Interstate batteries?

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Originally Posted by daz
D@mn, i thought a friend has a costco card but he said his expired and he's not looking to get another. Any other ideas for a retired guy living on a tiny SS check for a battery that won't die in a year or 2 anywhere near that interstate price?



Pretty sure if you buy a costco gift card that will get you in the door......
 
That's good to know and thank you

Originally Posted by Imp4
If you use a Costco visa for this purchase, they add an additional 12 months to the warranty period.
cheers3.gif
 
Well, the walmart site says there are only 2 batteries to fit my 04 accord and the cheaper one is $120. Not sure i want to spend that much on a walmart battery knowing i can get one much closer to me for around the same price. Distance is important too because i have to bring my core in and take the new one home all in a backpack on a motorcycle, and i've done that b4 and the weight [censored] near kills me. So at this point having burned out on researching this for hours reading tons of reviews and all, i think i willl buy one at o'reillys auto parts about a 1/2 mile from me. I wanted to avoid that because thier batteries are overpriced but looks like it will cost me almost the same anyways. Screw it...

Thanks for the replies.
 
It sounds like convenience and price are the most important criteria, and I don't think you could notice a difference between any available batteries that fit. Probably the most important thing is to choose one on the shelf with the newest date code. Almost all auto batteries you will find at major retailers are made by one of the big three manufacturers, and I think Champions may be made by Exide.
 
It's always a crap shoot unless you know exactly what u r getting. So what the heck. It;s 30 month and the last POS i bought was $125/1.5 years and lasted just barely over that. Free replacement at 30 with a $97 price tag is a lot better than that, so i bought it. thanks again for the replies.
 
Originally Posted by Randy_R
Look at the production dates. I was looking for one last summer and they had several 6 months old. I would think that makes a difference.



Great great post here ^^^^^

Flooded batteries lose 6-15 percent per month of their charge due to just sitting around... sulfation of plates due to lack of maintenance charge can cause battery to lose capacity... And that in all likelihood will not be recovered. Check those dates of manufacture.
 
How are these Costco Interstate batteries holding up? My fear with JCI batteries is the acid leaking out of the vent caps and corroding the tie down and terminals.

I was set on getting an East Penn made World Source One from Worldpac but the 42 month free replacement from Costco is hard to beat.
 
Originally Posted by daz
Well, the walmart site says there are only 2 batteries to fit my 04 accord and the cheaper one is $120. Not sure i want to spend that much on a walmart battery knowing i can get one much closer to me for around the same price. Distance is important too because i have to bring my core in and take the new one home all in a backpack on a motorcycle, and i've done that b4 and the weight [censored] near kills me. So at this point having burned out on researching this for hours reading tons of reviews and all, i think i willl buy one at o'reillys auto parts about a 1/2 mile from me. I wanted to avoid that because thier batteries are overpriced but looks like it will cost me almost the same anyways. Screw it...

Thanks for the replies.


just buy a costco battery, go to the farthest corner of the parking lot and change it out there . then return the core. i have found costco batteries to be great and the cost even better. a group 35 or 24 is about $80.
 
Interstate is a battery marketer, they will get Johnson Controls, Exide, USbattery, whomever to build their batteries, and this can vary regionally. It is about max profit and this is achieved though marketing, as opposed to max quality.

More important than who manufactures a battery, is its average state of charge, and the average temperature the battery is.

All lead acid batteries, for maximum longevity, Ideally want to be kept cool, and absolutely fully charged.

Defects aside, the absolute best Lead acid battery, kept chronically undercharged, will not last as long as the worst battery kept fully charged, assuming being exposed to the same temperatures.

If one is finding their battery only lasts two years, they can blame either their vehicles charging system, and/or themselves for allowing the battery to live in a chronically undercharged state.

An 80% charged battery cannot be returned to a true 100% state of charge in less than 3.5 hours, although a 100% charged battery can be discharged to 80% in a few minutes with a large load applied to it.

Those 3.5 hours to get from 80% to 100% state of charge assume the charging sources voltage regulator is holding the battery up in the 14.5v range, something almost no Vehicle allows. It also assumes a healthy battery. A partially sulfated battery takes significantly longer to get from 80% charged to 100% charged, as it has higher resistance. this partially sulfated battery then degrades even faster when it does not get the time it needs at higher voltages in orde to remotely approach a higher state of charge.

