It's not the car that has the loose connection.

Go to your dealership. You will be very surprised at the price of a factory battery. I paid $120 two years ago, cheaper than the Interstate equivalent at the local parts store... not to mention that it looks like a million bucks! :D

In my experience with cars/trucks etc. five years from a retail market SLI battery is right about the EOL for it, at that point your battery cost has been justified and in my books it becomes zero point, You may experience different if you have some botique brand or some other extreme (arctic duty) battery.

I had an MB battery in my 300D that was probably there for at least 8 years, and it was still good when I replaced it with a Bosch with more cranking amps

I think Brian is speaking in terms of fit-and-finish, ride, handling, quietness, power, overall comfort and features etc., not the cost of ownership. He must like something about the 'Benz that you can't get from a new car, since he has a 300SD!

Right. The battery has 1000 cold cranking amps and 850 cranking amps. Got it.

The original battery in our Corolla went 127,000 miles and seven years before we replaced it, and it was still reading good voltage...

qwerty and brian are birds of a feather
 

I find that many of those that post the most on this website are little boys with nothing to do. They would rather tear down, demean and make snide comments in anonymity rather than be productive or really helpful.

Attached is an image of the sound waves of my car starting. So, I lied. It took .4 to .5 of one second to start the car from the time I turned the key to the time the car was running. At the beginning, it is quiet, and at about the 3/4 of one second mark (to the left of .01 on this graph) is when I turned the key to glow the plugs, At .065 the yellow light had gone out and I turned the key. At .07, the car was running. I don't know why the motor running shows as silent (as in the beginning of the recording), but maybe the car is, silent, that is. All courtesy of www.filelab.com .

It is 35 degrees outside, and the car had not been started in two days, but it has always started this way. Down at 0f, it probably takes another half second or a total of one second from the time I turn the key to the time it is running (3 glows). I, also, push the pedal as I turn the key, always.

The sound file (at 153kb) was too large to upload to peachparts. So, try this link:

http://www.filedropper.com/sound02 Click on the DOWNLOAD BUTTON, and type the captcha letters, and then hit OPEN. The file will play in Windows Media Player.

qwerty and brian, if you were in front of me right now, I would wash your mouths out with soap. Pardon me if I assumed that this forum was a place that you could come for HELP and offer POSITIVE FEEDBACK, and not 7th grade digs and humor. And, again, yes, I can walk out of dealer showrooms and say, I love this car.

And, just to rub it in a little, we get well over 500 miles to a full tank, on the road. Care to open your mouths again?

SOUND GRAPH
 

didn't upload

............for explaining that Interstate doesn't make batteries and is a bit pricey?

That's your reason for attacking me personally?

Sorry if I didn't concur with your choice of Interstate. They sell a decent battery manufactured by others. I simply don't see the value. However, I might now be leaning toward it because of the warranty change (the lack of) on the Duralast.

If you were in front of me, I'd write you a prescription for Valium or something similar to chill you out a bit.

No, Brian, that is not the reason
 

that I commented on the tenor of your post. And, if you are not capable of looking at what you have said, and understanding that, you likely never will.

Even your Mark Twain post says a lot about your state of mind, and how you look at yourself. You look in the mirror and see omnipotence; I only see a kid that is not capable of introspection.

Beyond that, not only did you mislead others about the warranty of the Autozone battery, and its short-comings on its warranty, you were inaccurate about the price point.

I suggest that you remove your Mark Twain quote. I suggest that you re-read anything you say on this, and any other website, as you come across as being so full of yourself. Please tell me how you are adding to this forum when you blather on, telling people that they can buy a better battery at Autozone (not true), and that it can be bought for only $100, again not true. And then, taking on the demeaning posture of your posting, you are the one that really needs to take a deep breath, write your post, and re-read it many times before you demean yourself and drag down Mark Twain with you.

I simply explained my opinion of Interstate...........nothing more.

And, you are correct, the post was factual and based upon my experiences and there was no "tenor".

Apparently, you're the one with the problem...........a distinct inability to read and process a simple post.

My signature was written for people like you............heed it.

that is correct Brian
 

25,000 plus posts, and there is absolutely no tenor in what you have to say.

That's not even proper grammar.

60 posts and you are unable to read and write cohesively.

Maybe time to find another forum.

Has any one gone with optima. I know they cost an arm and a leg but I hear they last twice as long.

I am sorry Brian,
 

I meant to say 25,350 posts of blather and foam; rattle on, buddy

Blackbolt
 

I imagine it is a good battery in many ways. You can lay it on its side, and it works fine, but that is not necessary here.

It is made in a way that if a cell goes bad, the battery will still function OK.

I don't know how they last, but does the warranty justify the cost? And more importantly, does it have 850 PLUS cold cranking amps?