Who makes which battery?

[Wheel366]

Advance Auto distributes them as well.

Had an Optima in my WRX as they are much lighter. Worked fine.

I will have to check them out On their website they don't list Odyssey but I have 2 right down the road that I can stop into when I get chance. Thanks!

As for Optima. I'm kinda sour on them. I had one in my pathfinder years ago and it lasted a good amount of years (I forget how many). When I replaced it, it was still under a prorated warranty. That one didn't last nor did the the one after and the one after. Think I got maybe 1-2 years out of them. By that point, I was ready to junk the car so I can't saw how long the last one would have lasted. Now, we are talking 2004 - 2011 when I had the pathfinder. It was a 1995. Things could have gotten better but I'm not an optimist in that regard.

 

[Ranger83]

Optima moved their battery plant to Mexico. It opened in 2007. For the next several years, they had quality problems which damaged their reputation. But those were largely fixed and today they’re back to normal.

The OEM Group 35 battery weighed over 40 lbs. The Optima Red Top is 32. The WRX battery is out in front of the axle so the less weight the better. In fact for summer we used a LiFe motorcycle battery.

 

[Wheel366]

The Legacy is a group 25. My Impreza is a 35. I does look like the Optima is significantly lighter than the Odyssey. May have to re-evaluate... I have an OEM replacement in there now. My OEM battery died at 6 months and they replaced under warranty. Don't know the weight of that battery though.

 

[D1dad]

I’ve got a federated auto parts right by my dentist office. Looks like their batteries are east penn and priced better than Walmart, if they even stock what I’d need. My ocd is nagging at me knowing I installed a deka lead acid when I probably should have installed an agm. But I refuse to pay an outrageous price at the auto parts store and won’t buy anything from Walmart or Costco. Kind of leaves me with farm stores.

 

[f355spider]

I’ve got a federated auto parts right by my dentist office. Looks like their batteries are east penn and priced better than Walmart, if they even stock what I’d need. My ocd is nagging at me knowing I installed a deka lead acid when I probably should have installed an agm. But I refuse to pay an outrageous price at the auto parts store and won’t buy anything from Walmart or Costco. Kind of leaves me with farm stores.

The one thing I find with farm stores is the turn over is generally very poor. I regularly see batteries 6 months old...sometimes just over a year old. Also very limited or no AGMs. Costco and Walmart rarely more than 4 months. I quit buying batteries at Costco since they changed the warranty to three years pro-rated. Last two purchases were at Walmart. AGM in 24F and a flooded 24...cause they don't offer an AGM in 24, only in 24F.

 

[D1dad]

The one thing I find with farm stores is the turn over is generally very poor. I regularly see batteries 6 months old...sometimes just over a year old. Also very limited or no AGMs. Costco and Walmart rarely more than 4 months. I quit buying batteries at Costco since they changed the warranty to three years pro-rated. Last two purchases were at Walmart. AGM in 24F and a flooded 24...cause they don't offer an AGM in 24, only in 24F.

I just bought 2 Deka golds from family farm and home, which is Midwest store. A group 35 was stickered 12/24 and the group 47 was 10/24. I took my ancel with me and both tested at 100% in health and charge. This was after testing all I could reach at Menards (acdelco) and not 1 tested well enough to make me buy 1. I won’t buy from Walmart or Costco out of general principal.

 

[f355spider]

I just bought 2 Deka golds from family farm and home, which is Midwest store. A group 35 was stickered 12/24 and the group 47 was 10/24. I took my ancel with me and both tested at 100% in health and charge. This was after testing all I could reach at Menards (acdelco) and not 1 tested well enough to make me buy 1. I won’t buy from Walmart or Costco out of general principal.

That's great, don't see those sorts of dates at Coastal Ranch and Home or Tractor Supply around here.
Had two Deka golds (flooded) fail in less than two years (private label versions sold by Batteries Plus). No more East Penn for me.

 

[D1dad]

I know that east penn makes batteries for several retailers. But I wonder if deka batteries are made to a higher standard? CCA amps are different for the Everstart at Walmart that equals a deka gold. I can’t imagine that east Penn would just cave to Walmart and sell them the exact same battery that Deka would get for the same money. It appears that a deka gold equals an Everstart plus, yet the CCA is 650 vs 550. The Everstart maxx is 650 with a year longer warranty than a deka gold.

 

[Oldwolf]

Which manufacturer builds the Toyota branded batteries that you buy at a Toyota dealer?

 

[Pelican]

I copy the list below from an Xterra forum where it was posted in Aug 2019. I'm not sure how accurate the list still is 5.5 years later when I'm posting it in Dec 2024.

