Better lucky some times
Ditch-Runner
Member Posts: 25,218 ✭✭✭✭
Wife and I were out shopping headed back home last shops were by wallmart and aldie's very close to each other .
In aldies came out the car no start just a couple grones from the starter , oh great not my words trust me
1st I Checked the battery cables all good I noticed the date on the battery Nov 2020 . It never gave any reason or showed any issues until that moment . But we were about 200 yards from Walmart
I Took a walk across the parking lots, I bought a new battery 175.00 ouch, batterys forbthe wifes honda had gone up and a cheap pair of vise grips to changed out the battery in the parking lot
I say lucky because we were close to home it was a nice day about four o'clock in the afternoon and a close place to buy a battery.
I have used Walmart batterys for years even see a lot of good ratings about them
any way lucky my wife was not out some where on her own or us for that matter in the middle of the night with so many other bad possibilities when the battery gave up.
I have never had one just fail I know it happens but normaly some early signs it's going
But the battery was with days of being four years old not bad anymore. I have some that lasted 2x as long, but anyway, and it's good to know going into winter it's good to go now, and new tires and alinment last week 750.00 , another ouch .
So luck or my guardian angel was watching out for us I guess
Comments
I hope you're right about Wal-Mart batteries. Got the mower and cyclone rake out Tuesday to catch up on the leaves and when I stopped the mower to get something out of the garage, it wouldn't even turn over when I tried to start it again. I checked around and the only one within 25 miles that had the right battery in stock was Wal-Mart. Swapped batteries and the mower ran like a champ. I did notice that the battery I took out was dated 2016, so it lasted 8 years. I wonder if the new one will last that long? I do put a battery minder over the winter on the mower so maybe that's why I got 8 years out of the old one. I was surprised that the new battery says "Made in USA", so I feel a bit better about buying it. Bob
I had to put a new battery in my old Nissan pickup a couple of months ago.The one I took out was a Interstate that had lasted 12 years. I replaced it with a WalMart battery. A mechanic I trust told me the newer Interstate batteries are not lasting like the older ones so there is no need to pay twice price for the same quality battery.
i buy wal mart batteries and tires for one reason—warranty. buying at the local tire shop is okey, but if you are not near there when you have a problem your warranty is virtually worthless. Wal mart warranties are honored at all their stores with very little hassle, and no matter where you are in this country you are probably within 30 minutes of a wal mart. another thing i have learned with batteries for seldom used equipment is the value of battery maintainers. i buy mine at harbor freight for very little money and have found they greatly extend my battery life on equipment that can set a lot between uses. i have a 4yr old wal mart economy battery {$55 at the time, and one year warranty} in one of my tractors that is still working fine. i actually wired the maintainer directly to this battery and just plug it into a dedicated extension cord when i put the tractor away.
For bad luck of battery dying, you had really good luck of when and where. Glad you got it changed out and good to go.
For decades I always got 7 or 8 years out of a new car battery. These days I'm very lucky if I get more than 5 years. The problem isn't the batteries, it's the constant power drain that goes on even when a newer vehicle sits "turned off" in the garage or driveway. Many of the electric gizmos never turn off. That constant drain causes the battery to go through numerous decharge/charge cycles.
varian, I agree with the maintainer comment. I have 4 items in the barn that have battery start. I'm sure my tenders have extended the battery life over the winter where they sit parked for 3+ months.
Agree battery tenders are worth the fifteen to twenty bucks or so well thats what I paid for mine some time ago
I am sure the price has went up, but still good to have I have my old 9n Ford and my camaro plugged in 24/7
Truthful is correct. These newer cars all have computers that run all night, whether you like it or not. This causes a constant drain on the battery.
I buy Wally batteries for the occasional need/low use/lower CCA applications. Most aren't going to last more than 2-3 years of this use anyway. For the 'good stuff/high CCA requirements', we use NAPA(made by DEKA/East Penn) or Interstate.
So far this year, we've spent close to $1500 on batteries and cold weather hasn't hit yet.
All my batteries were purchased at our local Walmart. No problems what so ever. The boat, tractor and lawn mower ones I bring inside every fall and charge them 2 times during our Wisc.winters.
Got the same words a few years back about Interstate. That was two O'Reilly's batteries ago.