I know a guy from North Dakota and he told me that he would never use the Wal-Mart Everstart. He calls them “Neverstart”. I guess it gets really cold there and having a good battery is extremely important. My experience with the value ones is that they die right after the one year warranty with no pro-rate. The good thing about the premium ones is that they seem to always die before the 3 year free replacement is up.
The vehicle with the Everstart is a 2000 Chevy S-10 with the 4.3L. It takes a group size 75 and I am considering paying a little more and upgrading to the largest battery that will fit next time. It looks like I could go an inch or two wider and I saw batteries slightly larger the last time I had to replace one. I will measure next time to see how much extra clearance I have.
@missleman - You like Interstate…but you don’t like Diehard. They are both made by the same manufacture - Johnson Controls. They are identical batteries…with the exception of the Label.
I’ve never had a problem any battery I ever bought. I’ve been buying Diehards for a while now because they always seem to have one on sale when I need one. And their sale prices are hard to beat.
The best deal is the Kirkland battery from Costco which is the same as the Sears Diehard, but fior just over half the price. We’ ve had very good luck with Kirkland batteries.,
“The best deal is the Kirkland battery from Costco which is the same as the Sears Diehard, but for just over half the price. We’ e had very good luck with Kirkland batteries.”
I agree, but Costco does not install batteries, so if the OP is not a DIY person, Costco’s excellent value/excellent quality batteries are not an option.
@MikeInNH…both brands may be made made by the same manufacturer but I highly doubt that they are “identical.” My avoidance of DieEasy batteries comes from a era when they were sold at Sears…maybe they still are. They had a deserved reputation for failing at an early age. They may be good batteries now…but once I leave a brand, I never go back. Besides…I’ve never had a failure of an Interstate battery and that’s good enough for me.
both brands may be made made by the same manufacturer but I highly doubt that they are "identical."
I’d be extremely surprised if they are NOT. It’s much cheaper to make a battery the exact same way and put a different labels on it…then to make different batteries with different labels. Companies look for the highest possible profit.
As for earlier Diehard batteries…Sorry but you are wrong. Earlier Diehard batteries had one of the best if not THEE BEST reputation for battery replacements. 30 years ago if you took a battery to a salvage yard…they’d give you $5 for the car battery…but a diehard they’d give you $8. The diehards had more material in the plates which meant they lasted a lot longer.
So there you are folks, buy Delco, Interstate, Die Hard, Everstart. Some say they are good, some say they are bad. All made the same by a couple manufacturers? Kinda like tire ratings.
Now does anyone really know or are you just like me and had bad luck with Walmart and good luck with OEM? I’ll admit I don’t know, except the last two batteries I bought were Delco except for the lawn mower at the farm store.
@MikeInNH…I’ll just counter with this tidbit…salvage yards in my area would not accept DieHard batteries for as long as I can remember. The green eye would still be glowing but the batteries would be as dead as a doornail. It must be a regional thing.
salvage yards in my area would not accept DieHard batteries for as long as I can remember. The green eye would still be glowing but the batteries would be as dead as a doornail.
Why would a salvage yard care about if the battery is dead or not? They are only looking at the battery for it’s raw materials.
to the best of my knowlage there are 3 different companys making batteries out there Exide, Johnson controls, and East Penn. they all try to make a top shelf product but ever once inwhile you will get a bad one on the shelf it happens , rember you get what you pay for
@MikeInNH…take a trip to the southeast sometime. We do things differently down here. When a salvage yard buys batteries…they check them to see if they are serviceable. If they are they sell them as such. You make a lot more from a working battery than from the scrap value. Many years ago I used to buy my batteries from a salvage yard and I avoided the DieEasy brand back then. We used to look for Exide batteries because they seem to hold up quite well. Down here…the DieHard brand is still a joke. They may or may not deserve the reputation…but they are still looked upon as garbage.
I will be getting a group 78 next go around. This battery is starting fine but not with the gusto I would hope for. Maybe I should take a look at my starter if this continues. Or maybe it is the “Neverstart” battery.
In Missouri, you get like $12 when you take a battery in as the core return on a new one so I like to hold onto one or two old batteries as turn in units. This seems to still be better than the scrap value at a recycling yard. I have hauled in a few loads of junk and always like to checkout what they pay for various things. Unfortunately they pay enough that the druggies like to drive around and look for farm equipment or county road equipment just sitting around and snag the batteries. They will take the battery cables or any other metal pieces that are easy to remove if they have time and the stuff isn’t visible to a nearby road or residence. Most recycling yards pay by weight and I didn’t think the brand of battery really mattered. If one has more lead, it will weigh more and they will pay more.
I am still not convinced that although there are three main battery makers, they don’t have various lines for various retailers. I see products made to the desires of certain retailers all too often. For example, I work on computers and see the ones from Wal-Mart tend to have specific model numbers just for that store. Other stores do much the same but the ones from Wal-Mart tend to be slower than crap and not hold up well. They are price point products. The only reason to buy one is because is the cheapest one in town.
