Costco no longer selling kirkand car batteries??

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Went to Costco today and stopped by the tire dept to check out the car batteries. I noticed they had very few and asked the guy at the counter if they had my size and whats going on. he told me that they are getting rid of the Kirkland brand and replacing it with Interstate. No big deal, except not sure if the pricing will be the same.

this in in the Seattle area. are they doing it company wide??
 
At my local Costco they have been selling Interstate Batteries for at least 4 years now. Like them and the price! Never a hassle to return them even with out original receipt.
 
Originally Posted By: bullwinkle
Thought Kirkland & Interstate were both made by Johnson Controls, basically the same battery?

+1
Same battery, different labeling.
 
The Costco I go to has a lot less batteries now. I asked why so few group/size. He said they are going to carry a smaller selection but get more tires.
As I was looking, I noticed and mentioned I have 3 vehicle, 3 different batteries and none of the batteries available are what I would need. What are the chances of ordering what I need, even if I paid up front. He said its not going to happen. So I bought my last battery at a local AZ.
 
Originally Posted By: earlyre
Originally Posted By: bullwinkle
Thought Kirkland & Interstate were both made by Johnson Controls, basically the same battery?

+1
Same battery, different labeling.

They're not necessarily exactly the same. There's a lot that can be done to tinker with the specs and even the materials. The auto manufacturers tend to spec lower CCAs, but where the batteries tend to last longer. I think it might even be possible for an automaker to get a JCI battery with an indicator eye (anyone remember those?).

I know there's a lot of talk about buying a fresh battery and reading the date code. However, that's not really the issue, but rather getting a battery that hasn't been sitting around too long in a reduced state of charge after self-discharge. The one thing that Interstate (as a brand) has going for them is that their reps always take back batteries that have been sitting around for a couple of months and restock them with charged batteries. They top off the batteries that they take back and redistribute them. Their scheme ensures that they don't have any batteries that have been sitting around long enough in a low state of charge - enough to sulfate.
 
Stopped by and bought a size 35 battery for my Sub. it was 72.99 with $15 core. $20-40 less expensive than wally world or Orielyis.

odd thing is that it have a 42 month replacement warranty and no prorate after that. Not sure if its a good thing or not. It been a while since i have bought a new battery so not sure what the current trends are.
 
Originally Posted By: WhyMe
Stopped by and bought a size 35 battery for my Sub. it was 72.99 with $15 core. $20-40 less expensive than wally world or Orielyis.

odd thing is that it have a 42 month replacement warranty and no prorate after that. Not sure if its a good thing or not. It been a while since i have bought a new battery so not sure what the current trends are.

I'll note that Costco only has a refund of the original cost and not a replacement. My wife's more or less died after less than 30 months but with a 36 month full warranty. We got it back to a credit card. She actually left the map lights on over and over, but they didn't even bother to test the battery. And as a refund, it didn't necessarily help to get a new battery. They no longer carried that size, and even if they did they might be selling a new one at a higher price.

When it came time to getting a new battery, I looked online and found a deal at Sears for $55 for a DieHard Silver North in Group 51. The "South" version was more expensive online. I just ordered for pickup, and when I got there they told me there was no "South" or "North" version and they gave me the single version they had. They said the online prices were sometimes odd, but they basically hand out a battery for pickup if the paperwork is in order. My paperwork matched the item number so they had no issues.
 
Originally Posted By: y_p_w

I'll note that Costco only has a refund of the original cost and not a replacement. My wife's more or less died after less than 30 months but with a 36 month full warranty. We got it back to a credit card. She actually left the map lights on over and over, but they didn't even bother to test the battery. And as a refund, it didn't necessarily help to get a new battery. They no longer carried that size, and even if they did they might be selling a new one at a higher price.


A full refund on a battery over 2 years old is a heck of a warranty. I'd take it in a heartbeat even if it was just store credit at Costco.

Usually after 1 year all battery warranties are pro-rated, which may sound fair, but they are pro-rated against some ridiculous high MSRP. The resulting high pro-rated price is usually more than the every-day "discounted" price.

If this sounds like a scam, it is. Tire mileage warranties work the same way, but the margins on batteries seem to be even higher, at least in my personal experience. I've had valid mileage claims on tires and on bad batteries and in every case the pro-rated price was more than current retail. In some cases I was able to bargain down the salesman on replacement cost since it was obvious I was screwed. In the case of Sears it was "tough luck" which is why I don't go there any more.
 
Originally Posted By: HangFire
y_p_w said:
If this sounds like a scam, it is. Tire mileage warranties work the same way, but the margins on batteries seem to be even higher, at least in my personal experience. I've had valid mileage claims on tires and on bad batteries and in every case the pro-rated price was more than current retail. In some cases I was able to bargain down the salesman on replacement cost since it was obvious I was screwed. In the case of Sears it was "tough luck" which is why I don't go there any more.



