$130.00 Batteries

[Bryan Knebworth]

What's the deal with hundred-thirty dollar batteries?!? Seven years ago, I purchased a DieHard Silver for about 80 bucks, sure enough it lasted seven years just like it was supposed to, now all I'm seeing are batteries at either Interstate or Ford at a buck-thirty! (DieHard in Third Generation size is no longer even available!) Wow, for my entire driving career, I'd see and buy nothing but $79.95 batteries, and now they are about fifty bucks more?!?? I was shocked to say the least.

I heard there is some company named 'Johnson', that bought-up all the contracts with all these battery companies, and is really the only game in town(monopoly) when it comes to producing batteries. Anyway, what a rip-off!! I figured if I'm going to pay that kind of cash, I may as well go to Ford and get a Motorcraft.

[KevinVarnes]

That is about what batteries go for these days. If you shop around you can do a little better than that. I think the company you may be thinking of is Johnson Controls. They are/were one of the major players in the battery field. I'm not sure who is in the market anymore. My dad just picked up an Interstate for his '67 Biscayne for around $115 I believe.

[gr79]

Simple battery materials been used forever, cost cant be that much more per unit than in the past.

Another example of rising costs, unaccountable reasons. Most is simple markup greed.
Same old thing. Rising labor cost, materials. Complex mfg techniques now used.
Yet a local battery rebuilder can do the same thing for pennies on the dollar.

Upper mgmt raises, factory maint tech, floor worker mandatory overtime for productivity.
Floor worker make the same hourly rate as 10-20 years ago. Raises go to uppers and techs.
The rising labor cost. CEO pay too. All the way down the line, passed on to customer.
Focus to hold mfg costs down for more profit, not to lower consumer cost. News report otherwise.

Robotic automation has huge initial and maintenance cost. Seen it. They wont admit it.
All the wiring, pneumatic, setup, troubleshooting, and programming resetup to change jobs.
More downtime than in the past. Production falls behind. Speed up line. OT Overload, break. Square 1.

Robots and computers were supposed to be the answer in automation. Lower the cost of products?
Nope. Rose the cost of manufacturing substantially. So do new throw away factories.

And all the extra IT tech, and office workers needed to keep crushing data good and bad.
Electronics and computers to keep other computers going that keep others going.

[gt pony]

I'd be willing to bet that your wages haven't gone up percentage wise as much as the batteries have in the past 7 years. It's an age old problem, in the words of Gordon Geko in Wallstreet "Greed for the lack of a better word is good".

[gr79]

Bought Exide battery at Menards in 2015. 75.00 sale/rebate.
Now? House brand, same price sale/rebate.

Made almost the same in 1997 as i did last year. Same type of work, ot then, less ot now. 2x workload.

Newbee industrial engineers are one part of the problem.
As is what they are being taught, having to translate that in a real world.
High pay automatic because they have the title.
After a year or two trial, trusted to start a new direction, screw something up big, and move on.

Are there any more industrial designers?

[Broncojunkie]

We have a newer "Rural King" store locally and they're selling batteries for around $60, I believe. Haven't tried them but I know people who are using them. I doubt the quality control is great but who knows. I don't really think quality control is good anywhere, these days. Where I live, you're lucky if you go an entire work day without an employee overdosing on heroin in the restroom.

[STL79Coupe]

We have a newer "Rural King" store locally and they're selling batteries for around $60, I believe. Haven't tried them but I know people who are using them. I doubt the quality control is great but who knows. I don't really think quality control is good anywhere, these days. Where I live, you're lucky if you go an entire work day without an employee overdosing on heroin in the restroom.

Sad isn't it! I bought one of those batteries from my local farm store and it's been good to me so far. I've had it a couple years and it starts when I fire my car up once or twice a year. I really should have a trickle charger on it but I always forget.

[onetrackrider]

That's why I get recondition battery's..39.99 so far so good..

[KevinK]

I usually try to use a Motorcraft battery in my cars. They last fairly long but these days, fitment can be an issue on the older cars. For the cars that don’t matter, I go to Costco and get an Interstate battery. I dont recall the prices but I’m happy at $100. These days. The dealer forgot to charge me last couple. Probably due to not promptly returning my warranty cars.

