New car battery, brand or vendor recommendations?

[tonytiger55]

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I splurged on the Costco AGM "Energizer" (LoL) battery and it's so noticeably better, I don't think I'll ever go back to a regular battery.

How much did you pay?

[thetransporter]

its highly recommended to avoid Optima now> their quality went down hill lots of failure.

[pheoxs]

Always Costco for batteries strictly for the warranty

[ThePenIsMightier]

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How much did you pay?

For my vehicle, it was $250 + tax in June and it looks like it's $270 now. So, they are quite a bit more as I believe that's about $100 more than a regular Lead Acid battery for the same vehicle.

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Always Costco for batteries strictly for the warranty

ExtraSlow's argument for NAPA is rock solid, though. There's always a Napa near where you're broken down.

[killramos]

Better becuase Costco?

Or better becuase first AGM battery?

[ZeroGravity]

Any consensus on Canadian Tire / Motomaster Eliminator AGM batteries?

[ThePenIsMightier]

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Better becuase Costco?

Or better becuase first AGM battery?

I've had a car with an AGM but I got it that way. This time I got to see and experience the upgrade. Smooth, fast windows and much more aggressive, snappy engine cranking.

[ExtraSlow]

Old shitty battery vs new battery has that effect.

[flipstah]

No love for Interstate batteries? I get them at Auto Value and they've been great AGM

[ExtraSlow]

Brand matters a lot less than you think. Buying the largest that fits in your vehicle and keeping it in good condition (with a battery maintainer of course), and age, matter much more.

Most brands sell an economy and a premium option. The premium ones often have longer warranties, which has some value. The construction difference may be quite subtle...

[spike98]

Costco Energizer batteries get you 3 extra years of warranty (pro-rated) vs the Kirkland. Thats what i went with.

[ThePenIsMightier]

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Any consensus on Canadian Tire / Motomaster Eliminator AGM batteries?

I quit using their batteries because they are good and priced quite fairly, but I think zero of them have made it through a full warranty period and I'd rather just not break down. A free replacement is great, but not when you still got fisted at -39 while TPiM drove by you and laughed.

[Doozer]

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I quit using their batteries because they are good and priced quite fairly, but I think zero of them have made it through a full warranty period and I'd rather just not break down. A free replacement is great, but not when you still got fisted at -39 while TPiM drove by you and laughed.

This is a fair statement.

I just used the 4yr warranty for a spare replacement on a CT battery that was 2.5yrs old. After last winter's deep freeze it kept going, but was never the same. It would die after 3-4 days of sitting even during the summer. The good news is that I planned out the replacement and had it done on a warm day before this cold snap set in. Downside was that it took an hour for them to plug it in and run their own diagnostics before they confirmed it was failed and replacement needed.

On the upside, the new battery continues with the remainder of the original warranty, so I still have another 20 months or so of warranty on this new replacement. Some places void any more warranty returns once you've done it once.

[Thaco]

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Costco Energizer batteries get you 3 extra years of warranty (pro-rated) vs the Kirkland. Thats what i went with.

but they dont....

[spike98]

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but they dont....

Yup, sorry. You're right. I was mixing it up with the CT Eliminator I was comparing with when i was shopping (and speaking about the AGM). Good catch.

[Hallowed_point]

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I quit using their batteries because they are good and priced quite fairly, but I think zero of them have made it through a full warranty period and I'd rather just not break down. A free replacement is great, but not when you still got fisted at -39 while TPiM drove by you and laughed.

QFT, I will never buy another Canadian Tire Eliminator after my last experience. Failed in under 3 years and had to go back twice to get them to replace it. Costco Energizer AGM's only

[Thaco]

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QFT, I will never buy another Canadian Tire Eliminator after my last experience. Failed in under 3 years and had to go back twice to get them to replace it. Costco Energizer AGM's only

also CT warranty is LOL

Basically any reason for your battery to be weak is a warranty void
\

[ExtraSlow]

I am over CT for batteries, and I fucking love triangle stores.

[ThePenIsMightier]

If you return a CT battery with the paper receipt in your hand exactly 6 minutes before closing time, all the other rules go out the window and you will walk out with a new battery.
My friend used to curb cars and every single fucking car he bought had a dead CT battery that was less than 2 years old. That got tiresome, so he would buy a new battery for his family or friends, swap stickers and return the dead ones at closing time.
Stealing? More like stealing from the thieves. All the returned batteries were still under warranty.

[ExtraSlow]

CT warranty is a fuck-show. not saying you can't game the system, but finding an employee who can test your battery, and compare that to the specs, and decide if it qualifies for warranty replaement, and will rin that in, is a multi-hour excursion.

I once had to make three trips to the store to BUY a battery and have them provide the warranty paperwork. it was incredible.