I used a pro-rated dealer road-hazard warranty once after I shredded a tire on the freeway. The tire was in one piece, but there were dozens of tears across the entire tire, so it couldn't be patched. They actually did what the warranty stated. I had to pay for installation, but the prorated price I paid was based off the current retail price, which I could look up on their website.
 
Originally Posted By: bullwinkle
Thought Kirkland & Interstate were both made by Johnson Controls, basically the same battery?


Enersys actually makes one of the interstate lineups. I think it is the P7 line or something like that. I have been to the production facility at Enersys. It is impressive.
 
My experiences with pro-rated warranties have been generally good...

DieHard battery - died just about the middle of the prorate period. Ended up with a new one for $50.

Bridgestone tires from Costco - 80k treadwear warranty. Shot by 60k. Ended up with a $300 credit for 4 new tires from Costco. They got replaced with Michelins.
 
the on that i bought did not have the molded in interstate top like the one it replaced, which was also a interstate. All it has is a label with interstate on it. i was told its only warranted by Costco and not interstate.
 
IIRC they reduced the warranty from 36 months to 30 months with the transition to Interstate. I have never had a problem getting a full replacement for a battery purchased at Costco even when the price increased, but that was a few years back.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: y_p_w
. . . I know there's a lot of talk about buying a fresh battery and reading the date code. However, that's not really the issue, but rather getting a battery that hasn't been sitting around too long in a reduced state of charge after self-discharge. . .


I don't know of any major retailers that still trickle their inventory, and most do not rotate back to warehouse and rely on sales data on restocking intervals. So it really is the best gauge to go by manufacture date, as that best relates to when a battery was last charged to capacity.

It's nice if IS is pulling old inventory and recharging it. But it is still subjecting those batts to cycling. Cycling, particularly deeper cycling, is its own demon. I'd rather pay for cycling of a fresh battery to later take place in my vehicle, rather than pay for it having already happened in IS distribution chain months before. A couple independent shops around here will "top off" a new battery at purchase, but that's no better as far as potential storage sulfation and cycling wear are concerned.

Since most everyone is selling a re-brand of one the big three these days, plate freshness is about the only performance discriminator among those made by any one of them.
 
Originally Posted By: Volvohead
Originally Posted By: y_p_w
. . . I know there's a lot of talk about buying a fresh battery and reading the date code. However, that's not really the issue, but rather getting a battery that hasn't been sitting around too long in a reduced state of charge after self-discharge. . .


I don't know of any major retailers that still trickle their inventory, and most do not rotate back to warehouse and rely on sales data on restocking intervals. So it really is the best gauge to go by manufacture date, as that best relates to when a battery was last charged to capacity.

It's nice if IS is pulling old inventory and recharging it. But it is still subjecting those batts to cycling. Cycling, particularly deeper cycling, is its own demon. I'd rather pay for cycling of a fresh battery to later take place in my vehicle, rather than pay for it having already happened in IS distribution chain months before. A couple independent shops around here will "top off" a new battery at purchase, but that's no better as far as potential storage sulfation and cycling wear are concerned.

Since most everyone is selling a re-brand of one the big three these days, plate freshness is about the only performance discriminator among those made by any one of them.

That's Interstate's distribution model. They basically handle the batteries such that they guarantee they're not sulfated since they pull stock that's been sitting for three months and charge them.

I'm not necessarily an Interstate fan myself. Doesn't mean I wouldn't buy a battery from them. I don't particularly care for companies that have a religious bent, and Interstate is pretty public about theirs. I've heard they have prayer meetings at company functions, and that some employees felt like they had to participate even though they felt uncomfortable.
 
the date sticker on mine is 9/14. the warranty is 42 straight months after that there is no pro rate or warranty.

Seeing that its backed up by costco and cheaper by a bunch i think its a good buy
 
Originally Posted By: WhyMe
the date sticker on mine is 9/14. the warranty is 42 straight months after that there is no pro rate or warranty.

Seeing that its backed up by costco and cheaper by a bunch i think its a good buy


I think you're right.
 
Originally Posted By: y_p_w
I used a pro-rated dealer road-hazard warranty once after I shredded a tire on the freeway. The tire was in one piece, but there were dozens of tears across the entire tire, so it couldn't be patched. They actually did what the warranty stated. I had to pay for installation, but the prorated price I paid was based off the current retail price, which I could look up on their website.


Tire Mileage/wear warranties Road Hazard warranties and are two very different things. Wear warranties generally come with every tire while Hazards are extra.

One I'm glad the Hazard warranty worked out for you.
 
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