[ZephyrEFI]

I remember being pleasantly surprised at the price of my Motorcraft battery I bought this year at the dealer... Don't remember what that price was, but I was pleasantly surprised...

[wraithracing]

My best Buddy from High School had a son that worked at Oreilly Auto. All I can say is that the biggest discount he got as an employee was on batteries.

Most other parts were no more than 20-30% off but batteries were closer to almost 50% so I think markup and profit are more of the reason than anything else. Maybe I am wrong, but . . . . .

[Tigger]

Used to be back in the day that the optima batteries were $130 ones and normal leaded batteries were the $50-$60 ones. Back then, I would choose the optima over the lead ones. Now the optima's average $250 and a good leaded battery with a good Warranty is ~$90. Cant afford the Optima anymore.

Also what I have noticed is the warranty tends to vary a lot from manufacturer to manufacturer. One store had some new batteries with a 90 day warranty and they were still $75? WTH? If I am going to spend over $100 for a battery I want the best warranty I can get. Costco I think has the best with 100 months but they do not have a lot of different sizes.

On a different note, there is a Johnson Controls across the street from where I work here in Canby. Trucks are in and out of there all the time. I would like to get a tour of the place some day and see how they build batteries.

[ashley roachclip]

My neighbor retired from Johnson Controls in Canby .
He told me they make batteries for most all manufacturers or brands .
He told me Motorcraft demands all virgin materials in the process .
He also told me the Motorcraft batteries are the best on the market.
I bought a new battery for my wife's escape , Motorcraft , for 97.00 from the dealer .
The original lasted 8 years .
I have had Motorceaft batteries last 10 years .

[gr79]

Heck, my forklift batteries at work cost several grand each. They get rebuilt.

Have Exide in the 79. Changed over to 96RC group. 2.5 years strong. Was 12.6v on store shelf.
It has gotten abused, run down and bounces right back after good charge.
Usually few hours with the 1.5a onboard Exide charger does the trick.
Motorcraft BXT-65-750 from dealer in Ranger. 5 years old, prob go another five. 2013= 116.00
Rarely ever had to jump or charge it overnight.

Water level check every change of season. Anti-corrosion felt rings installed under terminals.
Batteries are just like filters. How they are spec'ed by brand determines quality and price.
Seen some at the pica part yards. Some like new. 26.00.

New batteries should test 12.6v at rest like on shelf. Certain brand names cost much more, like Diehard.
Had WM Everstart in car several times. Junk. Never again. Stamped mfg code was Johnson Controls.
Even after picking the newest ones on the shelf. Developed dead cell problems.

[Tigger]

My neighbor retired from Johnson Controls in Canby .
He told me they make batteries for most all manufacturers or brands .
He told me Motorcraft demands all virgin materials in the process .
He also told me the Motorcraft batteries are the best on the market.
I bought a new battery for my wife's escape , Motorcraft , for 97.00 from the dealer .
The original lasted 8 years .
I have had Motorceaft batteries last 10 years .

I know they make batteries for many brands but I did not know they made motorcraft. My friend I used to work with gave me his Motorcraft battery from his 03 cobra in 04 after he switch to an optima. I ran that battery till last year when it finally died. Damn good battery. I still have it it. Gonna sell it to a cobra guy in 10 years for shows LOL

[mmb617]

I've been using AutoZone duralast gold batteries in my vehicles for years because I've always gotten long service life from them. However I see that they are now $160! The next time I need a battery I'll have to decide whether I want to pay that much. If I was certain the battery would be the same as what I've bought in the past I probably would be willing to pay that price but with the way things change so fast these days I have no way of knowing if they are still the same quality as they used to be. I notice the warranty is now 3 years replacement then 2 years prorated. I'm pretty sure that used to be 3 years replacement and then 5 more years prorated.

The next time I need a battery for one of my cars I'll probably look hard at an AGM since the price isn't much more. I've never had one in a car but I had one in my motorcycle that lasted 7 or 8 years which is unheard of, at least to me, with MC batteries. I usually got 3 years out of a lead acid battery in the bike.

[ZEN50]

I remember being pleasantly surprised at the price of my Motorcraft battery I bought this year at the dealer... Don't remember what that price was, but I was pleasantly surprised...

