question about Kmart battery

[sirgerman]

My wife Saturn is going to need a new battery , right now she has a die hard that lasted for more than 7 years , you can tell every morning that the power is almost gone , mycar has a Walmart battery the famous ever start i pay around $40 they give me $10 for the old one, no problem so far .
I saw a Kmart battery for $50 , I am thinking to buy that one , is called plus start , does anyone has experience with that type of battery ? Do you guys know if kmart take the old battery ?

 

[Kruse]

They'll take the old battery because they need it for the core charge. If you don't give them your old battery, they will charge you extra for the core that you didn't give them, probably right around $10.
I've got no experience with that battery, but KMart manufactures nothing, it is made for them and KMart puts their name on it. BTW, if KMart would happen to go bankrupt, so would your warranty. (Don't know if they will go bankrupt, just something to think about)

 

[Donald]

I would look at a Walmart MAXX. There are more Walmarts than KMARTs to honor a warranty. Most states force a charge on a battery if there is no trade in. Hard to imagine CA would not. In NY its $5.

As has been mentioned before, you want (if possible) a battery that is made by JCI (Johnson Controls). They make many, including the Walmart MAXX in my Jeep. But that does not say that every MAXX is made by JCI.

If the battery has caps, then if the corners of the caps are cut at 45 degrees, it was made by JCI.

 

[Chris142]

The core charge here is $10 so bring the old battery with you.

 

[JHZR2]

if I was buying a battery at K-mart, Id buy a die hard, as it may be a better battery.

The best deal in batteries, IMO is the silver line at AAP bought with a coupon. Thats what Id buy.

Ive not had good luck with the WM batteries, and the die hard line may be a bit more $$$.

 

[Oregoonian]

If your a COSTCO member....their Kirkland line is excellent...and very reasonable.

They are manufactured by a major battery maker and are highly recommended (best buy) by a consumer magazine.....and have an excellent warranty (full 3 yrs/ and prorated over the next 7 years).

Have had mine for about 18 months now, paid $68, and have had no issues.

Agree with the K-Mart comment. IMO...K-Mart might not be here very long.

 

[GC4lunch]

Originally Posted By: sirgerman
My wife Saturn is going to need a new battery , right now she has a die hard . . , mycar has a Walmart battery the famous ever start . . .
I saw a Kmart battery for $50 , I am thinking to buy that one , is called plus start , does anyone has experience with that type of battery ?

There are very few manufacturers of automobile betteries; most of the house brands -- including most Die Hard batteries from Sears -- are made by Johnson Controls (aka JCI). If you look closely at an Interstate brand battery, for instance, and a Sears battery, and read the published specifications, you will see that two differences are the label and, occasionally, the warranty: retail chains often use the warranty terms to differentiate their brands of the JCI batteries. I do not know who specifically makes the K-Mart batteries, but, as K-Mart and Sears are part of he same corporate umbrella, it would surprise me if the K-Mart battery is not made by JCI.

Another major manufacturer of batteries is East Penn (not surprisingly, headquartered in eastern Pennsylvania), the batteries of which also are sold under many brands, including East Penn's own Deka brand and Carquest's house brand. Personally, I am a fan of the East Penn line, because East Penn's AGM -- absorbed glass mat -- technology premium batteries are not configured in the six pack shape as the batteries in JCI's Optima line are, and thus use more of the under-hood real estate to get more plate area for any given height-width-depth; but you are unlikely to go wrong with a JCI battery.

 

[doitmyself]

Make sure it has a relatively fresh mfg. date. I don't remember the rule, but newer = better!

 

[sirgerman]

never mind , i just find out the JC make the ever start, kirland and plus start , same company , so the question is where is the cheapest ? and who will take my old one for money towards the new one

 

[Kruse]

Originally Posted By: sirgerman
and who will take my old one for money towards the new one


ALL battery sellers will quote you a price where they assume you are giving them the core. If you don't give them the core, ALL of them will charge you more for it, roughly $10.

 

[HTSS_TR]

Originally Posted By: Oregoonian
If your a COSTCO member....their Kirkland line is excellent...and very reasonable.

They are manufactured by a major battery maker and are highly recommended (best buy) by a consumer magazine.....and have an excellent warranty (full 3 yrs/ and prorated over the next 7 years).

Have had mine for about 18 months now, paid $68, and have had no issues.

Agree with the K-Mart comment. IMO...K-Mart might not be here very long.

Did you check Costco battery price lately ? Their battery price increases substantial for many sizes the last 6-7 months.

