Battery replacement recommendations???

Yes, this has been my experience with Walmart also. Battery replacement with no issues, no questions.
I like Walmart because they are everywhere in the event you have a failure. I used to use the Die Hard because there was "always a Sears in town". But, not so any more.

 

Interesting. I purchased my first Costco Interstate battery last year to replace my OEM 2019 Panasonic. There I was told their warranty changes to prorated value were due to people abusing their policy.

Guy told me they are not allowed to test the incoming returns (something to do with insurance) and were simply just replacing them. He said too many people were just returning them prior to warranty expiration whether they were bad or not and only having to pay for the first battery.

Not sure this was a true account or not.

 

I have actually seen people standing in line at Costco to return Christmas Trees in January. These are those deplorables that screw it for all of us.

 

ive seen it as well with people returning 5 year old furniture.

 

How long ago?

 

Batteries don’t fail without giving the user a warning. Vehicle electronics and starting behavior will be compromised well before a catastrophic event and I’m truly shocked by the lack of observation skills humans possess today.

 

Yes, I'm in your situation as well. I put in an Everstart Platinum AGM initially with no booster since I'd never even heard of the potential concern. I added a booster after about 10 months but that 4 yr battery pooped out at 2 yr and 10 months. Walmart replaced it without question. This was in 10/25. Out of curiosity, I checked my batteries voltage with the multimeter before I turned in for the night. Reading was 12.8v. This morning before I started up to drive to work it was fluctuating between 12.59 and 12.61. (Jeez) Started up and drove to work with the booster on high. I didn't check it when running right then since I assumed it would be in charge mode. When I got to work (30 miles total/27 of it hwy) I checked it running resulting in 14.4v with booster on high. Shut off and resting voltage at 13.3v. Hmmm, I'll check again when I go back out this afternoon.

I don't know if there has been any CCA degradation.

Edit/update 12.63v at the end of the workday.

 

This was 2-3 years ago.

 

They only do 6 month free replacements now. After that it's prorated for the balance of the warranty.

 

I can also confirm this. The Interstates are good. We had red top optima agms in a diesel tractor that got heavy use that got replaced because one of the posts got ripped off and they were 13 years old and still started it just fine.

 

Don’t underestimate the ignorance of your common man.

 

Central Texas weather isn’t anything enjoyable for batteries or humans either and I’ve never had a battery fail without warning, slow deaths have been the norm here. My wife’s battery gave up the ghost about a year ago and she claims that the vehicle was acting normally prior to the failure. She’s not one for recognizing slight nuances either.

 

When my 2016 needed a battery my trusted mechanic recommended AC Delco. It seems like a properly ballsy battery to me

 

Consumer Reports (subscription required) frequently tests and rates auto batteries.

According to their tests, the current top five in groups 24/24F and 35 batteries are:





In my limited experience, battery brands rise and fall (a particular battery that does great in the current tests may test poorly in two or three years), so having these test results is good.

I used Wally World EverStart Maxx batteries for about 15 years and they were good for me (SoCal, Zone 10 weather) with all the freeway driving. A couple of months ago I replaced a five-year-old+ EverStart Maxx 24F in one vehicle when the battery tester said it was on its last legs. I replaced it with an AGM battery that had a 48-month warranty.

The EverStart Maxx batteries used to have a longer warranty, now 36 months, I believe. Same as the Interstate batteries sold by Costco.

 

A part of the discussion in this thread had been a bit of a concern for me since my 5 y.o. battery called it quits and quite rapidly at that. All of my prior vehicle batteries averaged between 6-8 years (with many being replaced long before they exhibited failure - Read: weak starts.) In the spirit of discussion I'd like to bring up an interesting observation on my part regarding temperature effects on automobile (lead acid) batteries. It seems to correlate to what a number of manufacturers, forum posts and the like seems to confirm, that heat weakens them.

For me, most of my life has been spent along coastal regions with its temperate climate (cooler than tropical) being zone 3. For over a year I've been spending more time in zone 12 so here's the temperature breakdown between those two zones. Please note the differences specifically during the summer months.

Zone 3


Zone 12


Now while the average temperature range between the two are within 10 or so degrees seems insignificant I'd like to make note that my vehicles overnight (or observed when starting the engine first thing in the morning) is a much more pronounced difference. For example, during the prime summer heat days where the average daily approaches the mid 90s, my 4Rs engine temperature first thing in the morning averages close to 85º-90º which means the starter battery is sitting in an oven (I need to set a reminder for next summer to do some thermal scans of the engine bay!) over a much longer period of time per day than it did when I lived in zone 3 so I'm convinced that this difference alone is responsible for why my Panasonic only lasted less than 5 years and died a quick death. Hell, I had a Diehard that I bought at Sears back around 2005 that was still going strong almost nine years later because it lived in a much cooler climate.

 

I’ve had instances where a failure was predated by maybe three noticeably weak starts but have had some that only gave one as warning. (latter was AGM)

Also you’d think warnings on the fritz are a sign of a dying battery but I’ve had some warnings act up in colder weather (or if it was sitting) that would later go away but then another year of service was had before a preemptive battery replacement was done. (Honda)

 

My OEM Panasonic died after 3.5 years, operating in a hot desert climate. Luckily I carry a lithium jumper pack to get back on the road. Right to a Costco for an Interstate battery. Now I routinely replaced them every 3 years. Don’t wait for a failure.

 

most people dont keep their battery maintain properly. dont care what battery you buy

Op- get battery you can afford , learn how to maintain battery in good condition all time.

 

If you live in a hot or cold climate buy the cheapest battery that meets Toyota specs.

In TX I get 3 years out of a battery. Heat is death to "sealed" batteries. Just as cold is.

All LA batts have to vent, that or contain an explosion. Since containing an explosion would make batteries too expensive they all vent, even the "sealed" ones. So when they charge/discharge in a hot environment the electroyle dries out, (you vent hydrogen when you charge and water is H2O) and the battery fails. You are past the "free replacement time and the pro rata for a three year old battery is about zilch. You are money ahead by making the smart buy...

 

I typically go with a Duralast Gold from autozone and it comes with a 3 year warranty. Typically all my vehicles will show signs of needing it to be replaced within that 3 years and then it gets replaced for free. Have gotten a lot of free batteries in my time.

 

Have not needed a new battery yet on my 24 4R. But all the other cars get replaced after 3yrs usually before the cold MI winters. There is nothing worse than a cold snowy night and a dead battery.

 

The area/zone where you live and drive is obviously one huge factor.

As mentioned upthread we are SoCal/Zone 10. For us, a battery tester is useful but not as much as it could be for someone in a higher latitude/lower zone number.

I got by for years and years without one. My MO was replace when needed, after failure if necessary. But when it comes to family members-- wife, daughters-- I'm not comfortable sailing that close to the wind, so to speak. I'd rather be proactive. Especially in this blue sheet-hole state where I live.

$52 TOPDON BT100 Car Battery Tester 12V Load Tester, 100-2000 CCA Automotive Alternator Tester Digital Auto Battery Analyzer Charging Cranking System Tester for Car Truck Motorcycle ATV SUV Boat Yacht

The battery tester was eye-opening. $48 or whatever well-spent. Particularly when I tested after letting the battery sit overnight so everything would settle down. Took the guesswork out.

Batteries are not all the same. We got a CPO Lexus in 2023 with a brand-new Japanese D26R lead-acid battery, allegedly 580 CCA. It only took about a year and we were seeing it test at 57% health with only 12.3V and 437 CCA. Seemed like it was hesitating on starts and since Mrs. 37882345blameless is the driver, that battery had to be replaced. Peace of mind.