this is why prorated warranties are worthless

[friendly_jacek]

one of my kids drives toyota yaris bought used that came with a "genuine" Toyota True2 battery. it just suddenly failed (confirmed by bad load test, it was still OK/weak this summer) at the age of 3.5 years, but it has a 60 month warranty. my initial instinct was to go to toyota dealer to claim that warranty (i have a receipt from toyota owners site). but i googled first and it turns out that the way toyota prorates this particular battery is after over 3 years, one gets only 25% off the full retail price of $120. after that and install fee, their [censored] battery would be more expensive compared to brand new quality (3 years full replacement) EverstartMaxx ($107 WMT) or Duracell ($105 Sam's).
I used the $40 off coupon from AA and paid $91+tax for their AutoCraft Gold (3 years full replacement).

i had a similar experience like that with tires, where proration applies to retail price, while one can buy cheaper with a discount.

 

[WillsYoda]

Last time I got a battery, it was a warranty replacement at sams. The battery was about 4.5 years old if I recall correctly, and they prorated the warranty to cover 75% of a new battery. When I got it the people at sams said that their new warranties were no longer this good. I believe the new warranty is the same as the one you mention from toyota.

 

[JHZR2]

Given that batteries have known calendar aging affects due to the chemical system inside of them, it makes perfect sense that the prorate would have severely degraded the value of the battery in the out years.

The retail price of the Toyota battery is another story... is what it is I suppose.

My curiosity is why you couldn't get the battery and take it home to install yourself rather than paying a fee.

 

[Doog]

I would only buy a battery from a dealer if:

1. My car dies in the Mojave desert and there is nothing but a dealer for 200 miles
2. It's the zombie apocalypse and everyone else is out of batteries
3. I have a 95% off coupon

 

[bdcardinal]

That is a pretty short warranty. Mazda is like that, 60 month total warranty with the first 36 months being free replacement. The Motorcraft battery warranty for the Tested Tough Max batteries is 100 month with the first 36 being free replacement. The battery purchase also includes roadside and labor on the replacement if bought OTC. The only downside is you have to keep your original receipt. I always make a copy of the receipt for the customers and keep some small shipping envelopes to attach to the side with a copy of the receipt.

 

[maximus]

You were surprised the dealer was more expensive?

 

[bullwinkle]

Sad thing is-the pro-rated warranty starts on the day the battery is bought-so the first 3 years the replacement is free (on a 3yr. free replacement warranty), on the next day it costs 50% or more of a new one. I personally think that's why so many companies are dropping the pro-rated warranty, it just makes customers mad.

 

[bbhero]

That's funny my Doog. And I agree. I bought my East Penn in September just to buy it before the old Duralast Gold even started to give me trouble. Can't beat peace of mind at the end if the day.

 

[CharlieBauer]

As has been mentioned, pro rata warranties are less and less available.

And warranties all seem to work in different ways.

I looked at this a few months ago and determined Costco and Napa had the best warranties.

 

[jimbrewer]

At this point pro rata battery warranties are a marketing ploy to get you to keep buying your battery from the same people. More like a very modest loyalty discount.

I'm a low mileage driver with a garage. I've gotten in the habit of using a float charger.

 

[Garak]

Originally Posted By: friendly_jacek
i had a similar experience like that with tires, where proration applies to retail price, while one can buy cheaper with a discount.

Yes, or the tire warranties only apply if you have the tires rotated (at a hefty charge) by an approved shop, rather than at home. The Infiniti dealer insanely wants $80 (not their fault as much as shop manual procedures, I suppose) for what I can do at home for free, with a torque wrench, done properly. And, the tires are supposed to be rotated every 10,000 km, with a 70,000 km treadwear warranty on my last Michelins, and unlimited kilometres (time based) on my current Yokohamas. Throw in the prorating, and the warranty is useless to me. I got my mileage out of my tires, and did my own rotations.

Now, if it's someone who religiously rotates their tires on time and always at a shop, great. But, for people who take care of things themselves, not so good, or for those who see 10,000 km rotations as a waste, not so good, either.

 

[veryHeavy]

Here's a fun ripoff story:

- I bought a 12 volt battery at Costco for $80. Nice and cheap. I tried to install it myself, but it's a hybrid car, so it had some weird locking mechanism I could not detach.
-
- I took the Costco battery to Pep Boys for an installation. I figured half-an-hour labor is about $40, but they told me they charge $180 for battery installs!
- However if I buy a Pep Boys battery, then the TOTAL cost is only $165.
- What a scam.
-
- Of course it is southern California.... pretty much everything is a scam here. (Like a Dodge dealer telling me to replace my 3-month-old wiper blades because "they look wornout".)

 

[daves87rs]

Originally Posted By: veryHeavy
Here's a fun ripoff story:

- I bought a 12 volt battery at Costco for $80. Nice and cheap. I tried to install it myself, but it's a hybrid car, so it had some weird locking mechanism I could not detach.
-
- I took the Costco battery to Pep Boys for an installation. I figured half-an-hour labor is about $40, but they told me they charge $180 for battery installs!
- However if I buy a Pep Boys battery, then the TOTAL cost is only $165.
- What a scam.
-
- Of course it is southern California.... pretty much everything is a scam here. (Like a Dodge dealer telling me to replace my 3-month-old wiper blades because "they look wornout".)







Wow....