The average lifespan of a flooded wet cell lead-acid battery is 4 years. You got good life out of yours. Change it.

 

I figured as much and do feel lucky to have gotten the 6+ years that I did get! Even with, InterState's 6 year warranty, (no idea if it was full replacement or prorated discount) since I wasn't the original purchaser and had no receipts or paperwork, I doubt that I would have any recourse. I have purchased several EverStart batteries in the past for other vehicles and RVs and have good experience with them. I've used the warranty twice without any pushback from WalMart. The batteries that tested badly were immediately replaced! I've come to believe those that say a reasonable level of care and routine maintenance are likely to result in performance lasting beyond the warranty period 👍. Even if the batteries die just after the warranty does, $30/yr/battery is acceptable. As I said originally, how the new batteries perform remains to be seen but I'm hopeful 🙂.

 

I suggest Deka batteries first followed by AutoZone Gold or Platinum batteries, You have to remember that Walmart sells at price points so while they can buy products from manufactures like Johnson Controls (now Clarios) they are well known to require for different specs to meet those price points.

As for your interstate batteries a battery warranty will be 100% replacement for a certain period of months after you reach that it becomes a prorated warranty. At the six year mark you would have been prorated and had to pay for most of the cost of replacement batteries.

 

I admit to not being an automotive battery expert! I too, have been told that products from a given company/brand, when carried/sold by WalMart, will/may be of lesser quality. It makes no sense to me why that would be (from the manufacturer's viewpoint) but even still, what specifications would be different between batteries that were both rated at 850 CCA & 1000 CA? 🤔

 

I have dual 1000 CCA batteries in my airboat. I’ve had Interstate batteries in the past, and currently have Wallyworld batteries in it, because when I changed them last; that was the only place that I could find them. They’ve been fine, and when I need new batteries in my pontoon boat (it as dual batts too) I’ll probably go with Wallyworld again.

 

I'd say not all, not yet. East Penn (Deka, Duracell), Trojan (deep cycle), Odyssey, X2 are still among the best and American-made. The trouble is Americans are cheap and refuse to pay for quality. Hence the rise of Wal-Mart, Dollar Stores, and loss of our living-wage jobs. I lost mine, btw, for this reason.

 

Americans without "living-wage jobs" aren't necessarily "cheap" they're poor! When you're poor, you can't afford top of the line anything and are pretty much forced to shop at WalMart and Dollar Stores! It's not that most Americans don't want to buy quality American made products, it's just that they can't afford it! I'm in full support of a "living-wage"! Since CEOs, CFOs and most importantly, the shareholders refuse to make any sort of sacrifice and may actually expect their compensation to increase too, the consumers will bear the increased costs. When McDonalds has to pay $15/hr minimum wage, don't expect cheeseburgers to sell at 2 for $2! Corporate greed is the root of these issues in the United States of America! I'm

 

No, it started with Americans buying cheap junk. Once addicted, there's no getting off the hamster wheel race to the bottom. It took decades to built up, and not many to tear it down.

 

I've had good luck with Odyssey batteries.

 

That's what I intend to go with, if I can get FCA to tell me if I have the correct ECM detect and charge software. So far, nobody knows what I'm talking about.

 

Not knowing if my 16 year old ECM is “sophisticated” enough to even detect let alone apply the appropriate charging parameters for an AGM battery is one of the main reasons that I went with old school flooded lead/acid batteries. My son-in-law has experienced failures (I think twice now) with the AGM batteries that he put in his ‘12 GMC Sierra. For me, the additional costs of AGM batteries weren’t worth the benefits! Especially if I had to pay to have any “re-flashing” of modules!

 

I hear ya, RipVan. AGM was developed by the military, so it's not junk science. But it does require a bit different care regime, and different commercial makers have different levels of expertise and quality. With the monopolization of industry, it doesn't leave many left. The two best reviewed are Odyssey and Northstar. They say they last twice as long as the best flooded wet cell conventional types, start better in cold temps, and of course never need makeup charge water.

FCA sent me a snooty, absurd response that their ECM software capability was a "trade secret". For a friggin' battery? How insulting.

 

My mechanic friend, who's a hardcore Dodge fanboi, was unsure of the consequences of an AGM battery in an older Dodge. He suggested that the charging requirements of the AGM batteries could be detrimental to the alternator. Just another reason for me to stay with the flooded lead/acid type. It's a done deal now. The EverStarts are performing well (as one would expect after only two or three weeks ;-)!
I am going to try and maximize the life of the EverStarts by paying a bit more attention to them than I did with the InterStates . In the Winter, the truck can sit for several days unused. I'll be keeping it on the "smart charger" during those periods!

 

When I bought the new batteries I didn’t bring the old InterStates with me and knew full well I would have to bring back two batteries to turn in for the $10 “core charge” refund for each battery. Few days later I brought both of the InterStates in to my local WalMart and had the tech do a “load test” on both. The one that I was pretty sure was bad, received a “replace battery” report from the load tester. The other report was “battery OK needs charge” so I got the refund on the dead one and took the other back home. I checked the fluid in each cell and topped up as needed before hooking it up to my smart charger. After about a week, the light on the charger was still yellow and when I checked the voltage with my VOM, found it to be 11.3 v. Took it back to WalMart for a confirmation check and found it now getting a “replace battery” report. Got my $10 refund and can stop fooling around trying to revitalize a seven year old battery.
I guess the bottom line is; if you’re no longer in “warranty mode” with your current battery(ies) AND you’re experiencing signs and symptoms of diminishing power, just suck it up and get new batteries! It’s personal preference whether to go with old school flooded lead/acid or AGM. When the thermometer dips below freezing (and many times way below freezing), it’s not the time to be second guessing battery replacement decisions.