Not happy with Autocraft Gold...

Status
Not open for further replies.
Joined
Aug 27, 2004
Messages
7,628
Location
Katy, Republic of Texas
Well, my daughter calls me this morning saying her car sounded weird starting this morning. When she gets home, sure enough, battery is very low (showing 11.5v).
Was fine a month ago (12.4v after sitting for a day).
What makes me angry is I bought the battery 11/16/16, 3 years, 2 weeks and 2 days ago, and it only has a 3 year (no pro-rata) warranty.
mad.gif

So yes, I got my 3 years out of it, but did not realize it did not have a pro-rata warranty on it, my fault, but still.

Just went and grabbed an EverStart Maxx from Walmart for $100 (5 yr warranty, 3 yr free, + 2 yr pro-rata).
Was debating getting a Duracell Gold from Batteries Plus, but just hard to justify the extra $50 for only a 3 yr no pro-rata warranty.
 
Funny you posted this because I think my AAP Gold battery is also getting weak - dated 10/2016, so yep, right outside the 3 yr warranty. Going to stop in to AAP and have it tested.
 
Pep Boys have nice prices right now with 35% off. AGMs with 4 year full replacement cheaper than Walmart which have 3+2 year warranty.
 
I have had good luck with them in my 2010 Ford and 2014 Explorer, but without a discount coupon for 30% off or more, they are too expensive.
 
Project Farm just did a battery test on his YouTube channel. The WM everstart for thr price looked like a real contender.
 
I've seen all brands put out a battery that failed prematurely. Got 6 years out of the last Autocraft Silver in my Silverado. The Everstart that was in my old '91 Ford Ranger was going on 8 years when I sold the truck. I've seen Interstate, Deka, Ac Delco, Ford, Chrysler, Honda, etc factory battiers die in under 2 years. No manufacturer makes a perfect battery. All you can do is hope you get a good one.
 
I have a 1987 VW CAbriolet that has a 2002 Wal-Mart everstart in it. Still kicks it off. Have used my defulfinator on it 2 times.
 
Originally Posted by blupupher
Just went and grabbed an EverStart Maxx from Walmart for $100 (5 yr warranty, 3 yr free, + 2 yr pro-rata).


That + 2 yr pro-rata seems good until you realise the pro-rata is calculated from day one. So if the battery dies before the end of month 36, a new one is free. A day later, it's $60.
 
Originally Posted by atikovi
Originally Posted by blupupher
Just went and grabbed an EverStart Maxx from Walmart for $100 (5 yr warranty, 3 yr free, + 2 yr pro-rata).


That + 2 yr pro-rata seems good until you realise the pro-rata is calculated from day one. So if the battery dies before the end of month 36, a new one is free. A day later, it's $60.

I hate the pro-ration warranty. Nothing like telling a customer their warranty is worth $6. There has been many times the warranty was less than $10 off a new one.
 
Originally Posted by FordBroncoVWJeta

I hate the pro-ration warranty. Nothing like telling a customer their warranty is worth $6. There has been many times the warranty was less than $10 off a new one.


Ditto on the pro-rated portion. All that's happening is they are making sure you buy your next battery from them.
 
Keep in mind the following...

1) Biggest issue .. how long that battery may have sat on the shelf prior to you buying it. And that a regular flooded battery loses 5-12 percent of it's charge per month just sitting there... That kills battery capacity and longevity. Always check that date of manufacture.

2) Newer vehicles do not fully charge a battery... They in fact tend to keep a battery at or around 80-85 percent of full charge. Saving gas mileage by not charging the battery while driving down the road. Add to that fun stuff.... Newer Vehicles as compared to older vehicles have so much more draw on the battery while just sitting there... Security, ECM functions etc etc... And 50 milliamps per hour do add up over time... Especially when the cars alternator is.not programmed to truly charge that battery.
 
Originally Posted by vwmaniaman
I have a 1987 VW CAbriolet that has a 2002 Wal-Mart everstart in it. Still kicks it off. Have used my defulfinator on it 2 times.



For a half second there I thought that you said "Have used my defibrillator on it 2 times"....

And I am like what the world
lol.gif


Then I paid more attention and read it correctly being a desulfinator...
 
Originally Posted by FA_WRX
Project Farm just did a battery test on his YouTube channel. The WM everstart for thr price looked like a real contender.

He didn't mention how fast those batteries corroded up the terminals. I hate corroded terminals.
 
Walmart has a couple of suppliers for the WM Everstart. Probably by a large geographic area.

The WM Everstart made by East Penn has a serial number that starts with EP. If its not a East Penn WM Everstart I would pass.
 
Originally Posted by bbhero
Originally Posted by vwmaniaman
I have a 1987 VW CAbriolet that has a 2002 Wal-Mart everstart in it. Still kicks it off. Have used my defulfinator on it 2 times.



For a half second there I thought that you said "Have used my defibrillator on it 2 times"....

And I am like what the world
lol.gif


Then I paid more attention and read it correctly being a desulfinator...



