Came with car, super reliable walmart December 2017 battery finally caught in cold weather slow to crank in garage.
good batteries, i knew my 5 year plan on batteries was close.
costco interstate surprisingly good prce 89.95.. and 650 cca, but i would do that walmart battery again.
walmart 550 cca is 69 bucks but to go to 700 cca is 139.00

posted because i thought really decent deal on battery for the cold weather cruisers

 

I like the Interstate batteries. Have them in my hot rods.

 

Go with the Costco, I use them with no issues and the warrenty if great.

 

Not a fan of Interstate at all, had issues with the last couple including one that went totally dead-could not even jump it. Surprisingly Walmart batteries have been pretty good. I'm a cold weather guy , mine is 5-6 years old and I've been thinking about being preemptive about changing it out... Thanks for the info...

60

 

I'm not sure what to make of various batteries at this point. I bought a new AC Delco battery in 2012 and it lasted seven strong years before getting weak.

So naturally I replaced it with another new AC Delco in 2019. But before I could start praising the AC Delco batteries, the second battery died out in 2 1/2 years.

In your case, I think I would go with another Walmart battery and see what happens.

 

I use the Walmart batteries in all my cars. No issues.

 

Had an interstate gel battery lasted 10 yrs in Florida heat used a battery tender.
Cold cranking amps mean nothing. Reserve capacity is what you want.

 

Walmart $69 battery. If I recall correctly the factory battery was 450 CCA and pretty much every battery currently made for this application will be more than that so CCA is just a "I've got 50 more horsepower than you do" talking point. Thirty or forty years ago my go to was Sears Die Hard but now I get the Walmart special. As has been pointed out here on numerous occasions there are only a few actual manufacturers of auto batteries now and they are just relabeled for the retailers. For all we know the Costco battery is the same battery as the Walmart. Who knows?

I believe strongly in preventative maintenance NOT break/fix. I consider batteries to have a 4 year lifespan.....if you are lucky. I've had plenty that lasted far beyond that in equipment that doesn't leave my property but I drive my cars and hate breakdowns while away from home so pulling a Cosmo Kramer and trying to get the last few miles out of a tank of gas is not an interest of mine. The previous owner had installed a Walmart $69 battery in my Corvette with a 1/2018 manufacture date. I load test it myself every year pre-season and it was still passing the test this year but I figured it was overdue so I replaced it with a 5/2023 Walmart $69 battery. Hey, I got an extra year out of it so I'm ahead of the game. The last one worked and hopefully this one will as well. Mind you, I've paid handsomely for premium products when warranted and usually buy the best but the battery market is mostly uplifted junk or the same $69 battery with a $189 price tag and a different label. When those Walmart EverStart 75-1 600CCA $69.74 batteries begin failing prematurely I'll move on but until then I'm riding that horse every time.

 

yup..but in my case 18f cranking showed its weakness…so then wouldn’t Cold cranking amps matter? Especially if you need to get gas to carb after sitting…
or teaching your kid to drive the 4speed lol….and restarting after failed clutch engagement.. loo

but the resrve keeps my heater blower running and headlights lol..
i find the costco interstates last about 4-5 years.. in many vehicles..

 

You all get pretty good life span on your batteries for being in colder climate areas I guess, but in Arizona, three years is usually the max life...period. Anything after that you are just waiting to be stranded somewhere with a dead battery. Since I don't drive the vette much, my Optima will go about 5-6 years. The heat here cooks batteries at a fast rate.

 

My walmart battery is going to be like 11 years old in January. Last time I bought a battery another car a friend told me to compare and Costco had a better price with a 3 year (versus 2 year at walmart) so I bought it at Costco.
I don't care where I get a battery anymore and just look for the best price on a 2 or 3 years warranty; 3 preferably.

For some reason my Murano eats batteries and I do not really see a large parasitic load so last time I got a battery for that thing I also installed a Solar battery maintainer---- since it sits outside. If it was garaged I would have gotten a regular plug-in maintainer but I've been quite impressed with the solar one and it is actually less hassle...just remains plugged in all the time.

 

What I do not understand is how the same brand can change how long it lasts.

My last Interstate lasted 10 years. The replacement 5 years.

I have not had good luck with Optima spiral cell batteries. It seems to me that if they go totally dead (short, lights left on, etc.) they do not recover well. That was my experience, YMMV.

I have had good luck with NAPA Legend batteries. Interesting thing about Walmart batteries. If I need a replacement and I am going to sell the car, that is my battery of choice.

This post may have come at a good time. My Interstate battery stopped holding a charge. However, the original battery purchased on March 1, 1976, was a J.C. Penny Lifetime guarantee battery. While J.C. Penny may have divested their automotive section, Firestone still seems to honor it. I wonder if they still will. I have not purchased a battery for my 1969 in 47 years.

 

Optima batteries are recharged differently than others. The interstate gel battery is very good too.