I happen to have a Husqvarna riding mower that I purchased used. It is a Lowes model and clearly has stickers stating so on the body of the mower. I know a guy who works on mowers and says that the Husqvarna mowers sold at Lowes are totally different from the ones sold at the farm store. He says that the deck/body are made of a thinner gage metal and that a lower grade engine is used on the Lowes models. Mine has the Kohler Courage engine while the farm store models use the Kohler Command engine. The Courage is the consumer grade engine and is made in China. The Command is the more pro version and was still made in the USA as of the last time I looked. The Courage has been working fine for me so far but I have been taking care of it with frequent oil changes of synthetic oil. The fellow I know who works on mowers says that the Courage will run great until one of the rods comes through the block. He sees problems with burned valves, the plastic timing gears coming undone, rods randomly coming through the block, flywheel magnets separating from the flywheel, and so on. Although I haven’t had a failure yet, he tells me to just be ready to purchase a new or used Command engine to replace this one when it lets go. Obviously both Husqvarna and Kohler are making price point models to appeal to the masses as well as more professional grade models that are sold at farm stores and such. Sure, you can have something with the same label that is totally different or something with a different label that is essentially the same. I see much the same with an HP computer sold at Wal-Mart vs. an office supply store. They are totally different models that look the same on the outside.
There is a local reseller that is notorious for bad batteries and has been for years. I have had a battery from them with a short life, my father did 25 years ago, my gf made the mistake of purchasing a battery there when she was in a pinch (and had 2 warranty replacements over 4 years) I don’t know who manufactures their batteries or if they are just mistreated somehow. (I won’t mention them by name)
There’s another local company that specializes in batteries and accessories. (Battery Wholesale–apparently not affiliated with the company in Georgetown, TX to my knowledge) I have had very good luck with their batteries–the last one I had from them lasted over 8 years and was still starting my car when it was replaced. Near as I can tell, their batteries are rebadged “Deka” batteries.
So yes, I would definitely say some are better than others. Here is a list of world battery manufacturers and aliases. It’s a little hard to parse, but interesting info:
Buying expensive batteries by brand name and always expecting them to be better then cheaper brands is like buying a more expensive hi fi speaker and always expecting it to be better then a cheaper one. The better batteries have little to do with price. Even the cheapest of old tech lead acid batteries are big money makers. The big scam is that the difference in price is often determined by what label they slap on the batteries coming off the same assembly line. It’s tougher still when a "brand " will change manufacturers.
“I am still not convinced that although there are three main battery makers, they don’t have various lines for various retailers. I see products made to the desires of certain retailers all too often. For example, I work on computers and see the ones from Wal-Mart tend to have specific model numbers just for that store.”
I agree. Saying all batteries must be about the same quality because they come from the same manufacturer would be like saying all Chevrolets must be about the same quality because the come from the same carmaker. Remember, the same people that made the Camaro and Corvette made the Chevette and Citation.
We will see how long it actually lasts but the most recent battery purchase was from Costco When my dad ignored the dealer telling him that the battery was on it’s last legs after six years and had to use his jump starter. He could have walked over to Wal-Mart or a chain auto parts store next to where he was but preferred the better service of the local Costco. Exide and Diehard have lasted equally as long for us (6-8 years on average) The Optima batteries are a different type than the regular lead acid batteries from parts stores. Gel Cell so they can take more vibration and be mounted just about anywhere.
It sounds like a couple years ago, Walmart gave their battery contract to Johnson, but they couldn’t handle the production so had them made in China instead. So Johnson may be the distributor but not the manufacturer. Another guy claimed that the 6 year Delco was good but he wouldn’t install the 5 year. I dunno whether blue or red but my Delco replacement battery was the exact same thing as the original GM battery, just labeled professional.
I guess I’m not going to lose sleep over it. Just hope it holds up at the airport next week.
I’m on my tenth year of the OEM Panasonic brand battery. I assume they made it but who knows in this age ? What are my chances I can get a replacement battery that is just as reliable around here regardless of who makes it ? I had it tested the other day while picking p parts for another project, just to make sure everything was OK and give the guy behind the counter something to do. The guy said he couldn’t get any results because the battery was too weak to give a signal. Good grief ! What people won’t say to make a sale. I reminded him that I did drive it there, it did start this morning and it was 7 degrees. Two weeks before, the truck sat for nearly a week and started up like summer when it was -10 degrees Fahrenheit. Too weak to give a signal ? He said, " we really need to take the battery out and load test it. " to which I replied, “it’s already has been load tested by mother nature”
The only thing bigger then the scam that batteries need frequent replacement at very high costs, are the guys who falsify or lie about the battery testing results. In my cynical way, I can see them saying and doing anything to sell a crappy battery that will fail in two years and sell me another battery I don’t need. Maybe the mice who occasionally make a home inside are helping crank the truck as a sign of good faith and continued assurance they will have a warm home. Whatever, there will be no new battery bought this year. And I have been saying this for the last five.