OK, another “which battery” question to go along with all the others here.
TLDR: is it worth the extra $65 to get 2 DEKA batteries over 2 JCI batteries?
Full story:
I am needing 2 batteries soon.
My 2002 F150 (Group 65, 650 CCA stock) has a little over 4 year AutoZone Gold (JCI) battery (which is average life down here). It is starting to have issues (standing charge is 12.1v - 12.2v, when starting the truck it goes down to 9.6 v, right at the lower end of “good”). I am taking a few longer road trips next month so plan on replacing before I leave.
My mom’s 2007 Saturn Vue (Group 75, 525 CCA OEM) has a NAPA Legend (Deka) battery that is also just over 4 years old. Not having any problems so far, but she lives alone in the country with it parked outside, and am just wanting to replace it for peace of mind (her first 2 lasted about 3.5 years, so it is time).
I normally just get Advance Auto Gold batteries, since with discount codes they are the cheapest. But there are no codes more than 20% now, so was looking at other places. Down here, lower CCA is better (thicker plates, better heat resistance).
Advance Auto: ~$217 with tax for both
Walmart: ~$200 with tax for both
Battery Plus: ~$265 with tax for both
So by cost, warranty and availability, Walmart wins. Both are very close to OEM specs. They are Johnson Controls batteries from what I understand.
Advance Auto, not convenient for my mom, not as good a price as they used to be, and much higher CCA than OEM, so longevity may be affected. Also Johnson Control made. I see no advantage of these over Walmart.
Battery Plus, most expensive, not convenient for mom at all and higher CCA than OEM. They are Deka made batteries, which seem to be the top choice for batteries.
I also looked at NAPA, O’Rielly and Autozone. Napa was about the same cost as O'Rielly, around $285 (although both are Deka) and Autozone did not even show the batteries as available, so not sure on the cost, but probably around the same as Advance, as well as being JCI batteries.
After typing all this out, I think I have answered my own question.
Walmart is a quite a bit cheaper, as well as being everywhere and have a better warranty.
Is Batteries Plus Deka (Duracell Ultra Gold) worth the extra $65, "worse" warranty (just no pro rata), and inconvenience for my mom's location?
Batteries Plus also has some Duracell Ultra batteries that are about $50 cheaper and have much closer to OEM CCA, but have just a 2 year warranty. Would these be a good option?
TLDR: is it worth the extra $65 to get 2 DEKA batteries over 2 JCI batteries?
Full story:
I am needing 2 batteries soon.
My 2002 F150 (Group 65, 650 CCA stock) has a little over 4 year AutoZone Gold (JCI) battery (which is average life down here). It is starting to have issues (standing charge is 12.1v - 12.2v, when starting the truck it goes down to 9.6 v, right at the lower end of “good”). I am taking a few longer road trips next month so plan on replacing before I leave.
My mom’s 2007 Saturn Vue (Group 75, 525 CCA OEM) has a NAPA Legend (Deka) battery that is also just over 4 years old. Not having any problems so far, but she lives alone in the country with it parked outside, and am just wanting to replace it for peace of mind (her first 2 lasted about 3.5 years, so it is time).
I normally just get Advance Auto Gold batteries, since with discount codes they are the cheapest. But there are no codes more than 20% now, so was looking at other places. Down here, lower CCA is better (thicker plates, better heat resistance).
Advance Auto: ~$217 with tax for both
- Group 65 – 850 CCA, 3 year free replacement warranty (no Pro Rata). $118 (+ tax) after 20% off code.
- Group 75 – 700 CCA, 3 year free replacement warranty (no Pro Rata). $82 (+ tax) after 20% off code and $20 speed perks.
Walmart: ~$200 with tax for both
- Group 65 – 700 CCA, 5 year replacement warranty (3 year free, 2 year Pro Rata). $94 + tax
I momentarily debated their Value battery, but decided against that. For less than twice the cost, I get a much longer warranty as well as probably a better battery. - Group 75 – 550 CCA, 5 year replacement warranty (3 year free, 3 year Pro Rata). $90 + tax
Battery Plus: ~$265 with tax for both
- Group 65 – 750 CCA, 3 year free replacement warranty (no Pro Rata). $135 (+ tax) after 10% of code
- Group 75 – 690 CCA, 3 year free replacement warranty (no Pro Rata). $108 (+ tax) after 10% of code
So by cost, warranty and availability, Walmart wins. Both are very close to OEM specs. They are Johnson Controls batteries from what I understand.
Advance Auto, not convenient for my mom, not as good a price as they used to be, and much higher CCA than OEM, so longevity may be affected. Also Johnson Control made. I see no advantage of these over Walmart.
Battery Plus, most expensive, not convenient for mom at all and higher CCA than OEM. They are Deka made batteries, which seem to be the top choice for batteries.
I also looked at NAPA, O’Rielly and Autozone. Napa was about the same cost as O'Rielly, around $285 (although both are Deka) and Autozone did not even show the batteries as available, so not sure on the cost, but probably around the same as Advance, as well as being JCI batteries.
After typing all this out, I think I have answered my own question.
Walmart is a quite a bit cheaper, as well as being everywhere and have a better warranty.
Is Batteries Plus Deka (Duracell Ultra Gold) worth the extra $65, "worse" warranty (just no pro rata), and inconvenience for my mom's location?
Batteries Plus also has some Duracell Ultra batteries that are about $50 cheaper and have much closer to OEM CCA, but have just a 2 year warranty. Would these be a good option?