My 2005 Dodge Magnum RT (built in September 2004) still has it's original battery and it is fine. Does anyone know for sure who made the batteries for Diamler-Chrysler at that time?
Say what You will but the numbers don't lieo No: In a cold climate Delco is a damn fine battery.I am thinking it may not be the equipment but the operater:TU:
Just installed the Kirkland # 12877 it was $97.93 out the door including the $9.00 core charge. It is a 100 month battery with a 36 month free replacement warranty. It is rated at 1000cca and 795cca below freezing. Install was a breeze in my 1970 Skylark. This thing is a cranking beast. Very impressed so far.
Johnson Controls makes batteries sold under the Kirkland brand name, just like they do for Walmart under the name Everstart, just like the make for Ford under the name Motocraft etc.
I buy my car/truck battery's at wally world. Have 7 vehicles ( all drivers) and have had pretty good luck with wallys brand. In about 10 yrs only 1 crapped the bed within a few months and they take-um back and exchange with no questions asked and no head aches. Its Pretty painless and super simple
Just to give you an idea of how big JC is and the chances you are really buying a JC made battery Johnson controls also makes some or all of these batteries as well: Acura, Advance Auto Parts, Autocraft, Western Auto, Tough One, Alliance, American Hardware, Ames, Varta, Blains Farm & Fleet, Battery Alliance, Bosch, Carrefour(Europe), Champion, Amara Raja Batteries LTD(Joint venture with Johnson Controls India). Varta, Optima Batteries, LTH, and Heliar are all battery manufactures owned by Johnson Controls. They also make some of the Interstate batteries. Johnson Controls supplies Ford Motor company, Diamler Chrysler, Honda, Toyota, Nissan, and Isuzu with original equipment batteries. So next time you go and buy a battery, or a automobile chances are its a battery made by Johnson Controls. So for the poll above, JC makes Motorcraft, Optima, Diehard, Kirkland and some of the Interstate batteries.
NAPA "Legend" series are made by East Penn. They make a hell of a battery. It's all I ever use, and up here we can get some pretty good temperatures.-45C in the winter to 35C above in the summer.
East Penn = Deka When they made the switch from Excide to Deka is when I think NAPA shortened their warranty to a ridiculous period. NAPA no longer sells a competitive battery once you consider price and the warranty. You can go to Walmart and get a 4 year total replacement for less money than the NAPA.
Just to re-iterate, just because JC makes all these batteries, does not mean they are all the same quality. JC makes them per buyer specification. Plate size, thickness, depth and number vary greatly between brand names.
The cases and the plate arrays are made in stock sizes. So externally the number, like a #24, is determined by post layout and height, width and depth. In the real world what I care about is will it accept a topper, is it black with no markings, the stickers peel off, the cost, and the length of the full replacement warranty. Walmart has 4 years and you can trade it in at any Walmart for a new one. That eliminates Interstate and Optima right out of the shoot.
I don't know how it is down there but on this side of the border every independent shop sells Interstate and will honor the full replacement warrantyo No: The closest Walmart is over an hour away:blast:
I have never seen an Interstate with a 4 year full replacement warranty. Plus, they are too ugly to put in a car shown with the hood open.
I am not sure how long the warranty is and I have never returned a battery ou: I got two Delco's in the fall for My plow truck at the wreckers. Total cost $60 with a 90 day warranty:TU:
