Battery Purchase Guidelines

[Marcozi]

Some of the answers depend on what kind of car or truck we are talking about.

Some newer stuff you actually need a scan tool to replace the battery (yes its crazy, i know)

I actually find that dealers can be a good place to buy a battery for instance on a Honda you can get a 100 month battery for about what the parts stores sell a medium line/warranty battery for. This may vary by locale of course, but in the US i would at least check the dealer price before I automatically assumed it wasn't a good deal.

"Some newer stuff you actually need a scan tool to replace the battery (yes its crazy, i know)"

Yup! The manufacturers do this because the charging system, which is controlled by the engine computer, has different charging "profiles," depending on the age of the battery. Also, some cars' charging systems are shut off under specific circumstances. Why? Increase mileage by 0.02 mpg.

 

[zzyzzx]

AGM worth considering if you can get one for a decent price at say Walmart.

Do Walmarts near you even stock AGM batteries?

 

[Donald]

Do Walmarts near you even stock AGM batteries?

Last year I used the mobile Walmart app to track down two Group 65 AGMs for my pickup.