Car batteries: Walmart any good?
m...@privacy.net
Strange, I've never had a car battery die in the
summer. Its always been the winter when low temps and
load is present.
Anyway..... I bought a replacement battery from
Walmart cause it was an emergency (no time to shop
around).
Are their batteries any good?
What brand/model car battery IS good?
ra...@vt.edu
> Anyway..... I bought a replacement battery from
> Walmart cause it was an emergency (no time to shop
> around).
> Are their batteries any good?
> What brand/model car battery IS good?
Car batteries are like personal computers. They are
commondities and one is pretty much the same as another
if they have the same CCA and AmpHour specs. There are
really only 2 or 3 companies that actually make lead-acid
batteries and the technology is pretty much as mature
as it gets.
I know there will be a bunch of people in here claiming
this brand or that is far superior. I don't buy it. They
all last about 5 or 6 years, with some exceptions, and
the cheapest you can buy (assuming same specs) will work
the same and last as long as the most expensive.
Just my opinion, of course.
Bill Ranck
Blacksburg, Va.
m...@privacy.net
>Car batteries are like personal computers. They are
>commondities and one is pretty much the same as another
>if they have the same CCA and AmpHour specs. There are
>really only 2 or 3 companies that actually make lead-acid
>batteries and the technology is pretty much as mature
>as it gets.
Understood. It says the Exide made the Walmart battery
I bought. Well Exide distributed it anyway
>I know there will be a bunch of people in here claiming
>this brand or that is far superior. I don't buy it. They
>all last about 5 or 6 years, with some exceptions, and
>the cheapest you can buy (assuming same specs) will work
>the same and last as long as the most expensive.
I cant seem to get any more than 3 years out of a
battery now days!
The Real Bev
We got more than that out of Sears batteries, and last time I was pleasantly
surprised at the amount of credit I received on the new battery.
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Wasn't she a silly girl her little * ?
ra...@vt.edu
> ra...@vt.edu wrote:
> >this brand or that is far superior. I don't buy it. They
> >all last about 5 or 6 years, with some exceptions, and
> >the cheapest you can buy (assuming same specs) will work
> >the same and last as long as the most expensive.
> I cant seem to get any more than 3 years out of a
> battery now days!
I had that problem on a car of mine. One car kept needing
a new battery every 3 years. I finally checked and found
the voltage regulator was off and overcharging. It took me
9 years or so to figure that out because the first battery
goes bad in 3 years you shrug it off as a statistical anonomaly,
the second you think what a bad run of luck, the third you start
looking for reasons. If they'd been going bad in 1 or 2 years
I'd have tracked it down sooner. The key here was it was just
that one car, my other car(s) all got 5 or 6 years on a battery.
Bill Ranck
Blacksburg, Va.
Usene...@the-domain-in.sig
> m...@privacy.net wrote:
> > ra...@vt.edu wrote:
> > I cant seem to get any more than 3 years out of a
> > battery now days!
> I had that problem on a car of mine. One car kept needing
> a new battery every 3 years. I finally checked and found
> the voltage regulator was off and overcharging. It took me
> 9 years or so to figure that out because the first battery
> goes bad in 3 years you shrug it off as a statistical anonomaly,
> the second you think what a bad run of luck, the third you start
> looking for reasons. If they'd been going bad in 1 or 2 years
> I'd have tracked it down sooner. The key here was it was just
> that one car, my other car(s) all got 5 or 6 years on a battery.
Some garages will do a free or cheap charging system test. It
just takes a couple of minutes. Sometimes problems with the
alternator or other parts can either abuse the battery, or make
it look like the battery is bad.
I suggest getting it tested any time you have to replace the
battery.
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Al Bundy
I bought a Wal-Mart battery three years ago because it was cheap and
convenient. It was the better 1000CCA model. A light was on a year ago
and the car was parked for a week. The battery was totally flat as you
would expect. It charged up fully and passes the load tests. I was
impressed because that abuse can kill a battery. I think it has a 7
year warranty. I don't go by warranty. I check it periodically and at
four years I get anxious and start looking for sales.
ra...@vt.edu
> In article <f83252$c65$2...@solaris.cc.vt.edu>, ra...@vt.edu says...
> > m...@privacy.net wrote:
> > > ra...@vt.edu wrote:
> > > I cant seem to get any more than 3 years out of a
> > > battery now days!
> > I had that problem on a car of mine. One car kept needing
> > a new battery every 3 years. I finally checked and found
> > the voltage regulator was off and overcharging. It took me
> Some garages will do a free or cheap charging system test. It
> just takes a couple of minutes. Sometimes problems with the
> alternator or other parts can either abuse the battery, or make
> it look like the battery is bad.
Yes, and I had that done, but the problem was just a *slight*
overcharge condition not picked up by the tester they used.
I spotted it with my own voltmeter. I tried having them test it
again at that point, and they still said the alternator/charging
system was fine. Replacing the alternator fixed the short lived
batteries, though.
But, yes, I totally agree that you should have them test the
charging system when you replace a battery. It's usually free,
and will find *most* problems.
Bill Ranck
Blacksburg, Va.
clams casino
>
> We got more than that out of Sears batteries, and last time I was
> pleasantly surprised at the amount of credit I received on the new
> battery.
>
I'm on my 6th year with my Sears Diehard. I'm guessing this winter
will be time. Made it through last winter with zero problems.