 

[Doog]

Just bought the wifes car a new batery from AAP. Got the 700CCA one for $95 after using the 20% discount code and bought it online and picked up at the store. This has the 7 year guarantee with 3 year free replacement. The discount codes are posted in the product rebate section on this website.

 

[Vikas]

Once again I am amused by people trying to save five bucks on a battery. For crying out loud, a battery costs less than a tank of gas (for most vehicles) and routinely last over hundreds tanks of gas.

You are better of brown bagging your lunch every day if you want to save money.

 

[Doog]

Originally Posted By: Vikas
Once again I am amused by people trying to save five bucks on a battery. For crying out loud, a battery costs less than a tank of gas (for most vehicles) and routinely last over hundreds tanks of gas.

You are better of brown bagging your lunch every day if you want to save money.


I save $3-5,000 annually by shopping for deals and doing my own work on vehicles. I have invested these savings in a Southeast retirement real estate investment since 1992. I now own a property valued at almost $500k and rented at a 10% positive cash flow. I used the cash I saved from doing my own work as a down payment on the 2 properties I bought/fixed and sold to get to the current one. So, keep laughing...in 4 years I'll be out back by the pool.

BTW, I saved $22 on the battery.

 

[Vikas]

And in another 5 years, you will be saving $22 more. At this rate you will have saved whole $100 after 20 years.

I too save *lots* of money by buying *lots* of stuff on sale

 

[MinamiKotaro]

Originally Posted By: Vikas
Once again I am amused by people trying to save five bucks on a battery. For crying out loud, a battery costs less than a tank of gas (for most vehicles) and routinely last over hundreds tanks of gas.

You are better of brown bagging your lunch every day if you want to save money.


A car battery for less than $40? Where do you live? I want to move there.

 

[doitmyself]

Originally Posted By: Doog
Just bought the wifes car a new batery from AAP. Got the 700CCA one for $95 after using the 20% discount code and bought it online and picked up at the store. This has the 7 year guarantee with 3 year free replacement. The discount codes are posted in the product rebate section on this website.


Ya screwed up big time, man.

There generally is an ongoing 25% off on AAP batteries.

Even better, this site often (now) runs a limited time coupon for 30% up to 50% off: http://www.retailmenot.com/view/advanceautoparts.com
"Advance Auto Parts: $50 Off $100+ For the First 500 Customers, $40 Off $100+ For the Next 1000 Customers, and 30% Off Sitewide for the Next 2000 Customers. Runs 11/26/12 until the discounts dry up."

Kudos for your savings/investment success.

 

[zmelli]

Originally Posted By: HTSS_TR
Originally Posted By: Oregoonian
If your a COSTCO member....their Kirkland line is excellent...and very reasonable.

They are manufactured by a major battery maker and are highly recommended (best buy) by a consumer magazine.....and have an excellent warranty (full 3 yrs/ and prorated over the next 7 years).

Have had mine for about 18 months now, paid $68, and have had no issues.

Agree with the K-Mart comment. IMO...K-Mart might not be here very long.

Did you check Costco battery price lately ? Their battery price increases substantial for many sizes the last 6-7 months.

I paid $69.99 for a Costco battery + $9.00 core and Tax, Total $85.00 OTD. I was a little shocked at the price, Costco Batteries were $45--50.00 about two years ago!

 

[Doog]

Originally Posted By: Vikas
And in another 5 years, you will be saving $22 more. At this rate you will have saved whole $100 after 20 years.

I too save *lots* of money by buying *lots* of stuff on sale


I have 5 vehicles....do the math..buy 4 get one free. If you do it across the board it adds up.

 

[Doog]

Originally Posted By: doitmyself
Originally Posted By: Doog
Just bought the wifes car a new batery from AAP. Got the 700CCA one for $95 after using the 20% discount code and bought it online and picked up at the store. This has the 7 year guarantee with 3 year free replacement. The discount codes are posted in the product rebate section on this website.


Ya screwed up big time, man.

There generally is an ongoing 25% off on AAP batteries.

Even better, this site often (now) runs a limited time coupon for 30% up to 50% off: http://www.retailmenot.com/view/advanceautoparts.com
"Advance Auto Parts: $50 Off $100+ For the First 500 Customers, $40 Off $100+ For the Next 1000 Customers, and 30% Off Sitewide for the Next 2000 Customers. Runs 11/26/12 until the discounts dry up."

Kudos for your savings/investment success.



I tried all of the codes on the site and it would only take the 20% one on the battery. Price shopping and investing is a hobby of mine. Over periods of decades you can really make a difference if you pay attention to what you are doing.