Battery Talk: Ten Facts You Need To Know

Auto Batteries

The usual story.

My wife was headed out of town.  Turn the key on my truck she was borrowing for the trip.  Nothing.

Turn again…Nothing.  One more time, nnnnnnhhhhhnnnnnhhhhh vroom, vroom!!!!

The truck was running.  The small-minded among you who use stereotypes would say my bride would then head off into the sunset and not think a thing about it.

My wife fits few stereotypes.

Battery Cemetary

She headed to O’Reilly Auto parts-the closest auto-parts store on her way.

The battery tester showed one core was as dead as a 90 year old without his Viagra….

She heard  the spiel, bought the  battery the sales guy recommended, and was on her way with only about 45 minutes lost. Cost be damned!

Ripped Off?

This personal finance guy was ready to pounce when he heard this story.

Buying a battery.  No research. No price comparison.  Emergency purchase.

All the ingredients were there for a foolish waste of our hard-earned cash.

I did what I had to do….  Research auto batteries and prove her wrong!

What did I find out?

Auto Battery Facts:

• 90% of the batteries are made by three manufacturers-Exide, Johnson Controls, and East Penn.
• Batteries have to be matched to your vehicle-most online sites have a battery matching algorithm to go through.  There are top post and side post batteries.
• Batteries now come with a 3 year free replacement and up to 84 months pro-rated warranty.
• Many online reviews highly recommended Costco who sell Kirkland Batteries, manufactured by Exide, or East Penn, depending on who you read.
• Batteries are rated on their cold starting ability (CCA)and their time to die when the alternator quits or you leave the radio or lights on.
• FastStart made by East Penn is the O’Reilly battery we bought. Don’t be confused with EverStart made by Johnson Control sold at Wal Mart.
• Bill Darden has a serious battery website/FAQ page for those of you who want to get to the science of batteries.  Sailors take batteries very seriously.  I used to be a sailor.
• Try to find batteries that have not been on the shelf long-as they do have a shelf life- Just like beer. Manufacturers dates are usually on the battery.  Don’t buy from the local shop that sells two batteries a year as it may already be partially discharged.
• You folks that live in extreme cold weather, your batteries have it a lot rougher.  We don’t deal with re-chargers or heaters in the south.
• High temps  shortens  battery life- as does that extreme cold.

The Results? Best Battery Buy:

• My wife’s  105 bucks for a 3 yr free replacement,  84 month pro-rated battery warranty beat the prices at Auto-Zone and  NAPA, although it is hard to compare apples to apples when it comes to batteries.  Their stats and warranties are all just a little different.
• Online reviews consistently touted Costco and even Wal-Mart for great battery replacement prices.  Wal-Mart and Costco’s websites were much more difficult to search and would not quote a battery price. So how can I compare?  If you need a battery and live near Costco or Wal-Mart, and are not in a hurry, check ‘em out.

As it turns out, my wife’s emergency battery purchase was at a competitive price and quality.  Whoo Hoo!

I sure wasn’t looking forward to telling her she made a bad purchase.  I think, rather I know, I would have just kept it to myself-you learn something after 30 years together.

Battery Comments:

You bought a new battery lately? Where did you buy it and what did it cost?

{Photo Credit: Spatulated c.c.}

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Tags: auto battery facts, best price on auto battery, getting the best deal on your auto battery, replacing your auto battery

This entry was posted on Thursday, August 18th, 2011 at 7:04 am and is filed under personal finance, Personal Finance 101. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.