Interstate, Kirkland or crappytire battery ?
 

Gents,

My sc430 battery is going. I just recharged it with the ctek a week ago but yesterday it was hard to crank. I'll check for drains but I doubt it. It's probably just the age of the damn thing.

Going to buy a new battery today so the mother in law isn't stranded.

Which battery ?

Interstate
Kirkland
motormaster

As the owner of a car that rarely gets driven (Mustang) and having far too much experience with dead car batteries, I will probably be going against the grain in saying no to Costco and their warranty, the batteries are shit. Likewise for Crappy Tire unless you buy one of their expensive lines. Cheaper ones are shit as well.

That said, I've always loved the Interstate in my MR2 Turbo, lots of discharges not being driven (MR2's have massive latent power draws), lots of abuse, 8+ years old now and still going strong. Also, when I worked at the police we put Interstate in all our cars when the lights/siren systems quickly killed the factory battery.

Sounds like it's just a daily with an old battery and it doesn't sit much though? You're probably okay to just buy the cheapest one.

Also, factory Toyota batteries are terrible, don't bother.

It sits alot because they are in Hong Kong for half the year. I guess I'll grab an interstate battery just for my own convenience. You guys know of any place in Richmond that sells it at a reasonable price ?

They closed their nice store on Broadway near Boundary... I think they're only in Langley now last I checked?

If they pull one of the terminals off when they leave, it will fare much better. I do that with my MR2 any time I am gone for more than a week and never have discharge issues anymore.

Convenience... get the upgraded Motomaster the blue/white lightning style label... it's solid. About $140ish I think.

I heard from a buddy of mine that all the batteries are made by only a few giant conglomerate. He bought some ghetto ass 80 dollar Walmart battery and it was made by Johnston controls (same guys who make interstate?). Anyways the battery lasted him 10 years on his daily but he replaced it with another one and it went in 6 month. I guess luck of the draw.

Yah I got that impression too... it has to be that way, they can't all be making their own moulds. Note with Crappy Tire there's an advantage to bringing your old battery with you IIRC as far as core charges/refunds or disposal fees go -- can't remember exactly.

Costco used to be highly rated batteries and were a kirkland branded version of a good johnson controls line, but i think that has changed and I've had alot of problems with them. Been replacing them on average every 3 years on my trucks that have them. Costco's return/warranty is nice, but dealing with costco and the return line is not worth the time.

I now spend the extra couple bucks for Interstate with the added benefit that the stores are easily accessible and the people working there, generally, know what they're talking about. They even gave me a loaner battery for my dump trailer while mine needed an over night charge one time.

Anywhere that sells batteries I think is obligated to give you a core refund on your old one, fyi.

Canadian Tire batteries are currently supplied by East Penn, the same supplier that makes batteries for Toyota, Honda, Nissan, etc. Actually pretty good quality now. The Motomaster Eliminator is 4 year warranty iirc, and approx $140. Dealer battery is about $160 and 3 year warranty afaik.

You don't have to worry about those older Motomaster batteries made by Exide... absolutely garbage. They changed to East Penn approximately 2-3 years ago

However, my dad is a big fan of interstate. I think we changed out the OE battery in our Matrix about 8-9 years ago for a green top interstate, drained to nothing two or three times due to long term parking, and brought it back to life each time LOL

I'm a big fan of Interstate batteries. They have never failed me whatsoever. Their added benefit is also a big bonus, as RRxter pointed out.

Go to a shop of your preference who carries Interstate batteries. They will likely give you a better rate than buying from the retail location in Langley. The one that closed at Broadway and Renfrew only sold at retail prices, and was a complete rip off.

Some people swear by the Costco and Canadian Tire warranty, however, I value my time and do not enjoy the headache of lining up at Costco's return/refund lineup or dealing with Canadian Tire. Some people enjoy that, and if that's their thing, then it is what it is. I prefer something that just works, as opposed to waiting for that exciting moment when it fails and the pleasure of telling the internet that Costco's warranty is the bees knees. Some people are just masochists.

