prices of batteries
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Walmart MAXX are good flooded lead acid batteries. A group 59 Maxx list as 149.99 and if not in stock they almost always can get it in a day.
Where is the new one made?
Last year when I was shopping for a battery for my Ram, I was shocked at the price from Advance and Auto Zone. Walmart sells good batteries and are $70-80 less, look there.
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Do batteries for stop/start cars cost more?
They do if the battery is speced larger for the vehicle due to increased capacity needed for start/stop. But have not seen/heard of a battery being more costly simply because it gets fitted to a vehicle with start/stop.
Yes. They are normally AGM and therefore cost more, just because of that.
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This 2001 Mustang doesn't have start/stop or any of that craziness. The auto parts stores are just raking people over the coals when it comes to buying batteries.
Costco (membership required)
Sam's Club (membership required)
WalMart
all offer good quality batteries and are routinely 25% cheaper than a parts store.
I have Sam's membership and a 3-year free replacement warranty battery of BCI 59 is $139.88, manufactured by East Penn Manufacturing in the USA.
Costco (membership required)
Sam's Club (membership required)
WalMart
all offer good quality batteries and are routinely 25% cheaper than a parts store.
I have Sam's membership and a 3-year free replacement warranty battery of BCI 59 is $139.88, manufactured by East Penn Manufacturing in the USA.
That works out to around a 12% annualized inflation rate.
I just bought a Group 35 battery at Rural King and it was on sale at $59.99 plus $12 if no core. They last several years. My wife's car gets the Duracell from Sam's Club. It is East Penn.
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I've seen the batteries change in price relative to each other, with different sizes. A common 24F was $79.95 when I first got one at Costco and I think I paid $120 2 years ago. A 94R maybe H7 which came in a 2007 BMW, is now common say in a Chevy Traverse. Price "did not" go up from when the 24F was $79.95. Who knows what drives prices, maybe the older batteries have less demand, but I would think 24F is deployed all over. But I will say my car is a 2006 and it was also in my 1998.
Lots of thread on this.
Depending on location the Costco and walmart batteries will both be Clarios (formerly Johnson Controls). Walmart has a better warranty - not pro rated. Some still like Costco. Pick your poison.
If your in the Northeast there is a good chance your walmart has a East Penn Battery instead. Better IMHO. You will know because the serial number starts with EP. I know even some places in VA have the East Penn.
Only someone uninformed would buy a battery from a parts store.
Depending on location the Costco and walmart batteries will both be Clarios (formerly Johnson Controls). Walmart has a better warranty - not pro rated. Some still like Costco. Pick your poison.
If your in the Northeast there is a good chance your walmart has a East Penn Battery instead. Better IMHO. You will know because the serial number starts with EP. I know even some places in VA have the East Penn.
Only someone uninformed would buy a battery from a parts store.
Some may be comparing low tier to high tier batteries here.
Walmart sells 3 tiers of the flooded lead acid Everstart, the "value" generally around 69.99 for the lowest tier 1 year warrantied, then theres the 2 year "plus" version for around 109.99, and the Maxx 3 year that ranges from 139.99 to 159.99 depending on what group number.
And then theres the AGM batteries that are an entirely different animal and cost even more. They are better at handling the demands seen in vehicles with auto stop-start.
Interesting, the 51R Maxx sells for 159.99, and the bigger with more cca 24F Maxx sells for 139.99
Maybe the 51R is more expensive to make and or sell because its used in Hondas with the 2.4 liter and its somewhat undersized for that motor.
So, is the op comparing a lowest tier from years ago to a higher tier now re price?
That really would sque the comparison.
Walmart sells the exact same battery as other stores with different stickers and different warranty. But the slightly better warranty at the other stores is not worth the big jump in price.
Also, keep in mind that in general, chemical reactions occure twice as fast for each increase in temp. of 10 C ( or 18 F ) and chemical reaction rates in general decrease to half as fast for every decrease of 10 C ( or 18 F ).
People who post about the short or long time a battery lasted are not providing useful info if they don't include details, such as tier level, average and low and high temps. abuses such as fully discharged and if so how many times. Even if a battery is mounted in the engine bay or in some cooler place in the vehicle will significantly effect how long a battery last.
So, without a lot of details ( which most don't provide ) post about how long a battery last don't provide useful info.
So, the average ambient temp. plays a huge part in how long a battery last.
Some battery manufacturers may tweak the acid concentration some to match the battery to the climate. Such as slightly weaker acid concentration in batteries in hot southern states, and slightly stronger acid concentration in cold areas like N. Canada and Alaska. I know they usd to do that, but have not seen anything about it for a very long time. And that would effect a batteries life also. It also effects cca.
Also, some extreme hot areas like the hottest sections of Arizona, wear out a battery in very short time, and since even a top tier battery will only be reliable for a much shorter time, like a year of solid reliable use and dead in 2 years, sometimes in those conditions it wise to buy the lowest tier, and replace it often.
A vehicle that spends it life in a cool underground garage may have its battery last much longer than a similar vehicle and battery that sits outside all summer in hot weather in the same area.
So when people are comparing the price of an apple to the price of a bag of oranges and not including details, its really useless. And even more useless when one is kept in the fridge and the other kept over the stove.
Walmart sells 3 tiers of the flooded lead acid Everstart, the "value" generally around 69.99 for the lowest tier 1 year warrantied, then theres the 2 year "plus" version for around 109.99, and the Maxx 3 year that ranges from 139.99 to 159.99 depending on what group number.
And then theres the AGM batteries that are an entirely different animal and cost even more. They are better at handling the demands seen in vehicles with auto stop-start.
Interesting, the 51R Maxx sells for 159.99, and the bigger with more cca 24F Maxx sells for 139.99
Maybe the 51R is more expensive to make and or sell because its used in Hondas with the 2.4 liter and its somewhat undersized for that motor.
So, is the op comparing a lowest tier from years ago to a higher tier now re price?
That really would sque the comparison.
Walmart sells the exact same battery as other stores with different stickers and different warranty. But the slightly better warranty at the other stores is not worth the big jump in price.
Also, keep in mind that in general, chemical reactions occure twice as fast for each increase in temp. of 10 C ( or 18 F ) and chemical reaction rates in general decrease to half as fast for every decrease of 10 C ( or 18 F ).
People who post about the short or long time a battery lasted are not providing useful info if they don't include details, such as tier level, average and low and high temps. abuses such as fully discharged and if so how many times. Even if a battery is mounted in the engine bay or in some cooler place in the vehicle will significantly effect how long a battery last.
So, without a lot of details ( which most don't provide ) post about how long a battery last don't provide useful info.
So, the average ambient temp. plays a huge part in how long a battery last.
Some battery manufacturers may tweak the acid concentration some to match the battery to the climate. Such as slightly weaker acid concentration in batteries in hot southern states, and slightly stronger acid concentration in cold areas like N. Canada and Alaska. I know they usd to do that, but have not seen anything about it for a very long time. And that would effect a batteries life also. It also effects cca.
Also, some extreme hot areas like the hottest sections of Arizona, wear out a battery in very short time, and since even a top tier battery will only be reliable for a much shorter time, like a year of solid reliable use and dead in 2 years, sometimes in those conditions it wise to buy the lowest tier, and replace it often.
A vehicle that spends it life in a cool underground garage may have its battery last much longer than a similar vehicle and battery that sits outside all summer in hot weather in the same area.
So when people are comparing the price of an apple to the price of a bag of oranges and not including details, its really useless. And even more useless when one is kept in the fridge and the other kept over the stove.
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Or, the parts store is closer and actually has the battery you need in stock...
Or, you want the East Penn battery that Wal-Mart doesn't sell here etc...
There are reasons to buy one at a parts store...
Interesting note........Walmart has different prices on the exact same battery at different locations. Three years ago I traveled 20 miles to get a battery for $30.00 less than my local WM. Priced lower in a less affluent area.
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