You're right, decent prices on the Motorcraft, plus some mail in rebates available currently............
http://fordservicespecials.com/batte...180801131245:s

[gr79]

New era batteries have better materials, design, and QC inside.
Handle much more electrical load cycles than 80's cars, like keeping circuits up when parked.
Cheapest old tech new batteries should work fine in older cars. Equal to old 80's premium tier?
New tech batteries should last much longer in old car than 80's tech batteries did?
A new era true top tier battery is more than needed for basic needs in a sound old car.
High cost does not always automatically buy piece of mind or even the correct or better product.
Small stock amp alternators may never charge a real large battery correctly.

Factories regularly change over production line mix to build batches of similar tooling but different parts per orders.
Biggies like JC. Motorcraft for a day, Walmart the next. Globally sourced parts and assy per customer spec.
Trick is to find the value parts that are built close to name brand spec and materials but with brand X name and price.
House or brand X can be, but is hit or miss across a product line, like a battery.

Chain auto parts have a huge markup on most floor items.
The same bulbs, batteries, oil, can be bought for much less elsewhere.

[smitty54]

I just bought a new, correct, Motorcraft battery for my 84 GT 2 weeks ago. It was $118 with core exchange. They are still available at Ford dealerships.

[KevinK]

I just bought a new, correct, Motorcraft battery for my 84 GT 2 weeks ago. It was $118 with core exchange. They are still available at Ford dealerships.

Yes, I got one about 4 months ago for my 84 SVO. Had to wait a day or two for it and then they forgot charge me for remaining warranty.

[erratic50]

Personally I always run the most oversized battery I can squeeze in with the most cold cranking amps I can find. If the alternator goes out and I turn off my stereo I have around a 75 mile range with the lights on low beam, vs 40 with the original....

ive only needed it twice, but it’s there when I need it again. Or when I leave my dome light on overnight in the dead of winter.

[gt4494]

Not saying this has anything major to do with the price of batteries but, the EPA shut down (in 2013) er excuse me "made it too expensive for plants to incorporate the new standards leading to their shut down" of all lead production in the USA. This means new lead intense products, ie. batteries, must rely on foreign imports or recycles lead.

IMHO this has something, but I can't quantify the effect on battery prices. All actions do have reactions though (Newtons Law)..

https://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/...r-usa-closing/

[erratic50]

Very true. But let’s not start on the environmental impacts of supposedly green choices.

We do so many idiotic things in this world. It’s like the politicians that fly their personal jets 1/2 way around the world to make statements about how horrible OUR carbon footprint is.

Ok .... can’t resist...

The EPA doesn’t factor in total impact, just measures immediate results. X grams of nox gasses per gallon burned is not ok but X-2 is... even though you need double the fuel to power a car that produces X-2 per gallon the same distance.

When X is 9 and the numbers are PER GALLON and you’ve used double the fuel— is anyone calculating out this nonsense?! 9 vs 14.... for the same trip!

Oh and boats, trains, airplanes, and trucks that bring those batteries here — they are all powered by hopes and dreams. They are pure and clean and great for the environment. So hurray— go regulations.

Ill spend triple for a battery because (look what all these dumb asses) have saved us!

By this logic I better get my meat from somewhere else too. Those cattle, they stink — ya know.

Net Net? Higher prices. More taxes charged. Larger environmental impact. Lower quality stuff. More stuff broken in shipping. Boy, thank heaven the regulators are here. Whatever would anyone have done without their help?!

Beware — some people actually believe their non facts they spout off because they’ve repeated them 17000 times and have them memorized. also believe their great efforts are helping someone. They just can’t quite figure out who. But they promise they’ll get back to you as soon as they do.

They’d surely freak out when I melted lead down in my driveway and poured fishing weights.... and new battery plates.... and tore apart 4 shelled out batteries to make one good one. Not safe, glad I never got seriously hurt.....

anyway - if common sense were all that common it would just be called sense.

Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.

[Haystack]

I just bought a group 65 battery from Wal-Mart for $50. The last one lasted 4 years, but I did have an alt go out last year while I was driving and left it dead in the cold for two nights.

Not happy about buying cheap battery that only last a few years, but I went to autozone and they said the cheapest that would fit was $110 with a 60 month prorated warranty.

[erratic50]

You almost have to guess how long it will actually last and price it out per month.

The battery warranties are designed to be in force when the battery fails. They they get a rebuildable core and sell you another just like it at a slight discount.