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Autozone Duralast Batteries

Posted: Sun Feb 17, 2013 1:26 pm
by hambone
I have had 2 die an early death of 1.5 years or so, have any of you had issues with Autozone batteries lately? They worked great until suddenly not holding a charge.
Randy mentioned that Johnson Controls makes most of the US batteries, and they have had many QC problems (and failed batteries) lately.

I am sure that wet battery terminals from abundant rain didn't help matters. I think the terminals could use rubber boots for protection like modern cars. I'm going to see what options are out there, as my terminals were wet and rusty.

Re: Autozone Duralast Batteries

Posted: Sun Feb 17, 2013 2:18 pm
by DjEep
We've been having horrible luck with batteries lately. I don't know how many kill-switches I've had to install to keep minute drains from clocks and radio memory from draining down the pieces of lead poop they call batteries these days.

I personally swear by Optimas, but at the shop we only use NAPA batts, specifically because we assume all batteries that aren't budget busters like an Optima are pretty bunk nowadays, so at least NAPA has a nationwide warranty and locations in almost every dang town on the continent, so when it does crap out, you can get a replacement quick, easy and cheap-to-free.

Re: Autozone Duralast Batteries

Posted: Sun Feb 17, 2013 2:43 pm
by hambone
What a WORLD...this is getting crazy.

Re: Autozone Duralast Batteries

Posted: Sun Feb 17, 2013 3:46 pm
by Amskeptic
hambone wrote:What a WORLD...this is getting crazy.
I have had crazy good luck with Duralast. Still have a sixteen year-oldDuralast in the Lincoln, the Mercedes old Duralast just expired, I got a new one for it and one for the Squareback last spring, the Road Warrior's Duralast battery was good from 2002 til its death, and I just bought a Duralast last week for the Lexus after its Interstate battery would not crank at 6*. . . and you all are saying that the new Duralasts don't last?

How well do the pro-rated guarantees protect you? After a year and a half, you should be under the 100%. This new one for the Lexus has a 8 year-pro-rated guarantee.
Colin

Re: Autozone Duralast Batteries

Posted: Sun Feb 17, 2013 7:07 pm
by airkooledchris
Johnson Controls makes the Die Hard batteries to and ive had very good luck with them over the years. I guess it just depends on how recently they started going bad...

The last I bought was probably 3 years ago, a deep cycle and it's still holding up great.

Re: Autozone Duralast Batteries

Posted: Sun Feb 17, 2013 7:10 pm
by hambone
I've had 2 fail already...but at least I only had to pay $30 instead of $100. Last time it was free. The guy at Autozone put a fancy tester on the battery that said "46% - further tests needed", and this was after a nice long highway run.
Could too many short winter dark trips cause battery troubles? Other than H4s I don't run any accessories. All my terminals are clean, and the voltmeter shows a consistent 13.5V at higher RPMs.

Re: Autozone Duralast Batteries

Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2013 6:19 am
by zabo
ive gone through 3 six volt Napa batteries in the last 5 years-
The warranty is appreciated, but thinking next time if i have the cash i might try an optima.

Re: Autozone Duralast Batteries

Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2013 10:47 am
by RSorak 71Westy
I like Colin have had good luck with Autozone batteries but have not bought any recently. My most recent battery purchase was from Advance used one of there frequent online 30% off coupons.

Re: Autozone Duralast Batteries

Posted: Tue Feb 19, 2013 6:46 am
by Amskeptic
RSorak 71Westy wrote:I like Colin have had good luck with Autozone batteries but have not bought any recently. My most recent battery purchase was from Advance used one of there frequent online 30% off coupons.
Having just written about batteries in the book, I felt like an expert . . . before I was recently enlightened by this thread . . .

Image

Anyways, batteries really hate waiting around in any state of discharge. They enjoy doing their electro-chemical work in short sharp doses, as long as they get recharged fully afterwards. Sulfate begins to stick to plates just as sure as we lazy asses sitting on the couch get plaque in our arteries, if they lay around discharged. When the sulfate bonds to the plates, the capacitiy gets permanently diminished.