If you don't drive the car for 6 months just disconnect the battery unless you're able to get it plugged in with a tender

You may also want to consider a battery tender to maintain the battery if the SC isn't' being driven often. It's nice car. Would suck not to be able to fire it up when you want to drive it.

I have the older version of this model from Canadian Tire and it has been awesome. Have had it for 10+ years and still going strong. Great price too!

It's not a bad idea for sure. I'm worried about leaving a charger outside though. They have a carport and I'm worried some asshole is going to cut the wire or try and steal the damn charger.

Another option could be a solar trickle charger. Mount it to the roof of your carport so its harder to steel.

Coleman Solar Battery Trickle Charger, 7 Watt 12 Volt | Canadian Tire

costco batteries - easiest to deal with when they do fail. in and out in 10 mins. Last time I even got money back because the price had gone down.

i put a cheap CT battery twist off disconnect on my e36. it has a habit of draining batteries.

takes 1 second to hook back up and added bonus theft deterrent.

So I shopped around trying to find interstate batteries and they were all hovering around 180 clams. Decided to cheap out and buy the Kirkland for 120 including core charge. The warranty is pretty amazing and manufacture date was June 2018. It also says made in Spain on the side (why do they need to advertise that ?).

Install was a sinch and everything works perfectly. I just hope it doesn't die after 2-3 years.

Are these batteries from CT, Costco, etc generally what most of you guys buy?

I've always stuck to oem, I was able to buy them for under $100 at the dealer which seemed to be cheaper... And I figured can't go wrong with oem.

bought Costco last time...I changed it out at 5 years to diagnose another problem so it could've lasted longer I think...still got like $30 back for the pro-rated warranty

the latest one seems to be going out at 3.5 years...the return/warranty is so hassle-free I agree it's in and out in 10 minutes...I doubt Interstate is drastically better in support

that said if the battery itself is quality then i'd like to try it esp if this vehicle may no longer be driven daily soon/possibly kept outdoors...where can I buy it at a reasonable price without driving to Langley?

Guys, this isn't rocket science.

If you are not driving the vehicle, and planning to keep it outdoors, then no matter the battery, it will affect the life expectancy of the battery. The same will happen even if you keep it indoors, except the death of the battery will not be as accelerated. If your car is draining the battery at an accelerated rate, then you have an electrical issue that needs to be diagnosed and addressed.

If you are happy with the in/out in 10 minutes switcharoo with Costco, and accept that it will last you between 3 - 5 years, then that is fine. My Interstate battery in my MR2 was about 7 years old and still fired up after a recharge. I think SpuGen may still even have it!

Try the usual suspects like The Speed Syndicate etc. I'm pretty sure they carry Interstate batteries. Most shops do.

Never had an issue with Costco batteries personally, and I shop there enough to justify buying from them

Just bought a deep cycle for my boat which will not be cared for and driven a couple times a year. Guess I’ll buy an interstate next year :p. Honestly though, I have a battery switch and a small solar panel to keep the battery in tip top shape. If it’s shit by next year I’ll update the thread. Lol

bought the cheapest ass one at walmart for $100 on a mustang,cranked up fine,we'll see how long it lasts

EverStart MAXX - 5 Year Warranty program with 3 years free replacement

Under the hood there's a 3 or 4 year old Interstate battery, kids drained the crap out of it watching movies and played with the lights.

Now I can't leave the Odyssey in accessory mode for more than 10 minutes, did my kids kill the battery? Had to jump start it a few times

lol rip honda odyssey and interstate battery

and fuck costco and fuck da police #nwa #vi

peace out

/thread

@ TypeRNammer

Assuming your battery truly is 3 - 4 years old:

https://www.interstatebatteries.com/support/warranty

Good luck and enjoy. Or go to Costco. :inoutugh:

Interstate.