Autocraft: Johnson Controls
Sears- Diehard: Lead Acid- Johnson Controls, Platinum AGM- Odyssey, Gold Advanced AGM- Eastern- Penn.
Interstate- Johnson Controls.
Walmart Everstart- Johnson Controls (Exide Contract Cancelled).
Autozone Duralast- Lead Acid- Johnson Controls, AGM- East-Penn.
Pep Boys (including Bosch)- As of Aug 2012 Exide
Napa- Lead Acid- Johnson Controls; AGM- East-Penn.
Optima- Johnson Controls.
Varta AGM- Fall 2012- Johnson Controls in a new US plant.
Costco-Johnson Controls.
Northstar- Northstar and also distributed by Batteries Plus as the X2Power and Exide under the Northstar label.
Duracell- East Penn (Deka)
Rayovac (Batteries Plus)- Lead Acid- Johnson Controls; AGM- East Penn (Deka)
Deka- East Penn

I'll add to that list Oreilly Superstart is made by East Penn. I just bought a Superstart Extreme 34EXT group 34.

Johnson controls is now Clarios, but still same products AFAIK.

Someone else in another thread at this forum said that local Walmarts get their their Everstart batteries from the nearest manufacturer/supplier. Sometimes East Penn, sometimes Johnson/Clarios. If that's correct, then some Everstart are East Penn, and some are Johnson/Clarios depending on where your Walmart is located. Either way Everstart is reputed to be good as are East Penn and Johnson/Clarios.

I think East Penn and Johnson/Clarios both make good products. Who you buy from matters a lot too. Price, warranty, service all matter. Service matters most to me because I'm handicapped. I get best service from Interstate sellers and Oreilly Superstart sellers.

An important, but often overlooked thing is in store battery maintenance. Do they keep their instock batteries charged, or do they ignore them and let them deplete? Interstate sellers and Oreilly put their batteries on chargers regularly. Does Walmart do that? How about other sellers?

Let the games begin! OK, that was overly dramatic. Let discussion begin.

Are you sure about Varta?
When I had to replace it in my MB it came from Germany.
Varta batteries are manufactured in Germany, including in Zwickau and Ellwangen. Varta is a global manufacturer of batteries, power banks, chargers, and light

 

[Carlostrece]

Are you sure about Varta?
When I had to replace it in my MB it came from Germany.
Varta batteries are manufactured in Germany, including in Zwickau and Ellwangen. Varta is a global manufacturer of batteries, power banks, chargers, and light

I'm not sure of anything. Soon after I posted the OP, I was informed that the list I posted is old and out of date (as was ready discussed in some posts after the OP).

 

[f355spider]

I know that east penn makes batteries for several retailers. But I wonder if deka batteries are made to a higher standard? CCA amps are different for the Everstart at Walmart that equals a deka gold. I can’t imagine that east Penn would just cave to Walmart and sell them the exact same battery that Deka would get for the same money. It appears that a deka gold equals an Everstart plus, yet the CCA is 650 vs 550. The Everstart maxx is 650 with a year longer warranty than a deka gold.

In the case of my East Penn flooded battery issues, the spec for the Battery Plus version (it was labeled RayoVac, now Duracell) was identical to the East Penn for amp hour, CA and CCA. (I'm not an East Penn hater, but switched based on my experience. On another car I had three Optima red top AGM batteries leak. Switched to Interstate AGM, no further issues)

Can't trust the published specs for Walmart batteries...because they use the same spec nationwide, yet different suppliers depending on the location. (note also the Everstart Maxx are AGM, not flooded) On the west coast, batteries are supplied to Walmart by Clarios. East Coast is by East Penn. And as one that has worked for a large consumer product company, "yes", manufacturers will gladly "cave" to someone as large as Walmart for whatever they want.

I worked for Duracell many years ago...Duracell at the time private labeled batteries for many large hardware and drug store chains. Duracell made the exact same product, just a different jacket on the battery. When questioned at our national sales meetings why we don't produce a lesser product for private label, the engineers and product directors said it was too risky and expensive to make up a special lower quality battery for private label. Much easier to keep the machines running and just introduce the different colored labels and blister cards.

 

[f355spider]

Are you sure about Varta?
When I had to replace it in my MB it came from Germany.
Varta batteries are manufactured in Germany, including in Zwickau and Ellwangen. Varta is a global manufacturer of batteries, power banks, chargers, and light

I think you are correct. I have Varta batteries in my 2018 BMW and they are made in Germany. Varta is owned by Clarios, but they still make them in Germany. Now days you will find Clarios AGMs (Interstate, WalMart and AC Delco) made from various plants all over the world. I note the labels can say "Made in...": Germany (Varta), Mexico, Korea, USA or China over the past three years or so.

 

[FoxProTwisty]

I've maintained this spreadsheet for Group 48/H6/L3 and 94r/H7/L4 for a few years now, mainly for GM trucks and SUV's but there are tons of vehicles that use both. If you can use it, great.



