Here we go again. The battery I got at NAPA (not sure if it was Interstate or not) was made by East Penn. East Penn is a major manufacturer and now NAPA is not having problems with their batteries since going to East Penn. I don’t know who made the Delco battery I bought a couple months ago but have had good luck with it. Can’t remember what color it is-either blue or silver. The Acura battery was made by Johnson Controls and only lasted 3 1/2 years. I don’t buy Walmart anymore. The last one was dead in one year and they hassled on the replacement. Others I’ve had never made it past three years. So I wouldn’t be afraid of East Penn or Delco but the best you can do is test them once in a while so you can replace them before they fail. I now have a tester.
By ‘breaking it good’.
I don’t need to re-read the post, @VDCdriver. The OP has a Kirkland battery in the car and can compare it to the new Interstate battery. If the battery case looks identical, chances are that they are the same battery, just relabeled. He could take a picture of the Interstate with his smart phone at the store from a few angles and compare it to the battery in the car.
The NAPA battery I bought last fall was made in South Korea.
But would you like the erratic way they exercise their power?
No worry, it’ll just explode!
I seem to remember that Interstate batteries have a white case with a green top . . . ?
And Kirkland Signature batteries had a black case
If I were correct, that would mean Kirkland Signature batteries are not relabeled interstate batteries
But I’m well aware of the fact that Johnson Controls makes a LOT of batteries, which are not sold under their own name. So it’s entirely possible, perhaps even likely, that both brands are made by Johnson Controls
I checked my recent purchase (8/2015) from Costco; it is interstate with black case and has a 48 month warranty.
As far as the “off Topic” credits up here, someone really lacks any sense of humor.
Interstate labeled batteries come with white or black cases depending on the product.
The last time that I looked in the back of the Interstate truck I saw black case batteries labeled Honda, Acura, Volvo and Lexus. OEM replacement batteries share the same case but may not have the same contents.
Identifying the case does not indicate if two batteries are alike. From my experience Mopar and Lexus replacement batteries (both supplied by the Interstate distributor) have the same case failures, they crack near the positive post. The performance failures are different, the Mopar batteries fail like a light bulb, open circuit. This results in the vehicle being towed in as the charging system voltage is unstable causing the vehicle to stall. The Lexus battery will go dead over night but can be jump started and recharged allowing a few hours of driving and the ability to restart. Both battery failure examples occur between 18 and 24 months in a hot weather driving environment, there is no difference in life span.
The point is a case is a case, what is inside makes a difference. Each manufacture and retailer has its specifications.
Yes, the now-discontinued Kirkland batteries were manufactured by Johnson Controls.
Nevada makes good points above–as usual. True, there are only a few battery manufacturers but that really has nothing to do with the quality of different brands. Each end seller will have their own specifications and requirements from the factory. Just because three different brands may be manufactured by Johnson Controls doesn’t mean they’ll all be of the same quality and have the same lifespan.
Personally, my experience with Interstate batteries was not very good and I quit using/selling them years ago.
Reminds me of the post here a few days ago about all gas being the same because it comes from the same refinery.
Does that mean that your chicken dinner and my pork chops taste the same because they were made in the same kitchen?
Does that mean that the Corvette and the Citation were of the same quality because they were both built by Chevrolet?
@asemaster - you are making important point here.
My way of saying, there is no more “Made in …” but “Made for …” is what counts.
When I said this, someone responded saying - yeah BMW is being made in the US.
So which battery should I get going forward? I know @George_San_Jose stated it matters on the size of the battery per Consumer reports - any others?
Also some people pointed on fixing - this is a good idea because new products seems to have more issues than oldies. So how to fix - slow charging?
I apologize for the super noob question, but how do you fully charge the battery? If it’s an external charger of some kind, can you give some suggestions that won’t break the bank?
Consider a battery maintainer; some have desulfate function. Your local Costco may carry one.
Costco only has non-desulfating chargers, but Amazon has a decent selection.
This has essentially nothing to do with recent glomming-on to this thread, but to return to the original theme of this thread, I can report that–for at least the past 12 months–Costco has ceased having Johnson Controls manufacture batteries that are branded as “Kirkland” batteries. Instead, all of the batteries sold at Costco are now branded as “Interstate” batteries.
Is there a substantive difference, subsequent to this rebranding?
Probably not, but for those who are hung-up on the brand name on a battery’s case, perhaps this reality can…finally…put this thread to rest.
Sorry, not quite to rest. I just came from a Costco on Vancouver Island, and the batteries are branded as Kirkland Signature, with 36 month replacement warranty and 100 month limited warranty. They say “Lifecycle Technology for maximum life” on the label. Obviously things are different outside of the US.