Car batteries

[Caveman Jim]

GOOD LAWDY, when did a small car battery start costin 100 friggin dollars????!!!!!!
I should come out of retirement and go into the battery business!!!!!!!!!

Read More

 

[808hondacrguy]

I hear you!!! I just had to get a battery for my motorcycle, and I ended up paying $149 for a middle of the road one. The lowest quote I got was $100 for a 90 day warranty one.

 

[mkwerx]

At leat a decade ago. AAA battery service in Oregon / Idaho club is $115 installed for an inexpensive tiered batt (by group size) and go to $150 for the big batts found in eurotrash cars.

Even the crappy Exide batts bimart sells are $80+

Buy a decent batt and you will get years more performance though.

 

[Certaindeaf]

I wonder how much the batteries cost in a hybrid/all electric.. that poop out in 8-10 years? $10,000?

 

[Stomper]

GOOD LAWDY, when did a small car battery start costin 100 friggin dollars????!!!!!!
I should come out of retirement and go into the battery business!!!!!!!!!

I can't wait to see what Cavey does when the cost of hearing aid batteries skyrocket, too!

 

[oknow]

Thanks for reminding me.

I have to buy two for my new trolling motor

 

[Capn Jack]

I wonder how much the batteries cost in a hybrid/all electric.. that poop out in 8-10 years? $10,000?

Just replaced six 6volt batteries in my boat to the tune of $1,200.+ tax

 

[mkwerx]

I wonder how much the batteries cost in a hybrid/all electric.. that poop out in 8-10 years? $10,000?

Batt prIce on a hybrid right now is about $3500-$5000 installed. The battery prices came down with the popularity of them. They still have a bigger "carbon footprint" than standard high effuciency IC engines. But they make greenies feel better about themselves.

 

[Certaindeaf]

Just replaced six 6volt batteries in my boat to the tune of $1,200.+ tax

Wow. I'd go white trash mode for sure! probably
It's amazing how you can often resuscitate a battery thought fully dead to 100% capacity.
Neat stuff on youtoob

 

[Caveman Jim]

I can't wait to see what Cavey does when the cost of hearing aid batteries skyrocket, too!

I got free batteries as long as this old HA is still working....
But a friggin CAR BATTERY $100!!!!!!!GOOD LAWDY!!!!!!

 

[Windsor]

I got an Optima Red Top ($219). After a year and a half, it died. Exchanged under warranty last year. Went out yesterday to start my truck and it was dead. Exchanged under warranty today due to a dead cell. Got a yellow top in exchange. Hopefully this one will last more than a year. If this one craps out, I'll exchange it for a yellow top to put on my trailer and go to walmart for a regular battery.
Moral of the story. DON'T BUY OPTIMA BATTERIES.

 

[mkwerx]

I got an Optima Red Top ($219). After a year and a half, it died. Exchanged under warranty last year. Went out yesterday to start my truck and it was dead. Exchanged under warranty today due to a dead cell. Got a yellow top in exchange. Hopefully this one will last more than a year. If this one craps out, I'll exchange it for a yellow top to put on my trailer and go to walmart for a regular battery.
Moral of the story. DON'T BUY OPTIMA BATTERIES.

What Are you putting the Optima in? AGM batteries charge differently than lead acid. Some modern cars require programming the computer when batts are switched or they will damage the battery or the car and not charge properly. Could be your vehicle doesnt play well with agm batteries?

 

[JRuby]

I have had very good success with optimal red tops that is all I will buy for factory replacement.

 

[TOVO]

Just like household paint today. Due to the DEG the products need to be made off shore.

 

[01rednavigator]

I just had to buy a new battery for my Navigator last month. I always buy Motorcraft (Ford) Batteries, they have a very good warranty. I get the 8 year warranty battery and it only lasted about 4 years so I only had to pay $49.10 for the new battery rather than $160.

 

[lucifermonkey]

You can blame higher lead prices for the cost of batteries now.

Also, Optima batteries "were" best in the business. Not anymore.
Made in Mexico now and the revised warranty sucks. Save your money.

Almost all batteries are made by Johnson Controls and slapped with whatever brand label.

Best and cheapest battery I researched and found last year - Walmart EverStart.
Hard to believe but true. Still comes with a 5 year warranty.

 

[clearconscience]

I worked for AAA for a while and we had really good batteries in Kentucky and then when I came back here I sold them too. We had a grear warranty, but here in portland people never drives their cars, they sit while people ride their bikes or take transit. The batteries would die and they would get made that we didn't warranty them.
Cars are always draining a battery, although slowly. After a week or two even with a new battery your car will die.
Get a tender if you don't drive a lot (or take really short trips).

Cheap walmart batteries are ish.
But I never could see a difference between a $80 battery or a $200 one.
It's all in how you treat it.

 

[Mikej]

The old "Optima red/blue/yellow top" being the "BEST" battery is a bunch of hogwash! The AGM and gel batteries or for when you need a battery that doesn't gas while charging, won't spill acid and/or need a battery that will take a beating, literally.

Tiny battery compartment, and you need to lay the battery on it's side. Take a beating like running white water jet boats, like they run on the Salmon, or Snake River rapids, or worse. Gassing...Small unventilated compartments where corrosive gasses produced while charging flooded lead acid batteries would cause damage.

Marine starting batteries are supposedly built a little stronger to deal with the pounding they are apt to get in the marine environment. A duel purpose Deep cycle/starting battery will not be great for either. If you have room your better off to have one of each on board.

Plain old flooded lead acid batteries STILL put out more juice for longer, and cheaper, than either one of the others. AGM and gel batteries do have different charging requirements than flooded batteries, and as mention above, and if ignored will shorten the life of the battery.

I buy my batteries at Costco or Bi-Mart. I'm waiting for Bi-Mart marine starting batteries to go on sale. The one in my boat I put in in 2006 just got flaky this fall.

 

[Oregonhunter5]

Les Schwaub handles my tires and batteries.
But not my brakes.