Short trips with a 38A generator are not good, Hambone. Try an overnight trickle (2A) charge once a month as a maintenance strategy.
Colin

Re: Autozone Duralast Batteries

Posted: Tue Feb 19, 2013 12:29 pm
by hambone
Aha! There was just another thread on this very subject, trickle chargers. (NY for you)
Should one remove the battery from the car's electrical system (i.e. disconnect the ground)?
I will do that very thing, thank you. Typically I pick up Eva on my bike, but in the depths of winter that doesn't cut it so I have to drive. Otherwise the Bus often sits for a week between trips, as I am trying to save gas $$ and lose my gut(s).

Would charging the battery with 2A once a week in winter hurt anything? I'd rather be MORE ocd, as long as it doesn't cause damage.

Re: Autozone Duralast Batteries

Posted: Tue Feb 19, 2013 1:25 pm
by poptop tom
You can use the charger either way. If you leave it in the vehicle, you can leave both neg and pos cables hooked up to the battery. Attach the neg clip from the charger to a good body ground on your bus. Hook pos charger cable up to pos post.

If you pull the battery out of the bus, hook the neg charger clip to the neg post, and then the pos side.

I would say 2 amps a week would be just fine. You could probably get away with every two weeks.

Re: Autozone Duralast Batteries

Posted: Tue Feb 19, 2013 5:27 pm
by Amskeptic
poptop tom wrote:You can use the charger either way. If you leave it in the vehicle, you can leave both neg and pos cables hooked up to the battery. Attach the neg clip from the charger to a good body ground on your bus. Hook pos charger cable up to pos post.

If you pull the battery out of the bus, hook the neg charger clip to the neg post, and then the pos side.

I would say 2 amps a week would be just fine. You could probably get away with every two weeks.
Always hook positive first. Accidental shorting or touching of the positive (+) is meaningless as long as the negative is still out of the circuit. If you hook up the negative first, then any inadvertent (+) positive touches are live. Explosions and death are then likely.
Colin :cherry:

(p.s. no more than once a month . . . as usual, there can be too much of a good thing)

Re: Autozone Duralast Batteries

Posted: Tue Feb 19, 2013 6:59 pm
by RSorak 71Westy
The important thing to know when charging batteries is that a charging battery puts off hydrogen gas and this is EXPLOSIVE !!! So if a battery has NOT been charging recently there is no danger. The risk comes in disconnecting the charger, make sure it is turned off. A spark around a recently charged battery can and will cause an explosion and blow the top off of the battery sending battery acid everywhere. I know, 1st hand, when I was a teenager I blew the top off a motorcylce battery not knowing this.

Re: Autozone Duralast Batteries

Posted: Wed Feb 20, 2013 7:03 am
by poptop tom
Amskeptic wrote:
poptop tom wrote:You can use the charger either way. If you leave it in the vehicle, you can leave both neg and pos cables hooked up to the battery. Attach the neg clip from the charger to a good body ground on your bus. Hook pos charger cable up to pos post.

If you pull the battery out of the bus, hook the neg charger clip to the neg post, and then the pos side.

I would say 2 amps a week would be just fine. You could probably get away with every two weeks.
Always hook positive first. Accidental shorting or touching of the positive (+) is meaningless as long as the negative is still out of the circuit. If you hook up the negative first, then any inadvertent (+) positive touches are live. Explosions and death are then likely.
Colin :cherry:
Thanks for the correction, Colin. I really have no idea why I typed it out wrong! As I know the pos gets hooked up first. Doh. Major brain fart.

Re: Autozone Duralast Batteries

Posted: Thu Feb 21, 2013 1:50 pm
by Amskeptic
poptop tom wrote: As I know the pos gets hooked up first.
I blew up a battery just like RSorak Westy did. I was buying a VW engine for a customer in 1982. The junkyard said everything was ready for a bench test. Boom. Drenched in acid. Got $100.00 off on the engine puchase. That went fo a new pair of jeans that looked like they were attacked by a moth squad after I washed them.

We all be careful with batteries . . . w'hear?
Colin