Best place to buy car batteries?

[Clay]

I used to run nothing but interstate. good batteries, but Ive never had them last any longer than most the cheapie batteries.

Best battery I ever had was a factory battery in a 2000 Jeep Wrangler. It lasted 11 years before I had to replace it! If I could get that kind of performance out of a battery, I would pay good money for it!

 

[bwframe]

Should one check their battery fluid level with the excessive heat we have been seeing? Abnormal evaporation?

 

[Clay]

Im pretty sure the heat killed the battery in my jeep since I've been gone and its been sitting for a week and half. You can check the fluid level, but most new batteries are "maintenance free" and aren't as easy to check as the older batteries with individual caps per cell. Just be sure if you do to wear some eye protection. Dont need any sulfuric acid in your face! and if you need to add, make sure you use distilled water.

 

[Mr. Habib]

I used to run nothing but interstate. good batteries, but Ive never had them last any longer than most the cheapie batteries.

Best battery I ever had was a factory battery in a 2000 Jeep Wrangler. It lasted 11 years before I had to replace it! If I could get that kind of performance out of a battery, I would pay good money for it!

That kind of performance is why I buy Optimas. The one in my TJ lasted for 10+ years. Put one in our former Honda van and it was still going strong after 7 years and over 200k miles when we sold it. I've never had any other battery last over 5 years.

 

[4sarge]

hey I guess I should update.

I priced batteries at autozone and oriellys, and they were around $100.

Then I went to Rural King.

The only thing I didnt like about RK is they couldn't spec a battery for my XJ, so I had to do it myself. they let be borrow a tape measure.

I had a group 34 battery, and they had a group 75 and a group 34 that matched pretty well. The great thing is the batteries were normally $60, but they had a sale and the one I got was $10 off. I bought the group 75 battery because it had 50 more CCA than the 34. So it was 800 CCA @ 32F, and 650 @ 0F, Excide marked. Warranty is 60 months, probably prorated, but for that price Im not worried about it.

Sorry, slow in responding. I've bought several batteries at RK in TH and have yet to be disappointed on price or performance

 

[Bunnykid68]

Do not forget your alternator can effect the life of your battery as well.

Bad alternator can ruin a good battery and the opposite holds true as well.

 

[A_Brit_In_Indy]

Get the right battery for your car, pay attention to CCA cold cranking amps and RP which is reserve power, this is the amount of storage time the battery has without being recharged.
I'm an Interstate battery dealer, and in this heat we've replaced more batteries than in the depths of winter.
Buy the best you can, cheaper is not always better.