Quote:
Originally Posted by Brandon_SLC
When was that? A friend of mine bought a Die-Hard in the mid 80s and had nothing but problems. Since every time he went in to get his battery checked, (sometimes on a tow truck he had to pay for.) they inspected the whole car and often recommended hundreds of dollars in repairs, I assumed it was a scam. They sometimes kept his car all day, which sometimes forced him to come get it the next day. I decided way back then, that I would never buy one. Looked like a scam to me.
Then, fast forward to 1996. My mom bought a Lexus that had just had a brand new Sears Diehard put in it. In 1 month it was dead. Her experiences at Sears were much the same as my friend had had 10 years earlier. They kept charging or replacing her battery, only to have it go dead in a few days to a few months.
I'm not sure who built Autozone Batteries in the 90's but I had 2 of them last me 6 to 7 years. They were their top of the line, gold series. I still use them, but their longevity is much shorter these days. I keep getting new batteries from them for $10 to $20 bucks. But they don't try to sell me un-needed services every-time I go in.
I'd like to go back to a battery that will last 6 or 7 years, and start my car when it's sat outside overnight when it's 20 below zero F. While I had that first AZ battery I left my car at the airport for 2 1/2 months, and when I returned, it started right up! I was so sure I would need a jump start, that I had already inquired from the shuttle driver, how to get one.
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Brandon,
1996-1997 was about the time Sears switched from Johnson Controls to Exide, and about the time angry customers started flooding in with battery problems. I can remember several times pulling a new battery off the rack to replace a customer's defective battery, only to find the new battery failed a load test immediately. Reportedly, the switch of manufacturers occured because Johnson Controls told Sears they were going to have to increase their prices slightly, and Sears didn't want to pay, so they switched to Exide.
Remember, the average expected life of a car battery is 3 years. Because of varying conditions and temperatures, some batteries last a little longer than others. If you get three years out of a battery, consider it normal. Also remember, some cars, (including MB) have electrical equipment that cause a small but constant electrical drain on the battery(the clock). If a battery is not maintained in a fully charged state, sulfate will build up on the plates and reduce it's capacity. One of the small solar maintainers like Harbor Freight sells can help by constantly trickle-charging your battery any time the car is sitting and the sun is shining.