I had bad luck with Kragen auto batteries that I moved to Kirkland and been using them. A Costco branch I went to said that they only have Interstate 42 months warranty batteries - Kirkland used to be 100 months warranty. On a hindsight, you would think that batteries are getting better but …?
Are Interstate 42 month batt. good replacement for Kirkland? Are there any other better batt brands or supplies I should consider? Thanks
"Interstate batteries have replaced the Kirkland branded car batteries at your local Costco," ConsumerPete.com reports. Car owners all over the Internet confirm (and lament) the change. However, others wonder whether there’s really much difference: Both Interstate and the late Kirkland batteries are made by Johnson Controls.
Yes, “Kirkland” is Costco’s “house” brand label. Kirkland doesn’t actually make batteries…or much of anything else, really. To know enough to make a decision, you’d need to know the actual maker of the batteries, which (apparently) hasn’t changed. This could just be a label swap. (Bummer about the warranty, though.)
Johnson Controls has the automotive market cornered with over 33% of the world market. I’m not sure that there is a lot of incentive to make large improvements in automotive batteries. It’s a very mature market anyway.
It should be easy to tell if the Kirkland batteries are just relabeled as Interstate. Just look at them. If they are identical and the specs are the same, then it is a good bet that they just changed the name. I know it often isn’t quite that simple, but it could be in this case.
Anybody knows about Walmart’s EverStart Maxx Lead Acid batt? It has 5yr warranty - ie 18 months more than Costco
I’ve used them (EverStart Max), worked fine for me.
I have bought the Kirkland and it did not last 3 years. I am in CA desert so it might have to do with the heat. The good thing about Costco is their return policy. You can return it within the warranty period and no questions asked, no testing. The new battery is going to cost more this time due to inflation, but you still save some.
I have used the Walmart brand too, when I was in New England and had no problems with that one. The battery outlasted the car, so not sure about the return policy :neutral:
“It should be easy to tell if the Kirkland batteries are just relabeled as Interstate. Just look at them.”
That’s not possible, as they no longer exist.
When they did exist, they were identical. Trust me…I did check before I bought the less-expensive, identical Kirkland batteries.
Re-read what the OP posted, as it is accurate regarding Costco’s elimination of Kirkland-brand batteries and the subsequent sale of only Interstate-brand batteries, albeit with a shorter warranty.
@sciconf: “Anybody knows about Walmart’s EverStart Maxx Lead Acid batt? It has 5yr warranty - ie 18 months more than Costco”
@texases : “I’ve used them (EverStart Max), worked fine for me.”
Since I own 7 cars I know about batteries (buying and using them). Many of my cars are parked for half a year at a time.
I shop for lots of cranking amps, warranty, and price. The car battery warranties have gotten a little stingier as time goes on, but the Wal-Mart Ever-Start Maxx batteries (northern version) have given me very good service over many years. They have amp and cold crank amps exceeding OE requirements. Consumer Reports rates them highly. Price and availability is very good.
Lately the warranty is 3 years Free replacement + 2 years prorated.
I also have had good results with Sears Die-Hard Gold. My Bonneville takes a special battery that isn’t available as a Maxx, so I got a Die-Hard Gold, 1000 amps, 800 cold cranking amps, and a good warranty!
I usually replace batteries at 5 or 6 years and have never had to warranty one. When they retire they are relegated to boat or tractor detail. I usually keep 1 or 2 spares charged up to jump start friends’ or relatives’ cars or to gift to somebody stranded.
CSA
Walmart Everstart Maxx are the top rated one by Consumer Reports for most sizes.
Note: this does not include Walmart’s cheaper batteries.
CCA Cold cranking amps is how I compare batteries. That is my true indicator of initial battery quality. Brands have not made much of a difference in my experience.
@common sense answer
Thanks for mentioning DieHard - it says 18months free replacement warranty. Do they have pro-rated warranty?
Here’s the three major battery manufacturer’s that make the different brands of battery’s.
When it comes to looking for a replacement battery, the first to check is the date code on the battery. This is a letter followed by numbers. So for example a battery made in January of this year would be an A16 code. And a battery made this month would have a D16 code.
If the battery is more than three months old, it can begin to sulfate from sitting on the shelf. And unless you have access to a battery charger with removes sulfation, don’t expect long battery life.
The next thing to check is the Cold Cranking Amp’s the battery is able to provide. This determines how long the battery will attempt to try to operate the starter at zero degrees. And if there’s a wind chill of -30 degrees, this feature could save your life.
The next to check is the reserve capacity of the battery. This indicates in minutes how long the battery will operate the electrical system in a vehicle if the charging system were to fail. This rating depends on if wipers/headlights are on for the driving conditions. But what reserve capacity is also good for is, for modern vehicles with all the modules/computers that have Keep Alive/Program memories, a higher reserve capacity can prevent the battery from going flat if the vehicle sits for long periods of time.
I learned all this from an engineer I worked with who use to work at Gould Battery.
Tester
I buy batteries by cold cranking amperes and not brand. I have heard that one battery plant may turn out batteries under different brand names. A plant on one part of the nation that makes Brand X batteries mau, also manufacture Brand Y. In another part of the nation a Brand Z plant may also manufacture Brand X as well. as Brand Z. This is.done to save shipping costs. Batteries are dense so it doesn’t take many batteries to have considerable weight.
One thing that I consider important is, the date a battery was manufactured. I want a,fresh battery. WalMart has a high turnover, so I often make my battery purchases there.
“One thing that I consider important is, the date a battery was manufactured. I want a,fresh battery. WalMart has a high turnover, so I often make my battery purchases there.”
Wal-Mart batteries (manufactured by Johnson Controls, I believe, a leading battery manufacturer), have little month/year stickers on them. Their batteries usually have the current month and year or the previous month on them. They are usually very fresh. The dust on top of some other sellers’ batteries speaks for the lack of turn-over.
I like that there are Wal-Mart stores all over the place and open on week-ends if a warranted battery fails.
CSA
Yep ,gotta give Ol’ WW a few points for convenience,because of the markup ,I find that the major auto parts stores can be the last place I want to buy a battery ,as always ,fully charge the new battery before putting it in service .
No experience with the new Costco battery brand, but I’ve used their Kirkland batteries for years in both my Ford truck and Corolla and had excellent results in both. Consumer Reports has a battery rating report they publish once a year or so, and in the last one I think they said which battery brands was best depended on what group-size of battery your car used. Kirkland was best for certain groups, but other brands topped the list for other groups. Suggest to read that report before purchasing a new battery.
Motor oil, gasoline, and batteries: If the motor oil meets the specifications for s,specific car, if the gasoline meets the octane requirements and the battery is the right size group, has,sufficient CCA ,for the region and has a recent date of manufacture, I don’t think the brand makes any difference for oil, gasoline or the battery…
I’ve used Wal Mart batteries for years (currently have at least 2 cars with WM batteries in them) and have only had a few failures. That’s not bad over 20 or so years with multiple vehicles.
My only gripe about Wal Mart is that when I have had a battery problem under warranty it’s been very difficult to convince the morons in the automotive center that the battery is actually bad.
They always come up with this “our conductance tester shows it’s good and only needs a charge’” BS.
They simply don’t get it when I tell them it’s been on the charger several times and goes stone dead inside of 4 hours while it’s sitting on the bench. This is usually followed by inane “maybe your starter/alternator/ignition switch/ is bad or the car has a short” idiocy.
“Sitting on the bench” doesn’t soak in…
Whenever there’s a battery problem under warranty anymore I just go ahead and save a trip by “fixing” that battery rather than wrestle the greasy pig that is the automotive center.