> IOW, if the one I use is able to reliably start the engine,
> how much better could something else start the engine?
Indeed. But all batteries fail eventually, some sooner than others.
And companies like Wal-Mart (who rebrand batteries from other sources) are
always looking for the cheapest source; which means the
battery you buy today may not have come from the same manufacturer as the one
you bought yesterday.
Consumer Reports had some interesting comments about battery brands: "Big-name
battery brands ... all top our Ratings in some group
sizes, but they are at or near the bottom in others." They mention a Sears
Diehard that topped their rating in Group 65, but was
"not acceptable" in Group 48.
http://tinyurl.com/n9upvam
The battery I bought at Wal-Mart in early 2008 died on the way to TRfest 2010.
I parked out front while I registered, when I came
out it wouldn't even try to crank the engine! Fortunately it was downhill into
the parking lot.
Its "72 month" replacement from O'Reillys died last year; and I had to argue
with them to get even a partial adjustment for its
early demise. The new battery cost almost what I paid before, even after the
adjustment, and is only warrantied for 2 years.
By way of contrast, the "72 month" battery I got from Costco in 2009 (for a
non-LBC) was getting noticeably weak (slow cranking)
last year. No pro-rating, 100% replacement, no questions asked. I only paid
$5, because the core charge has gone up. And, the
warranty resets, so they'll replace it again if it stops working before Oct
2020.
Guess where my next battery will come from <g>
-- Randall
** triumphs@autox.team.net **
Archive: http://www.team.net/archive
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