The maintenance minded Bitoger seeking maximum battery longevity would regularly plug their battery into a charger, one that can bring the battery to and hold it at 14.5ish volts for a few hours, on a regular basis, and immediately after they knowingly let the battery get discharged by blasting the stereo engine off, or leaving the dome lights on all night.
Any charging is better than no charging, but the truly fully charged lead acid battery is rare, proveable time and again with a hydrometer.

Vehicle charging systems are not designed to take the best possible care of the battery, though it is assumed by most that the alternator is some instant magical battery charger, and that anytime the vehicle is driven any appreciable time that the battery is fully charged.
This misconception is a battery murderer, and the cure is using a grid powered plug in charger to top the battery off regularly.

Many newer vehicles intentionally keep the battery in an underchrged state, so tha it can accept higher amperage from teh alternator when teh voltage regulator asks for 14.5ish or higher system voltage. Even on such vehicles, the battery would appreciate being truly fully charged by an outside source.

How well or not the plug in charger works in taking the battery to a true full 100% state of charge is another topic, but even if the 'smart' charger stops at 95% charged, it is 200% better for the battery than being only 75% charged.

If your vehicle and your usage of it keeps the battery in an average low state of charge, and you cannot or will not apply an outside charging source on a regular basis, then just buy the cheapest battery with the warranty most easily to exchange it, as a battery battery is not going to be immune from abuse, and abuse is being less than 100% state of charge, and hot. The lower the average state of charge and the longer it resides there the faster the battery will lose capacity and CCA.

No lead acid battery is immune from living its life in an undercharged state, no matter how well marketed it is, and almost all starting batteries have reduced plate thickness and number and quality of the paste, to whaatever minimum that still yields maximum profit for them.
 
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Originally Posted by daz
Is this a decent battery? I have had my batteries last such a short time in recet years i figure why bother with paying anything more than this. https://costco.interstatebatteries....69926&choice5=1569927&Country=US

In 2015 CR rated the INTERSTATE battery #1 in a test of 10 batteries.
I buy my batteries from Battery Warehouse. The current battery in my truck will be 3 years old in August 2019. I paid $96.14 for it, with a 3 year warranty.
 
Originally Posted by BlueOvalFitter
Originally Posted by daz
Is this a decent battery? I have had my batteries last such a short time in recet years i figure why bother with paying anything more than this. https://costco.interstatebatteries....69926&choice5=1569927&Country=US

In 2015 CR rated the INTERSTATE battery #1 in a test of 10 batteries.
I buy my batteries from Battery Warehouse. The current battery in my truck will be 3 years old in August 2019. I paid $96.14 for it, with a 3 year warranty.

I don't understand how Interstate batteries could come out on #1. Considering theirs only three manufactures for batteries?
 
Interstate does not manufacture a single battery... It is labeled JC battery in all likelihood. Though I've heard of some made by East Penn... Interstate is just a brand/sticker.
I learned this 4 years ago on here in fact
smile.gif
 
Originally Posted by wrcsixeight
Interstate is a battery marketer, they will get Johnson Controls, Exide, USbattery, whomever to build their batteries, and this can vary regionally. It is about max profit and this is achieved though marketing, as opposed to max quality.

More important than who manufactures a battery, is its average state of charge, and the average temperature the battery is.

All lead acid batteries, for maximum longevity, Ideally want to be kept cool, and absolutely fully charged.

Defects aside, the absolute best Lead acid battery, kept chronically undercharged, will not last as long as the worst battery kept fully charged, assuming being exposed to the same temperatures.

If one is finding their battery only lasts two years, they can blame either their vehicles charging system, and/or themselves for allowing the battery to live in a chronically undercharged state.

An 80% charged battery cannot be returned to a true 100% state of charge in less than 3.5 hours, although a 100% charged battery can be discharged to 80% in a few minutes with a large load applied to it.

Those 3.5 hours to get from 80% to 100% state of charge assume the charging sources voltage regulator is holding the battery up in the 14.5v range, something almost no Vehicle allows. It also assumes a healthy battery. A partially sulfated battery takes significantly longer to get from 80% charged to 100% charged, as it has higher resistance. this partially sulfated battery then degrades even faster when it does not get the time it needs at higher voltages in orde to remotely approach a higher state of charge.

