Auto Zone battery died. It was only 7 years old.

[markba633csi]

I miss JC Penney- they had some good deals

 

[derf]

Glad you have better luck than me on Auto zone batteries. I've went through 3 in the last 3 years, to the point they would not honor the 3 year warranty. I got an AC Delco to replace it and it was the same size, but was 5 lbs, heavier. I know and have had the discussion with lots of mechanics, and they have all said the same thing......AC Delco or Diehard. The rest are junk.

 

[nobog]

Ram Diesel was cranking slow this spring. removing them, one of the two batteries would not take a charge.

Checking the Date code on the Napa battery was 6 /08 ... Almost 16 years, my maintenance check .has been lacking.

Only other battery that was that long lived for me was an Original JC Penny battery.

I must of installed 1000's of those back in the day. Still have my JC Penny tool box and many of the tools I still use are JC Penny brand. Fond memories ....

 

[David2011]

The number of reports of batteries lasting well beyond their warranty is encouraging. When I was young they often died before the expiration date. Often the warranty prorated cost was the same as the price of purchasing it outright.

Speaking of warranties: In the’70s I put French tires on my car because they performed exceptionally well on wet roads; a frequent condition in Houston. One of them developed a big bump where the belts separated. The warranty prorated price was based on the manufacturer’s suggested retail price rather than the current selling price. The warranty price would have been higher than an outright purchase.

 

[projectnut]

I've had fairly good success with Duracell batteries from Batteries Plus. The one in the Jeep is 5 years old, the one in the end loader is 6 years old, and the one in the JD 445 is 6 years old. All seem to be working well and easily pass a load test.

I'm especially pleased with the one in the JD. I had been using Die Hard and no name batteries from the local farm store. The longest any of them lasted was 2 years. They aren't all that expensive, but it's a real PITA to have to run out and buy one when the tractor refuses to start.

 

[mmcmdl]

For me, the price of being stranded and having to call for help far exceeds the cost of quality parts. I suspect when I need to replace the ones I have now it’ll be $600.

At least ! Love my 250 diesel but the maintenance sure is expensive even with me doing it myself .

 

[projectnut]

Think I put the Decca batteries I have in my F250 in when I still had my shop in Michigan. I was a dealer for them then so paid wholesale but I don’t remember how much it was. I sold the shop in 2014 so before then.

Thing I learned about my deisel is it needs two strong batteries and good connections. I wore out the original cables and had to replace them, definitely worth the effort.

For me, the price of being stranded and having to call for help far exceeds the cost of quality parts. I suspect when I need to replace the ones I have now it’ll be $600. Good thing about an old, heavy duty truck though is all the parts are heavy duty so they last a long time.

John

The single AGM replacement battery for my Ford Expedition now runs $399.95. Ouch

 

[Pevehouse]

The last couple of times I moved my truck in the driveway it cranked very slowly. I had to think long and hard to remember when I bought it. When I finally remembered I realized that it was after dark in Odessa, Texas in late 2016. Not bad for a battery that had a 3 year warranty. It was an easy decision to go back to Auto Zone. Fortunately, I looked up the price before going to the store. I might have passed out or had a stroke. The last battery was somewhere around $130 and that was a surprise at the time. The battery that I bought today was $215 before taxes. Same battery as the last one.

Same goes for just about every brand of battery made. Gif your around the market enough you see one out of every 10 or so that lasts that long but on average about 4 years is it

 

[Pevehouse]

Same goes for just about every brand of battery made. Gif your around the market enough you see one out of every 10 or so that lasts that long but on average about 4 years is it

Got to also take into account the climate, how the vehicle is used and the battery cables maintained, how many amps the starter draws as well as the condition of the charging system as a whole

 

[Pevehouse]

Glad you have better luck than me on Auto zone batteries. I've went through 3 in the last 3 years, to the point they would not honor the 3 year warranty. I got an AC Delco to replace it and it was the same size, but was 5 lbs, heavier. I know and have had the discussion with lots of mechanics, and they have all said the same thing......AC Delco or Diehard. The rest are junk.

Interstate makes a good one also