Anybody bought a new car battery lately

[gmerkt]

If you've bought one lately, you know they aren't giving them away. I don't mean the kind for an EV car, just a normal ICE vehicle. They cost $150 and up, depending on what size and where bought. Mrs. Merkt's 2012 Hyundai battery had a 2017 case date on it. That's approx. seven years old. I did a static charge test on it, the voltage was getting down there but the battery wasn't giving any sign of imminent failure. But for a change, I decided not to try to get my last nickel's worth of current out of it before it fully crapped out. The previous replacement battery I'd bought at the Hyundai dealer for $125. It had a nice little folding carry handle on the top. The replacement that I bought this week was made exactly the same way, even down to the detail on the handle. The only difference was it had a NAPA sticker on it instead of Hyundai. Obviously made in the same factory. The latest one cost $180 plus tax.

Our son has a 2012 Lexus CT 200h, a little hybrid car. He bought it new, it has about 100K miles on it. That one has batteries for the electric motors, plus a "normal" battery for starting the IC engine. He hasn't had to replace the electric motor batteries, but of course the engine battery has been. It's been an excellent little car in terms of low operational cost. He follows the book on periodic maintenance but beyond that I don't think it's every needed any work. It was a breath of fresh air after his owning several German cars, all of which were a pain in the rump and costly to operate.

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[TTSX]

I'm pretty sure I paid $120 or so for my most recent in a 90s explorer. Don't buy from parts stores, they'll rip you off.

 

[Nosferatu]

Yeah, bought 2 new ones last summer for the F350 @ $250/ea.

 

[TTSX]

Yeah, bought 2 new ones last summer for the F350 @ $250/ea.

They really saw you coming. And if you looked over your shoulder, might have seen them cumming

 

[bionic knees]

I put 2 new batteries in my Dodge Diesel last spring to the tune of $420. and put 2 new 6 volt deep cycle batteries on the toy hauler to the tune of $525. all 4 were on "sale"

 

[Nosferatu]

They really saw you coming. And if you looked over your shoulder, might have seen them cumming

It's about the going rate for a Group 65 AGM



I didn't have much of a choice at the time, I was out in the middle of po-dunk nowhere Washington when they decided they didn't like keeping a charge. I had to take what I could find.

 

[CountryGent]

This summer I replaced a battery on our Kawaski MULE, which is a utility/farm vehicle and it was $136.99. Certainly more than the last time I had to replace.

 

[GrayGoose]

My Optima Red Top for my Viper cost $230 on sale ($280 before the $50 sale discount) a few months ago.
Yeah they're not cheap but $230 was a good price for the Optima. My Viper only gets the best.

 

[64MercurysRule]

From what I've read there are only 3 or 4 battery manufacturers in the US so the similarities from one brand to the next is not unusual . Like with appliances just a few major manufacturers . I have been buying the Exide battery from Bimart , 84 mo for years & I've gotten 84/87/88+ out of them . Only had 1 lose a cell but it happened @ 84 mo so I call all those a victory . By the way the 84 mo would have gone more but I had drained it 50% & after that it was down hill . Last 4 years price went from $90 to $130 .

 

[Cavedweller]

Inflation thread this way >>>> https://www.northwestfirearms.com/threads/on-the-inflation-front.450730/page-38

 

[Barefootdog]

Maybe two or three years since I replaced the batteries in the 06 Dodge Cummins. The batteries sold at Walmart were better than most of the lead acid units sold by other manufacturers. Lots of U Tube video and on-line comparisons/reviews.

I know, not glitzy, but value for money is good and the batteries are good.

All of my deep cycle batteries (3) are the Walmart brand and they have been strong performers as well.

YMMV...

 

[Certaindeaf]

Project Farm test channel on youtube.. Optima batteries suck.

 

[jbett98]

I found a company in Gresham that sells BMW & Mercedes batteries that are as new but can't be sold through a dealership because they have been sitting for over 6 months on a shelf.
I needed one for my '95 Jeep Wrangler and they had an AGM one that would fit for only $85.00.

 

[Alexx1401]

If you've bought one lately, you know they aren't giving them away. I don't mean the kind for an EV car, just a normal ICE vehicle. They cost $150 and up, depending on what size and where bought. Mrs. Merkt's 2012 Hyundai battery had a 2017 case date on it. That's approx. seven years old. I did a static charge test on it, the voltage was getting down there but the battery wasn't giving any sign of imminent failure. But for a change, I decided not to try to get my last nickel's worth of current out of it before it fully crapped out. The previous replacement battery I'd bought at the Hyundai dealer for $125. It had a nice little folding carry handle on the top. The replacement that I bought this week was made exactly the same way, even down to the detail on the handle. The only difference was it had a NAPA sticker on it instead of Hyundai. Obviously made in the same factory. The latest one cost $180 plus tax.