The maintenance minded Bitoger seeking maximum battery longevity would regularly plug their battery into a charger, one that can bring the battery to and hold it at 14.5ish volts for a few hours, on a regular basis, and immediately after they knowingly let the battery get discharged by blasting the stereo engine off, or leaving the dome lights on all night.
Any charging is better than no charging, but the truly fully charged lead acid battery is rare, proveable time and again with a hydrometer.

Vehicle charging systems are not designed to take the best possible care of the battery, though it is assumed by most that the alternator is some instant magical battery charger, and that anytime the vehicle is driven any appreciable time that the battery is fully charged.
This misconception is a battery murderer, and the cure is using a grid powered plug in charger to top the battery off regularly.

Many newer vehicles intentionally keep the battery in an underchrged state, so tha it can accept higher amperage from teh alternator when teh voltage regulator asks for 14.5ish or higher system voltage. Even on such vehicles, the battery would appreciate being truly fully charged by an outside source.

How well or not the plug in charger works in taking the battery to a true full 100% state of charge is another topic, but even if the 'smart' charger stops at 95% charged, it is 200% better for the battery than being only 75% charged.

If your vehicle and your usage of it keeps the battery in an average low state of charge, and you cannot or will not apply an outside charging source on a regular basis, then just buy the cheapest battery with the warranty most easily to exchange it, as a battery battery is not going to be immune from abuse, and abuse is being less than 100% state of charge, and hot. The lower the average state of charge and the longer it resides there the faster the battery will lose capacity and CCA.

No lead acid battery is immune from living its life in an undercharged state, no matter how well marketed it is, and almost all starting batteries have reduced plate thickness and number and quality of the paste, to whaatever minimum that still yields maximum profit for them.



This is probably the best post ever on batteries.

Also, yeah, Interstate took a dive in quality, they used to be the best batteries you can buy, now there is no longer anything special about them. It used to be if you wanted the absolute best, you would go in and spend the extra money premium on an Interstate and get a great, heavy, serious Interstate battery and it would last 7 years or so in almost all circumstances. Now it's just the same as the ones you get from regular channels.
 
Originally Posted by BlueOvalFitter
Originally Posted by daz
Is this a decent battery? I have had my batteries last such a short time in recet years i figure why bother with paying anything more than this. https://costco.interstatebatteries....69926&choice5=1569927&Country=US

In 2015 CR rated the INTERSTATE battery #1 in a test of 10 batteries.
I buy my batteries from Battery Warehouse. The current battery in my truck will be 3 years old in August 2019. I paid $96.14 for it, with a 3 year warranty.


I can get a battery for between $48 and $75-range if I look hard enough. Some stores still sell the kind that does not have an inflated price to subsidize their extended warranty, which they will then fight you on.

Choose stores carefully. The same store with the lower price batteries has batteries with the date of manufacture sticker the same month as you buy them, or the month before. The store down the street with the more expensive batteries (in this case, brand name Energizer same as AA, AAA, C, D, 9V batteries) has units from July or November 2018. Only imagine how much they have discharged on the shelf. And there is nothing wrong with looking at each battery and taking them all off the rack to get the one with the newest date of manufacture number.
 
You are right on.... Wrcsixeight post on this are the best by a long shot. He is the battery go to guy on here.
 
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Originally Posted by talest
And there is nothing wrong with looking at each battery and taking them all off the rack to get the one with the newest date of manufacture number.
When I was at Walmart to get a new battery, they had a mix of (newer) Exide and (older) Johnson Controls. Between the two, the general opinion is JC is better so I was trying to find the "freshest" JC battery. An employee saw me trying to reach all of the different ones to compare and I told him I was trying to find the newest one they had. He said, "we load new batteries from the front" (this store has their batteries on a dedicated rack with slanted rollers) which means if they actually do it that way, it's very likely that old batteries will continually get pushed back and back. I guess rotating stock or "FIFO" doesn't mean anything to them...
 
The Wally World near me actually does put new ones behind the older ones... So I know to dig to the back for a newest battery. Then I put all the other ones back like one should.
 
Originally Posted by bbhero
The Wally World near me actually does put new ones behind the older ones... So I know to dig to the back for a newest battery. Then I put all the other ones back like one should.



Yes, as long as you put things back I don't see why the Wally World associates would be [censored] about you looking for the freshest date.
 
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