I bought an AZ group 49 battery last week. It cost $83+. I bought it in FL and had to pay a $1.50 battery sales fee plus the sales tax..

Yes, it was made in Mexico but I was told it was still made by Johnson Controls(JC). The AZ employee said JC moved to Mexico.

Move to Mexico, raise price $20. Something just isn't right here. But it cranks the engine so fast, the engine starts instantly.

P E H

Did it have the orange/red plastic cover over the positive post? I bought one like this about 6 weeks ago from Autozone after reading a bunch about the current situation with the batteries (JC versus hecho en Mexico) and am led to believe it's one of the (last?) JC ones. Mine also says made in USA....guess that was just luck.

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JBG
1985 TD wagon, 228k
running on grease since 3.07
AUSTIN, TEXAS

JGB,

Yes it has the red cover. The AZ employee that installed the battery pulled off the red cover because it didn't fit over the terminal. I kept the cover in case I want to replace it.

If the batteries turn out to be NG, AZ will get hit by the warranty coverage.


P E H

Huge increases in the cost of the materials to produce the battery.

Some have tripled in the past two years.

I have to believe we must be recycling well over half of the batteries used. How much new material goes into a battery these days?

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80 300SD (129k mi) 82 240D stick (193k mi)77 240D auto - stick to be (153k mi) 85 380SL (145k mi) 89 BMW 535i 82 Diesel Rabbit Pickup (374k mi) 91 Jetta IDI Diesel (155k mi) 81 VW Rabbit Convertible Diesel 70 Triumph Spitfire Mk III (63kmi)66 Triumph TR4a IRS (90k mi)67 Ford F-100 (??)

I bought a battery from the local MB Dealer the other day for 98 dollars.

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91 350SD
14 F150 Eco
19 Fusion Hybrid
11 GT500

I currently have "Advanced Auto" group 49s in both mine (probably the same thing as AZ). The work just fine and they replaced one under warrantee after I abused it with a dead alternator. I think they were in the $70 range about a year ago.

"I have to believe we must be recycling well over half of the batteries used. How much new material goes into a battery these days?"


IT doesnt matter- the price of lead goes up,then the price of lead is up.....batteries go up, too.

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1984 123.193 372,xxx miles, room for Seven.

1999 Dodge Durango Cummins 4BTAA 47RE 5k lb 4x4 getting 25+mpgs, room for Seven.

Wow! I'd even put one in my tractor for that price!!

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Jimmy L.
'05 Acura TL 6MT
2001 ML430 My Spare

Gone:
'95 E300 188K "Batmobile" Texas Unfriendly Black
'85 300TD 235K "The Wagon" Texas Friendly White
'80 240D 154K "China" Scar engine installed
'81 300TD 240K "Smash"
'80 240D 230K "The Squash"
'81 240D 293K"Scar" Rear ended harder than Elton John

I went to my dealer recently because my E420 developed a miss and i couldn't find my OBDII reader. He charged me $100 to diagnose the problem and told me that I needed a new battery and a set of plugs.

How much was a battery? $260
How much was a set of plugs? $270

I thanked him and bought a new battery from O Reilly's for $79 and an OBDII reader. After a little bit of diagnostics, I found that the I needed 1 coil pack to solve my problem.

FYI this is the dealer in Plano and not the nice people down town who give us discounts.

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With best regards

Al

Don't forget the cost of diesel fuel to truck it from Mexico.

Just replaced a year old one in an 83 300SD I got last year and sold to my BIL. 2 year free replacement warrentee and then prorated.. Its not a bad deal....

Bobo

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92 300D 2.5L OM602 OBK #59