Our son has a 2012 Lexus CT 200h, a little hybrid car. He bought it new, it has about 100K miles on it. That one has batteries for the electric motors, plus a "normal" battery for starting the IC engine. He hasn't had to replace the electric motor batteries, but of course the engine battery has been. It's been an excellent little car in terms of low operational cost. He follows the book on periodic maintenance but beyond that I don't think it's every needed any work. It was a breath of fresh air after his owning several German cars, all of which were a pain in the rump and costly to operate.

Many just seemed shocked by stuff like this because its not something you buy daily. So the difference seems shocking. Stop and think when at the grocery store walking out with a couple bags of stuff what those same bags cost you 6 years ago. Everything went up. Again elections do have consequences as a wise man said not long ago.

 

[Alexx1401]

From what I've read there are only 3 or 4 battery manufacturers in the US so the similarities from one brand to the next is not unusual . Like with appliances just a few major manufacturers . I have been buying the Exide battery from Bimart , 84 mo for years & I've gotten 84/87/88+ out of them . Only had 1 lose a cell but it happened @ 84 mo so I call all those a victory . By the way the 84 mo would have gone more but I had drained it 50% & after that it was down hill . Last 4 years price went from $90 to $130 .

There is only a few if even than many still due to the cost. They are heavily regulated and are handling very toxic stuff. So its not the kind of thing that is going to have plants all over the place trying to compete. Cost of building a new one now days would be prohibitive.

 

[gmerkt]

I'm pretty sure I paid $120 or so for my most recent in a 90s explorer. Don't buy from parts stores, they'll rip you off.

I shopped around a little before I plunked down my money. The Hyundai store quoted $200, I asked what is the senior citizen price, they said, $180. The Home Depot battery was $149 but they didn't have a Group 47 size. Two months ago, I stopped by the NAPA store, at the time I didn't know the group size. The guy said there were two possibilities, with senior discount, $150. Fast forward two months, the best they could do was $180 for the Group 47. I didn't feel like going back to the Hyundai store for the same discount. All prices plus 10% state sales tax.

A few months ago, I bought a new battery for my Mercury not-so-Grand Marquis, it was a more common size, Group 65, cost $135. from O'Reilly auto parts store.

One thing for sure, you don't want to be sitting along the side of the road or in some parking lot because you waited too long to buy a new battery. I've done that more than once.

 

[JRuby]

I buy optima battery's for all my vehicles and I know they are over 200$ for the red tops. They are worth it to me based on how they have worked for me.

 

[Provincial]

I've been buying batteries at Costco and Bi-Mart with equal results. They last until the warranty period runs out, more or less. At the end of the period, the warranty isn't worth the gas to go back to the original source, unless you are going there for another reason.

I have a number of vehicles that use Group 65 size. When one fails on a rig that uses two batteries, and one still passes a load test, I turn in a junker and keep that one as a "spare." I have one rig running on a "spare" now that doesn't see much use. I may postpone buying a new one for that rig until there is a sale. One of the benefits of living in a rural area with lots of shop space.

 

[L84Cabo]

It perplexes me.

Car battery technology...starting batteries, not EV's...but car battery tech is pretty well established and hasn't changed much in years. The batteries can't be that expensive to make. And we're past the supply chain issues...at least for the moment.

So why in the hell are these damn things so expensive!?

*old man runs out and starts yelling at clouds*

 

[Bobbygun]

From what I've read there are only 3 or 4 battery manufacturers in the US so the similarities from one brand to the next is not unusual . Like with appliances just a few major manufacturers . I have been buying the Exide battery from Bimart , 84 mo for years & I've gotten 84/87/88+ out of them . Only had 1 lose a cell but it happened @ 84 mo so I call all those a victory . By the way the 84 mo would have gone more but I had drained it 50% & after that it was down hill . Last 4 years price went from $90 to $130 .

I too have been buying the Bi-Mart batteries for years. Honestly, I think they have gone downhill a bit. They are really great about taking back a bad newer battery with no questions asked. Plus, they will pro-rate an older battery and give you credit toward a new one if it gives out before it should. I have had to make use of their warranty program a little more than I would like though. Their prices are hard to beat.