Dave L
"clams casino" <PeterG...@drunkin-clam.com> wrote in message
news:xjcpi.2312$dA7...@newsfe16.lga...
I've also had good luck with Sears Diehard batteries. Consumer Reports does
a test from time to time on car batteries. I can't remember which one rated
the highest, but the Diehard is normally decent.
Also Sears do not make their own batteries. I read somewhere before that
their batteries used to be made by Johnson Control and worked great. When
they switched to Exide the quality dropped until they went back to Johnson
Control to make the Diehards. Then again it was at least several years ago
I read this...
-Dave
Lee K
<m...@privacy.net> wrote in message
news:09v9a39nhv0s48s6h...@4ax.com...
I got a strange one. I bought my 97 Ranger new in June '97. The original
battery is still in use in the truck today, after 10 winters of use in
Central Connecticut. Had to replace the clamp on the Neg terminal a couple
of weeks ago, though. I should replace it, but at this point I just want to
see how long it will last.
Zilbandy
<PeterG...@drunkin-clam.com> wrote:
>I'm on my 6th year with my Sears Diehard. I'm guessing this winter
>will be time. Made it through last winter with zero problems.
If I got three years on a battery, I was doing good. The heat of the
Arizona desert in the summertime just kills batteries. On my 4x4, I
had an auxiliary battery mounted under the hood with a dual charging
system. If your main battery dies in the desert, miles from anywhere,
it's sometimes handy to have a backup. I bought a new battery just
about every year, just to be sure one of my batteries would probably
be good, should I ever need it... and there were a few times, I did
need it. :) Of course, going on 4x4 trips with a group was the safest
way. :)
--
Zilbandy
Don Klipstein
It is summer heat that ages batteries, and winter cold that reveals
weakness of batteries by impairing them but doing the least actual damage.
I expect that batteries last longer in places with cool summers and mild
winters, such as Pacific Coast from SF to Juneau. Maybe they do better in
Pacific Coast farther south such as Santa Cruz or San Diego where they
stay warmer but avoid most outright hot conditions that do a lot of the
aging trouble.
They may age faster but avoid age-revealing winter conditions until they
are really badly aged in Key West, where winters are warm but alltime
summer high temp. is only 96 degrees F last time I heard.
- Don Klipstein (d...@misty.com)
m...@privacy.net
<Usene...@THE-DOMAIN-IN.SIG> wrote:
>I suggest getting it tested any time you have to replace the
>battery.
Did that before I went and bought the battery
m...@privacy.net
> It is summer heat that ages batteries, and winter cold that reveals
>weakness of batteries by impairing them but doing the least actual damage.
Interesting
E Z Peaces
In Japan, battery failure is the most common complaint of new-car
owners. A German auto manufacturer checked 400 batteries returned under
warranty. Half were okay.
The problem is stratification of the electrolyte. The acid tends to
settle. Then it won't give good starting performance and charging will
be slow. Sulfation and corrosion happen faster when the electrolyte is
stratified.
If the battery in Connecticut has lasted ten years, it was probably kept
fully charged, which reduces stratification. Maybe roads were bumpy
enough to slosh the electrolyte.
Anthony Matonak
...
> In Japan, battery failure is the most common complaint of new-car
> owners. A German auto manufacturer checked 400 batteries returned under
> warranty. Half were okay.
>
> The problem is stratification of the electrolyte. The acid tends to
> settle. Then it won't give good starting performance and charging will
> be slow. Sulfation and corrosion happen faster when the electrolyte is
> stratified.
>
> If the battery in Connecticut has lasted ten years, it was probably kept
> fully charged, which reduces stratification. Maybe roads were bumpy
> enough to slosh the electrolyte.
This difference may have been simply how often the vehicles were used
and the distances driven. Japan has major traffic congestion problems
so driving a car might be an occasional luxury and then only for short
distances.
Anthony
Seerialmom
I tend to agree with your opinion as well. I also suspect that many
of the batteries that are store branded are all from the same
manufacturer. When the security guy on my job killed my car battery
(and fried the fuse, too) by jumping it backwards I walked to the
local Kragen and bought the cheapest one that fit the car...no name
brand. It was still working fine when I traded the car in 4 years
later.
But...the warranty for a Sears Diehard vs a generic may be
considerably different.
E Z Peaces
It is worse in vehicles that aren't driven much. The average is about
60 miles a week (100 km) in Japan. The Japanese and Germans are big on
quality control. That's why they have figures pointing to
stratification. If it can be severe enough to cause some fairly new
cars not to start, I think it may speed sulfation and corrosion that
shorten battery life in many other cars.
It also seems to happen more in luxury cars. It's possible that luxury
brands are just more aware of the problem, but if it is indeed worse, it
may be because luxury cars have less vibration and bumping to stir the
electrolyte.
Ever since the lead-acid battery was invented, it has been good
maintenance to leave it on a charger 24 hours or more once a month. It
takes a long charge to convert all the lead sulfate to lead or lead
oxide. If it's not converted it eventually hardens, reducing the useful
plate area. It tends to flake off when you start the car, accumulating
at the bottom of the cell. If the crud rises to the bottom of the
plates, I think it can cause the cell to discharge.
By doing this, I get years more than a battery's advertised life. If a
vehicle has been sitting several days, it may charge faster after an
hour than when I first turn on the charger. That may be evidence that a
long charge can stir up the electrolyte. Apparently stirring the
electrolyte slows the corrosion that wrecks batteries in hot climates.