Batteries come charged now?

[Bluestream]

Originally Posted By: maximus
Originally Posted By: Bluestream
I also like the fact of supporting an independent owner/operator and not a large mega Corporation


So you go to Walmart soley to inspect their stock of batteries?

I sometimes buy oil there.

 

[mk378]

Originally Posted By: Bluestream
I see the batteries at Walmart on the back of the racks are sometimes two years old. The staff are not even smart enough to rotate the stock.

The way those racks are made, they stock new ones on the back and eventually they slide to the front where they are sold. Unless buyers have disrupted the system by digging for a "fresh one", the battery pulled off the front should be the oldest one.

 

[Bluestream]

Originally Posted By: mk378
Originally Posted By: Bluestream
I see the batteries at Walmart on the back of the racks are sometimes two years old. The staff are not even smart enough to rotate the stock.

The way those racks are made, they stock new ones on the back and eventually they slide to the front where they are sold. Unless buyers have disrupted the system by digging for a "fresh one", the battery pulled off the front should be the oldest one.

The rack in my store back up against a wall, and they stock it from the front.

 

[Rylan]

Originally Posted By: circuitsmith
...
I come in with a voltmeter and measure several candidates.
Then I buy the one with the highest voltage and newest date.


My dad taught me this, so I've done the same thing for years.

What I noticed is some retailers will "have only 1 on hand," so you can't really test them. I've seen this with quick-lubes or Firestones (Interstate retailers).

 

[Colt45ws]

Its not that they are not smart enough, its that they don't care.

 

[Ed_Flecko]

This is a very interesting thread to me because, I suppose like a lot of people, I thought that when you buy a brand new battery it's already fully charged and it's simply ready to install, but apparently that's not the case? I thought, maybe incorrectly, that if the battery does need any charge that your alternator will bring the charge up to "full" and then maintain that surface charge (if you drive the vehicle regularly, of course). Is that not the case?

It sounds like a lot of you will charge the battery to 100% before you even install it. Is that to, somehow, add longevity to the battery?

Please explain.

Thank you,
Ed

 

[SHOZ]

Raw batteries take a couple days to 'form' and become an actual battery. A dry charged battery is one that has been 'formed' and then dried out 100%. The positive plates are dried in an oven and the negative plates are pressure cooked in a solvent.

A flooded car start battery is one where it is fully formed and then the acid is dumped and refilled with the correct gravity.

 

[maximus]

Originally Posted By: Ed_Flecko
This is a very interesting thread to me because, I suppose like a lot of people, I thought that when you buy a brand new battery it's already fully charged and it's simply ready to install, but apparently that's not the case? I thought, maybe incorrectly, that if the battery does need any charge that your alternator will bring the charge up to "full" and then maintain that surface charge (if you drive the vehicle regularly, of course). Is that not the case?

It sounds like a lot of you will charge the battery to 100% before you even install it. Is that to, somehow, add longevity to the battery?

Please explain.



Thank you,
Ed


They're charged from 80-100%, enough to start the customer's car and get them on their way.

 

[MinamiKotaro]

When did they ever not come charged?

edit: Not trying to be a [censored], I'm honestly curious if batteries used to come uncharged.

 

[kb27]

I sell lead-acid batteries, I make sure they are all fully charged.
A discharged battery can get sulfated, if they are allowed to sit for long period.
My suppliers would also make sure they are recharged every 3 months, if not sold.