Prices and suppliers change all the time, so keep that in mind. Your "Acdelco" battery might be straight up Clarios or Delkor but don't be fooled cause Clarios owns Delkor as well as a half dozen other brands. If you took any random vehicle off the street and traced its batt back to where it was made, chances are it's a Clarios-run plant.

If you see anything with Duracell on it, that's East-Penn since Proctor&Gamble signed a contract with them. These are sold at Sam's and Batteries Plus.

As far as Amazon goes, they're only going to sell AGM's due to their shipping policy. More and more come out of China but there are still a few Clairos, EP, Enersys, etc on there (usually way more $$$ at this point).

 

[f355spider]

I've maintained this spreadsheet for Group 48/H6/L3 and 94r/H7/L4 for a few years now, mainly for GM trucks and SUV's but there are tons of vehicles that use both. If you can use it, great.

Excellent work by you, thank you.

For Costco (USA locations) I would update the warranty to "Pro Rated" or some abbreviation to note their lousy warranty now.

 

[FoxProTwisty]

Excellent work by you, thank you.

For Costco (USA locations) I would update the warranty to "Pro Rated" or some abbreviation to note their lousy warranty now.

It's prorated? Not sure what you're saying here.

 

[f355spider]

It's prorated? Not sure what you're saying here.

Most car battery warranties are "free replacement".
After the first month, Costco discounts the value of a warranted or returned battery by 1/36th value of what you paid by each month of use you received. That is how a three year "pro rated" warranty works.

On the Costco website:

What are the terms of a Costco car battery warranty?​

Costco Automotive Batteries are supported by a 36 Month Limited Prorated Warranty.

Google explanation of "prorated warranty":

A prorated warranty is a type of warranty that decreases in value over time. This means that the owner is responsible for a larger portion of the repair or replacement costs as the warranty period progresses.

 

[FoxProTwisty]

After the first month, Costco discounts the value of a warranted or returned battery by 1/36th value of what you paid by each month of use you received. That is how a three year "pro rated" warranty works.

Wow. Never heard of such a thing on a battery. What turds. I've had batteries die before the end the warranty and just went back to the store with my receipt and the core, grabbed a new one, paid any difference between the price and walked out 5 min later. That difference might be $10-15 but not like what Costco is trying to pull. Screw that.

In fact, this is why you cannot go wrong with the Everstart Platinum for $180. Save your receipt, party like a rock star and if it wont put out anymore, turn it back in before it turns 4 years old.

 

[f355spider]

Wow. Never heard of such a thing on a battery. What turds. I've had batteries die before the end the warranty and just went back to the store with my receipt and the core, grabbed a new one, paid any difference between the price and walked out 5 min later. That difference might be $10-15 but not like what Costco is trying to pull. Screw that.

In fact, this is why you cannot go wrong with the Everstart Platinum for $180. Save your receipt, party like a rock star and if it wont put out anymore, turn it back in before it turns 4 years old.

Yes, since the change in late 2022, I have only purchased at Walmart now. The four year warranty is reassuring on their AGMs, but hopefully not needed. In the case of West Coast WalMarts, the AGMs they sell are identically sourced from Clarios as the Costco/Interstate AGMs. Same countries of origin (Korea, Mexico, China, Germany, or USA)

The last couple batteries I bought at Costco are probably going to outlive their warranties though. One expires end of February, the other in June.

 

[Carmudgeon]

Wow. Never heard of such a thing on a battery. What turds. I've had batteries die before the end the warranty and just went back to the store with my receipt and the core, grabbed a new one, paid any difference between the price and walked out 5 min later. That difference might be $10-15 but not like what Costco is trying to pull. Screw that.

In fact, this is why you cannot go wrong with the Everstart Platinum for $180. Save your receipt, party like a rock star and if it wont put out anymore, turn it back in before it turns 4 years old.

In the old days, when battery warranties ran for 5-, 6-, even 8-years, the bulk of that was prorated. The free-replacement period was like it is now, 2-3 years on average.

Being able to claim that a battery had a 6-year warranty looked great on paper, the sticker on the case, and made a good sales pitch, but if/when the time came to make a claim during the latter stage of the warranty period, the return could be pennies on the dollar.

And like awaiting an answer from the Wizard, as only the cash register knew the formula, and could spit out a number as to what little that warranty would grant. The clerks didn't have a clue, so one couldn't even get the data to make an informed decision as to whether to proceed with making a claim. Knowing that it likely wouldn't amount to much, I never asked to clerks to go through the hassle, and then back out.

Pro rata warranties have mostly faded away, leaving strictly free-replacements, with one exception*. I think NAPA still offers them, maybe to balance out, or compensate for the so-so terms their stuff carries otherwise.

* Costco has taken it to a new level, by going full pro rata, and eliminating the free-replacement altogether. I won't be surprised to see others follow suit.