costco battery, warrantying a battery

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Anyone warranty one of the newer batteries?

So long the lancer we have doesn't get driving much, once a week or so. I bought a new battery 11/2015 according to sticker on the battery. If i can recall costco has a 4 year battery warranty. If i bring this in do you know how the process is?

Am i prorated for the cost? Do they give me a new battery without testing the old one? Does the 4 year warranty reset?


I recall when i bought a battery from sam's club. It was about 6 months in and i always needed to jump the car. So i brought it in and they told me it tested fine. I told the kid, its because i drove the car here and my alternator was charging it. But it didn't work so i drove it back home. Uninstalled it and bought it back to them after like 24 hours showing that it was at 10v. Then they gave me a new one. It was rather annoying. And they told me the 3 year warranty would not reset so i only had 2.5 years on that new one.

I'll find out tomorrow when i pull the battery and bring it to costco. I dont think costco does battery installs, only tires.
 
I'd hate to be a battery retailer.

What other product can be abused and killed prematurely, intentionally or not, and be replaced for free?

Imagine going back to your new car dealer after driving the year old car into a lake and demanding a new one, and getting one.

Not much difference, but that the car was obviously driven into a lake. The battery cannot tell the retailer it was murdered by chronic undercharging. Poor thing, have a heart you cruel cruel human! ;0

A lead acid battery wants to be at 100% charge the whole time to be happy and long lived. The lower it is drawn and the longer it is held below full charge, the faster it loses capacity and the ability to start your engine.

Also when partially compromised, it also gets harder and harder to fully charge, if that attempt is ever made.

The battery retailer is gambling the battery will last at least a good portion of the warranty period, but today's cars and their higher parasitic draws draw the battery deeper between drives, and some vehicles will allow lesser voltages to reduce load on engine and thus achieve better MPG ratings, at the expense of the battery.

If you find warrantying a battery to be a Pain in the keester and eventually more expensive, then acquire a smart charger and plug in overnight once in a while to get the battery up at least near as fully charged as possible.

If you do then you can be one of those people who claim 7+ year battery life.
 
You should not be going through batteries like that and having to warranty them... Something else is amiss in your maintenance and/or vehicle. Purchase a better battery?

My truck gets driven on average twice a month. It still has the same battery that was in it when I bought it three years ago. No top-ups, maintainer, etc. Just works.
 
A lancer will have much higher parasitic draws than a 1985 Ford Pickup with door locks, engine computer, ect.

New cars rarely driven need the regular top up, as it might only take 6 weeks to deplete a healthy battery to sub 11 volts with all the electrics sucking juice with engine off. That is pure battery torture, especially if the battery is only jumpstarted and not put on a charger overnight.

Hard on the alternator too.
 
I am one of those people that claim 7+ battery life
smile.gif
The OEM Delco battery in my 2006 Saturn lasted 9+ years. I have had 4 or 5 Optima Red Top batteries: only one ever failed and it was 11 years old. I feel very sorry for the Red Top in my Suburban- I rarely drive it, the battery is constantly drained: for whatever reason that truck as a high parasitic drain and will empty a battery in 2-3 weeks. The battery was made in 2004: I charge it every two weeks with my Battery Tender.

The batteries in my boat only tend to last 5 years though.
 
Costco does not install batteries.Bring your old battery to the membership dept and if it is with in the warranty period they will give you a new one,no testing or questions ask!
 
Originally Posted By: oilmutt
Costco does not install batteries.Bring your old battery to the membership dept and if it is with in the warranty period they will give you a new one,no testing or questions ask!


Even better, according to what I was told when I bought one last year, they just refund the original cost of the purchase. You don't even have to buy another one from them and can spend it somewhere else.

To me, much preferable to a credit from a long prorated warranty that's gonna lock you into the purchase of another potentially lame battery.
 
heat is the biggest killer of battery life. Here in the south, you can only expect 3 years at best. Warrantees are a lot shorter too.
 
Originally Posted By: wrcsixeight
I'd hate to be a battery retailer.

What other product can be abused and killed prematurely, intentionally or not, and be replaced for free?

Imagine going back to your new car dealer after driving the year old car into a lake and demanding a new one, and getting one.

Not much difference, but that the car was obviously driven into a lake. The battery cannot tell the retailer it was murdered by chronic undercharging. Poor thing, have a heart you cruel cruel human! ;0

A lead acid battery wants to be at 100% charge the whole time to be happy and long lived. The lower it is drawn and the longer it is held below full charge, the faster it loses capacity and the ability to start your engine.

