Sears Battery
 

I have been using Sears batteries for as long as I can remember not because they are good but because of the warranty.

No more! Yesterday my battery was died, called the AAA, started the car and went to Sears, this was a 64 month battery and it passed away right at 18 month, the warranty called for full exchange in the first 36 months and prorated exchange thereafter.

Sears said that the policy has changed, they now must fully recharge the battery to make sure the problem is not elsewhere, I ended up spending total of 4 hours in the store waiting, finally they came and informed me that the batter was no good, by then I was sufficiently pissed off to tell the store manager that you have just lost one lifelong Sears customer, never again.

Vahe
240D 77

yeah, pretty much all battery warranties are going to require battery charged/charging to replace the battery.

Yeah, why should they take your word for it that the battery is bad? Everywhere I've ever bought a battery from requires that they recharge it and load test it fully charged before they replace it. Sounds pretty standard. PITA having to wait around 4 hours though. That would have been irritating.

I bought two Group 49 batteries for an 83 300SD I used to own. I recently needed to replace the battery in my 87 300D and was told by Sears that they no longer sell that battery.

Sears has an amazing talent for adding frustration and aggravation to the shopping experience.

heh, 4 hours is a nail biter though.
perhaps it's just their forced opportunity to get you shopping in their store?

They use "bait and switch" for that!!!

That recharge process is a hassle... Means you need to have another car to take the battery over there, leave it, etc.

Do batteries have a return policy? You would almost be better off buying one in the interrim someplace else to (a) do the check yourself and (b) save some hassle.

... or keep a 49 battery on hand. I have an old one in my garage that I keep charged up and sometimes comes in handy for stuff when I need 12V.

Most large chains go out of their ways to accommodate customers, specially when the customer is back with a failed product, this is survival 101 in this economy.

And if that was not bad enough, in my case, the guy struggling to remove that battery scratched my fender by not placing a soft pad on it.

Do not know where Sears is heading.

Vahe

They're probably using the same fancy-schmancy Midtronics battery charger/tester that Ford sent to all the dealers to use for warranty purposes. It can take over an hour for it to test a battery, and it's all automatically done by the tester. So please don't be so quick to place blame on Sears or say that there is some kind of conspiracy going on. It's probably what the battery maker requires for warranty.

Right. While I don't disagree with a company wanting to be sure they're not throwing money away on a battery that still has life, 4 hours of waiting around is a bit much. Although, I would say that I have waited an equally long time at the chain parts stores while they waited to see if the battery could recharge. You would think that companies would want to put something in place to deal with that wait time - it can be hard to tell how long it will take a battery to recharge. Perhaps keep some change out batteries that are specifically for that purpose. They could have you put a deposit on it and come back for your old battery once it is recharged. I suppopse on their end it would be too much hassle and money.

On a similar note, I foolishly took my 95 to Sears for an alignment once. I specifically asked if they would be able to do an alignment on that make/model. The guy at the counter went out and asked the technician if he could do it. After some discussion they decided they could do it and so I waited . . . and waited . . . and waited. Nearly three hours later they called me to say that they couldn't do it. That make/model wasn't in the computer and the tech couldn't figure it out. I asked the guy at the counter what they intended to do for making me wait around so long after I specifically asked them about it. He told me I could come back the following day when the more experienced tech would be on duty. Wrong answer - sorry Sears.

Never let Sears work on your car, any make or model.

Do not remember the full details, but they have earned a well deserve reputation of opening the car and once on the rack expend the scope of repairs by telling the customers of all kinds of problems that need to be fixed or else.

Vahe

Never had a problem with Costco. Granted, they don't have the size battery I need for the OM617. But previously when I had an Optima battery go bad on me, they took care of me.

Instead of swapping out the battery, the guy at the returns desk did me a solid, he refunded the cost of the battery. This was when I went back and bought the replacement, I got the full warranty on the next one. That was a nice bonus. The buyer of that car appreciated the brand new Optima as well.

And the only thing I ever go to Sears for now is Craftsman hand tools. And only if that tool has the lifetime guarantee. Anything else they sell I pretty much consider junk.

Yeh, I am putting in an Optima next time...apparently they do very well in these diesel cars!

I have had good and bad expeience at Sears. The bad- Last year I called told them the tires I wanted and explained it was an emergincy situation. I have done business with them for over 10 years. They told me they had the tires in stock and a price. I explained that the last time I bought the same tire it was special order and he said he would do a visual confirmation that he had them.
After waiting on the phone he cam back and said yes I have them here and he would hold them since I was on their computer for all my cars tires and batteries. I drove over and waited as they had a full shop. When they got to me I was told that no they did not have them and had not had them and that they would be a special order. I was pissed ( something that happens very rarely) and asked to speak to the manager. He came and apologized but that was it I explained that I even hadd the name of who I spoke with but to no avail. I did not expect them free or anything but something. Anyway I ended up going to "Just Tires" after setting up an appointment for the next a.m. I showed up on time ( they confirmed the time with me first thing in the a.m. with a phone call) and then waited for 4 hours to have 2 tires mounted and balanced. I asked for the manager who said it was first come first served. I asked why they had a website that allowed me to set an appointment and then have a rep call me int he a.m. to confirm the appt if they could not keep the appointment ( ala' Seinfeld car rental episode)
Anyway I started a thread last week on my battery experience with "Interstate" at a local dealer for them ( Hogan and Sons in South Riding VA)
The Interstate people were great and so were the people at Hogan's.
On a side note the 4 hour time frame for checking the battery is because they will "Deep Cycle " the battery to see if it has a bad cell etc. It sucks but I can understand it.