I need a new battery my old lasted 11 yrs, don’t expect same luck. Was looking at two brands Interstate from Costco ( 1 hr drive) and Exide from battery shop (20 minute drive. While researching found both are manufactured by same company and reviews are split 50/50 between 1 and 5 stars from online. Need the old style since I don’t have any power features.
Tester
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Compare warranties. Also, while it’s an hour away, Costco keeps your record date of purchase and calculates your warranty - no need to hold on to paperwork and it’s honored anywhere there’s a Costco.
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Agreed on Costco.
I buy all my car batteries from Walmart. Their prices are generally lower than anyone else…but the main reason is if the battery goes bad, I can get it replaced under warranty at any Walmart.
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Not sure what that means . Most battery places will have an online chart . You enter your vehicle and year , it will show what fits . Most Autozone stores will sell you one and replace it for free . Since there only 3 or 4 battery manufactures the size and CCA is all you need to know.
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I use to buy my batteries from Sears. We no longer have a Sears anywhere near here. Sears would always have one of their Diehards on sale and it was tough to beat the sale price. Only a handful of battery manufacturers that are sold under many different names.
The Consumer Reports link above reinforces a common misunderstanding that AGM batteries are not lead-acid.
They are.
The “maintenance-free” and “regular” types are both flooded batteries.
All are lead acid.
p.s. I would expect a publication that claims to be a (somewhat) scientific reference would use the proper terminology, not the popular.
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Last time I bought a battery there was only one type. When looking this time there were 2: one more for newer heavy electric use and one more for just starting a car. I just need to start car dont have car full of latest electronics.
Where are you getting this info ? What is this mystery vehicle ? Most of us want the best and strongest battery we can afford especially if cold weather is involved.
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Then you want “maintenance-free”.
Either the Costco or the Exide should be up to the task. I find Consumer Reports is pretty good advice for these sorts of decisions, so if in doubt, pretty good chance of good results if you go with what they say.
I’ve purchased batteries from Costco and from Walmart, good results with both sources. Last time was Walmart, they had two choices, $100 or $50 version. I bought the $50 version, no complaints 4 years later.
Exide corporation – according to the author of Car Guys vs Bean Counters — is a major supplier of batteries for automobile manufacturers. The author was in charge of Exide in between major car company jobs. So I expect an Exide branded car battery would be a good choice.
The battery has nothing to do with the number of electronics a vehicle has.
The alternator output is responsible for that.
Tester
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OP , other than the age of your current battery, why do you think you need a new one? Engine not cranking reliably?
One would assume the 11 year-old battery finally died.
Tester
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For me, convenience is the answer. Only a couple of companies manufacture batteries, I am not too concerned what the name on the sticker says.
And these battery manufactures only offer one level of quality for all of their distributers?
I’m partial to delco myself but suit yourself. I tend to put a new one in at four years though or at the first indication that it is losing power.
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I bought my 2012 Camry in 2011 so it is 11 years old now. No signs of weakness and it sits outside in a Buffalo
NY suburb. Gets a short drive about once a week.
I suspect Johnson Controls and Exide do manufacturer different quality levels for their customers. Just as they manufacture different capacity and warranties lengths for each size group.
But I have been satisfied with batteries from big box store brands.
If replacing batter on a DIY basis, big box is fine, I go by battery capacity and length of warranty.
Both my vehicles have Motorcraft Stickers on them. Why, convenience. Drop the vehicle off for oil change, tire rotation, new battery, which I replace, as a preventative measure, every 3-5 years. Get the free shuttle home, picked up when service is completed.
Calcium lead batteries are , on % material, lead batteries however they are shite…do not hold up anywhere near as well when left standing, deep cycling and duringcharging. Try to get an old style lead acid…not a calcium.