f355spider]

I'm pretty sure the 2019 Honda Pilot uses a larger Group 48 (H6) battery as shown in the videos below. The Group 51R is a tiny battery that normally fits in Civics, CR-Vs and smaller Honda 4 cylinders. Was the original battery previously replaced with the undersized 51R unit? I am assuming the 2019 Pilot has the J35 V-6 motor.

Yup, its a CRV. My bad.

 

[chexxers]

many battery replacements could be avoided with a cheep charger!! reguardless of battery quality it need to be topped up if not driving much modern cars with lots of JUNK on them + computer restricted charging for minimal mpg gains!! i replaced a 10 YO flooded interstate "just because"!! living close to East Penn many of wallys batteries come from them!!!

 

[f355spider]

I bought a Platinum AGM from WM last year, and mine was also packaged incredibly well and shipped directly from the warehouse. I was impressed. Only issue was that getting my core refund was nearly impossible. The tire/auto center could not figure out how to give me my $12 back when I gave them the old battery. We finally settled on a $12 gift card after much confusion and manager intervention. The problem was that the invoice didn’t fully show that I was ever charged the core fee in the first place, although you could see it in the price breakdown.

I hope it’s an easier process for you haha. Maybe take it to the refund desk instead? I figured the auto center would know more than them, and I wouldn’t have to wait for other people returning items.

I have dealt with this twice before. I ALWAYS go to customer service...it is still a cluster, but they will eventually issue a store credit...I have never got cash back, which would be preferred.

 

[f355spider]

many battery replacements could be avoided with a cheep charger!! reguardless of battery quality it need to be topped up if not driving much modern cars with lots of JUNK on them + computer restricted charging for minimal mpg gains!! i replaced a 10 YO flooded interstate "just because"!! living close to East Penn many of wallys batteries come from them!!!

Yes, a battery tender WILL extend life, but my family members are not disciplined enough to use one...even though I have given each of them one. (and installed charging pig tails on most of their cars) I just help where I can, and an AGM is the best insurance for their situation.

Your double and triple exclamation points on each sentence is amusing.

 

[Carmudgeon]

IR seems a bit high, from what I've seen on my own batteries.

The new Chinese AGM I bought earlier this year was a bit above 3 mΩ out of the box.

Even the tired old 2016 FLA battery it replaced was still below 5 mΩ. 2-3 year old battery in another car was in the low 3 range.

That said, I don't put much faith in my tester's results, or how they present them as interpretations. If it wasn't so cheap, Amazon would have had another open box to resell.

 

[Hall]

Maybe take it to the refund desk instead? I figured the auto center would know more than them

Take it to a WM that does NOT have an auto center. There's no questioning things then (usually).

 

[Klutch9]

I have dealt with this twice before. I ALWAYS go to customer service...it is still a cluster, but they will eventually issue a store credit...I have never got cash back, which would be preferred.

Good to know I’m not the only one haha. It’s a shame, because it’s a good battery at a good price. Worth it I suppose.

 

[f355spider]

BTW, it was interesting there is no country of origin sticker on this one.
Usually it says "Made in Germany", or "Made in China", or Korea, or Mexico. Could this one possibly be produced in the USA?

 

[D1dad]

I’m not a fan of the 91% state of health. My 3 new batteries in December are still testing @100% 6 months later, and did when new. See what happens when the Pulsetech does its thing. If possible, I take my tester when purchasing new, obviously that wasn’t an option. 1 agm and 2 new deka flooded batteries and my agm is always testing on the lower side when driven the same. I’d be willing to bet that this Honda has a charging system that’s going to throttle down on the highway and will drop down under 13 amps. That’s a big no no on agms.

 

[Mainia]

As I stated in my first post, I AM charging it on a Pulse Tech charger, as it does test a bit low.

This is a "flat plate" AGM. Odyssey and Optima AGMs are charged and tested differently. My chargers and the Ancel BA 101 have specific settings for charging and testing Odyssey/Optima.

I found my AGM responds really well to a 40 amp charge every 3 months for 20 mins and my couple times a mouth PulseTech charge.

 

[Urshurak776]

When my son's battery died during the winter (I know, SC winter, but still!) we ordered one for same day delivery. Delivered free right to our driveway (maybe 3 hours total time between order and delivery.) No issues with that. Installed battery and went to return the old one, with no luck......I left it on the counter and walked out. Still a good deal for the warranty alone.

 

[D1dad]

The last Walmart battery I ordered was during Covid (buy online and pickup) deal. They didn’t even charge me a core.

 

[Sequoiasoon]

@f355spider - see if you can get the family members to get in the habit of turning on the headlights especially with the short trips. Honda's charging algorithm and variable charge rate alternator keep it low to get the extra .001mpg. If it sees enough charge and not a high load it puts out like 12.8V. Turn the headlights on and it goes to 14.4V

My 3 Honda's have that. My '19 Pilot won't kick up with AC on high, seat heaters and defroster on unless it deems battery lower than what it wants. You can leave all them off and put headlights on and it will bump right up.

 

[f355spider]

BTW, it was interesting there is no country of origin sticker on this one.
Usually it says "Made in Germany", or "Made in China", or Korea, or Mexico. Could this one possibly be produced in the USA?

I found a stamping on one of the sides, near the bottom: "Made in Korea". The other two AGMs I purchased in the past two years were from Korea, and have been "good to go".