Also when partially compromised, it also gets harder and harder to fully charge, if that attempt is ever made.

The battery retailer is gambling the battery will last at least a good portion of the warranty period, but today's cars and their higher parasitic draws draw the battery deeper between drives, and some vehicles will allow lesser voltages to reduce load on engine and thus achieve better MPG ratings, at the expense of the battery.

If you find warrantying a battery to be a Pain in the keester and eventually more expensive, then acquire a smart charger and plug in overnight once in a while to get the battery up at least near as fully charged as possible.

If you do then you can be one of those people who claim 7+ year battery life.



+1
 
Originally Posted By: oilmutt
Costco does not install batteries.Bring your old battery to the membership dept and if it is with in the warranty period they will give you a new one,no testing or questions ask!



Originally Posted By: Nate1979
Costco batteries (Interstate) are 42 months, full refund, no prorated period.



Thats exactly what they told me when i brought the battery back in.

The lancer is about to be sold/given away. Sadly its the worst car in the fleet.

The car is parked on the streets so no way to trickle charge it. Thanks guys. Costco gave me no issues at all exchanging it.
 
Originally Posted By: bowlofturtle
Originally Posted By: oilmutt
Costco does not install batteries.Bring your old battery to the membership dept and if it is with in the warranty period they will give you a new one,no testing or questions ask!



Originally Posted By: Nate1979
Costco batteries (Interstate) are 42 months, full refund, no prorated period.



Thats exactly what they told me when i brought the battery back in.

The lancer is about to be sold/given away. Sadly its the worst car in the fleet.

The car is parked on the streets so no way to trickle charge it. Thanks guys. Costco gave me no issues at all exchanging it.


I have never returned a battery to Costco. I'm curious, Did they test it or just take your word for it?
 
Originally Posted By: Nate1979
Originally Posted By: bowlofturtle
Originally Posted By: oilmutt
Costco does not install batteries.Bring your old battery to the membership dept and if it is with in the warranty period they will give you a new one,no testing or questions ask!



Originally Posted By: Nate1979
Costco batteries (Interstate) are 42 months, full refund, no prorated period.



Thats exactly what they told me when i brought the battery back in.

The lancer is about to be sold/given away. Sadly its the worst car in the fleet.

The car is parked on the streets so no way to trickle charge it. Thanks guys. Costco gave me no issues at all exchanging it.


I have never returned a battery to Costco. I'm curious, Did they test it or just take your word for it?



They looked at my receipt and took my word for it. I walked out with a new battery. THey told me, had i lost the receipt they can still pull up the records in the database but it might take a little longer because it would be thru CS.
 
Motorcraft still offers batteries with a 84 month pro rata warranty. I think they have three year free replacement on top of that.

More than fair.

If you have a garage and a problem application it seems worthwhile to rotate the vehicle in there and float charge it every couple of weeks.
 
Originally Posted By: bowlofturtle
THey told me, had i lost the receipt they can still pull up the records in the database but it might take a little longer because it would be thru CS.

I've returned clothes with no receipt. Since you have to have a membership card to shop there, they automatically have record of all your purchases.

Originally Posted By: Burt
heat is the biggest killer of battery life. Here in the south, you can only expect 3 years at best. Warrantees are a lot shorter too.

I've heard this, but it doesn't seem to be true. Almost always have them fail on a cold morning during winter, except for a strange one where I parked the car, went into a store, and when I came back outside, had no electrical power whatsoever. Wouldn't even jump. New battery fixed it right up.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: Anduril

I've heard this, but it doesn't seem to be true. Almost always have them fail on a cold morning during winter, except for a strange one where I parked the car, went into a store, and when I came back outside, had no electrical power whatsoever. Wouldn't even jump. New battery fixed it right up.


It is true, plenty of data and studies show otherwise regardless of your anecdotal personal experience. More batteries are replaced in July than in January.
 
Originally Posted By: Hootbro
Originally Posted By: Anduril

I've heard this, but it doesn't seem to be true. Almost always have them fail on a cold morning during winter, except for a strange one where I parked the car, went into a store, and when I came back outside, had no electrical power whatsoever. Wouldn't even jump. New battery fixed it right up.


It is true, plenty of data and studies show otherwise regardless of your anecdotal personal experience. More batteries are replaced in July than in January.


A worn battery may not work well when it's cold, but that's temporary. Cold weather doesn't cause permanent battery capacity loss. The heat does. Of course there are a lot of factors that go into battery life.
 
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