I was wondering what that was. Kinda like fixing the veeblefetzer valve on the engine.
 
Originally Posted by Donald
Walmart has a couple of suppliers for the WM Everstart. Probably by a large geographic area.

The WM Everstart made by East Penn has a serial number that starts with EP. If its not a East Penn WM Everstart I would pass.


Most folks don't know that JCI SOLD their battery division to a private equity firm called Brookfield Business Partners L.P.....so they are no longer JCI batteries. Deal closed in June.

True about Walmart batteries based on geographic location in the USA. At this point seems like East Penn (Deka) is a better bet.
 
Originally Posted by Donald
Walmart has a couple of suppliers for the WM Everstart. Probably by a large geographic area.
The WM Everstart made by East Penn has a serial number that starts with EP. If its not a East Penn WM Everstart I would pass.

They are Johnson Control here, as are most all others. Like I said, I debated going with a Deka made Duracell, but decided not to for price/warranty/location reasons.

Originally Posted by CharlieBauer
Pep Boys have nice prices right now with 35% off. AGMs with 4 year full replacement cheaper than Walmart which have 3+2 year warranty.

Well that is a good deal, $126 + tax for a Group 24F AGM vs $94 for the Maxx at Walmart.
I may have done this if I had known, ~$40 more for a full year extra warranty + and AGM battery is not bad at all.

Originally Posted by 2015_PSD
I have had good luck with them in my 2010 Ford and 2014 Explorer, but without a discount coupon for 30% off or more, they are too expensive.

That was the only reason I got it in the first place. In 2016 they had some 30% off codes, and I had some rewards points as well. I think it was ~$40 off and was a few buck cheaper than an EverStart would have been at the time.
I have a Group 65 Autocraft Gold in my brother-in-laws truck that I bought about 4 months before this one (I think I ended up getting like $60 off the regular retail price), need to check up on that one as well I guess.

Originally Posted by atikovi
Originally Posted by blupupher
Just went and grabbed an EverStart Maxx from Walmart for $100 (5 yr warranty, 3 yr free, + 2 yr pro-rata).

That + 2 yr pro-rata seems good until you realise the pro-rata is calculated from day one. So if the battery dies before the end of month 36, a new one is free. A day later, it's $60.

Yeah, I know, but $60 (or whatever it is) is better than full price. I was 16 days out of warranty on this one, and now $100 out of pocket.

Originally Posted by Snagglefoot
Originally Posted by FordBroncoVWJeta

I hate the pro-ration warranty. Nothing like telling a customer their warranty is worth $6. There has been many times the warranty was less than $10 off a new one.


Ditto on the pro-rated portion. All that's happening is they are making sure you buy your next battery from them.

I know it keeps me tied in to the same place, but Walmart is everywhere if it does die when I am not around home.
I have tried shopping around, and it really is just a craps shoot.

Originally Posted by bbhero
Keep in mind the following...

1) Biggest issue .. how long that battery may have sat on the shelf prior to you buying it. And that a regular flooded battery loses 5-12 percent of it's charge per month just sitting there... That kills battery capacity and longevity. Always check that date of manufacture.

2) Newer vehicles do not fully charge a battery... They in fact tend to keep a battery at or around 80-85 percent of full charge. Saving gas mileage by not charging the battery while driving down the road. Add to that fun stuff.... Newer Vehicles as compared to older vehicles have so much more draw on the battery while just sitting there... Security, ECM functions etc etc... And 50 milliamps per hour do add up over time... Especially when the cars alternator is.not programmed to truly charge that battery.


I always find one with the newest date code, and also bring a volt meter with me to test them (the one I bought today had a 11/19 sticker and was 12.7v on the shelf).
I also always do a full charge on a batter charger to make sure they are fully charged before using, as well as putting them on the charger every 4 months or so to make sure they are full.
This one was on the charger less than a month ago, I knew it was getting a little low (as I said, was at 12.4 v after sitting for a day).
 
Remember... You are in Texas... Not exactly a cool place on average throughout the entire year... Places in hot climates such as you are in plus how the newer vehicles don't properly charge the battery and a draw on the battery when vehicle is just sitting all adds up to not the best circumstance for longer battery life.

What group size battery was this ? A small one like a group 51r or a larger group 24f ?? Well it looks like that battery was indeed a group 24f... That is cruddy non the less losing that size battery a bit earlier than one would like.
 
Last edited:
Yeah, AC Gold have been 3 year full no proration for a quite awhile now. Sorry for your misfortune. Likely not the point and hindsight, but I wonder if stopping by AAP before warranty expired for testing would have shown a need for a new battery, it being FOC. Or would your daughter have been shined on. Who knows. Perhaps in Texas heat, not a bad thing to keep in mind.

As for proration period, is WM Everstart proration different than any other brand with standard proration? I assume what's being said then is any battery proration is not particularly useful.

Fwiw, I think you made a good call on the new battery choice. Unless someone comes up with a better equivalent battery everyday price point, the Maxx would currently be my choice too.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top