Is the Walmart EverStart a good battery?

[LMHmedchem]

Hello,

I need a new battery and have always used 850CCA for my 2002 XLT v8. I have been looking at prices and see that this battery,

EverStart Maxx Lead Acid Automotive Battery 850CCA ($99)

costs $45-$60 less than the options from Advance Auto Parts, NAPA, or AutoZone.

I know that there are actually a very small number of actual battery manufactures and the difference is often just branding. I am generally reluctant to use the lowest priced option for my parts. Can anyone here say that these are reliable batteries or will I be getting what I pay for?

LMHmedchem

 

[Turdle]

You'll be getting what you pay for with the exception of a warranty center within about 20 miles of wherever you are.

Count on it lasting exactly 3 years and 2 days.

 

[LMHmedchem]

You'll be getting what you pay for with the exception of a warranty center within about 20 miles of wherever you are.

Count on it lasting exactly 3 years and 2 days.

What would you recommend for a battery?

These are some of the other options,

NAPA The Legend Professional Battery BCI No. 65 850CCA ($145)
Duralast Gold Battery 65-DLG Group Size 65 850CCA ($160)
AutoCraft Gold Battery, Group Size 65, 850CCA ($160)
Interstate MTP-65HD size 65 850CCA ($179)

What I had before was the AutoCraft gold from advance auto parts and it lasted more than 5 years. I strongly suspect that the Duralast Golad and AutoCraft Gold are exactly the same battery with a different label. I can probably get a coupon for some of these other options.

LMHmedchem

 

[RangerX]

I used to buy the Walmart everstart, a few years ago I switched to interstates at Costco. Can’t beat the price or the warranty. I pay about $80.

 

[ThreeJs]

Don't know if everyone knows this but there are 3 major manufactures that produce most of the batteries for retail.
The largest is Johnson Controls. Then there is Exide and East Penn.
Exide makes most of the batteries for Wally...They also make some of the Interstate batteries

 

[LMHmedchem]

I used to buy the Walmart everstart, a few years ago I switched to interstates at Costco. Can’t beat the price or the warranty. I pay about $80.

I am not a Costco member, so I would have to pay the $60 membership fee. That would eat up allot of the savings. There isn't a Costco very close to me so I have a BJs membership instead since they are less than a mile away.

How were the EverStart batteries that you had? Did they perform reasonably well?

LMHmedchem

 

[TechGuru]

Get the proper Motorcraft BXT65-850 battery from OReilly's or the Ford Dealer. Check the Ford dealer's price first, many times I have seen them cheaper than OReilly's. OReilly is showing $164.99 and Ford Parts is showing a MSRP of $139.95

 

[LMHmedchem]

Get the proper Motorcraft BXT65-850 battery from OReilly's or the Ford Dealer. Check the Ford dealer's price first, many times I have seen them cheaper than OReilly's. OReilly is showing $164.99 and Ford Parts is showing a MSRP of $139.95

As ThreeJs suggests, the Motorcraft, Interstate, and AutoCraft batteries are all (generally) made by Johnson Controls and I suspect they are exactly the same battery. The ~$140 price from the Ford dealer is definately better than the ~$160 price for AutoCraft at Advance Auto Parts, so that would be the better deal. I can probably get a coupon for Advance Auto Parts but it's hard to say.

What is the warranty for the Motorcraft part from Ford? The others all seem to be about 3 years. The Costco warrant seems to be the best but I'm not a member there.

My last battery was,

AutoCraft Gold Battery, Group Size 65, 850CCA

I got it for $94 with a coupon and it lasted for 7-8 years. It seems like I will be paying more than that now.

LMHmedchem

 

[94Eddie]

This video is informative.

 

[TechGuru]

the Motorcraft, Interstate, and AutoCraft batteries are all (generally) made by Johnson Controls and I suspect they are exactly the same battery.

Just because the same company makes something does not mean they'll all made to the same quality ESPECIALLY when it comes to Walmart products. Walmart get's their own "version" of many products from many different companies. While Target and Best Buy may sell the exact same product from one company, the Walmart version will have a different UPC and be made "cheaper" in some way.

What is the warranty for the Motorcraft part from Ford? The others all seem to be about 3 years. The Costco warrant seems to be the best but I'm not a member there.

36 month (3 year) free replacement, 100 month prorated replacement.

 

[LMHmedchem]

After all my hand wringing, I ended up getting the same battery I got last time.

AutoCraft Gold Battery, Group Size 65-2, 850CCA ($160)

At the end of the day, this was more about the current available options than really wanting that battery at that price. I got a 10% off coupon, so the price ended up being $145 or so.

I am not a member of Costco and there isn't one around here, so I couldn't get the reasonably priced Interstate there. There isn't an O'Reilly's around here and my local Ford parts dealer is closed, so I couldn't get the Motorcraft. I was thinking about trying the Walmart EverStart Maxx but no one on the phone there could tell my what to do with the old battery and it's just a zoo over there at the moment.

I ended up just going back to Advance Auto Parts, handing them the old battery, and taking away a new one (along with a terminal corrosion protector kit, etc.). The last battery I got there lasted between 7 and 8 years, so I will have no complaints if this one does as well. It gets below 0 here in the winter and I never had an issue with it starting. I would have liked to pay a little less, but I went with the easiest option under the circumstances.

...of course, the bolt on the battery retainer clamp snapped off and I can't get the nut out of the battery tray with half the bolt still rusted into it. Next up is replacing the tray or jury-rigging some other hold-down for the battery.

Thanks for the advice,

LMHmedchem

 

[drakon543]

so fyi advance ALWAYS has a discount code on thier website. ive been on the road and needed a quick part before went to the first advance i found. i went inside checked for part availability and part number. while they went to go grab the part i purchased it off my phone using the websites discount code. it only takes about 5 min tops to show up on thier computer as a purchase and ive never been given a hard time for doing this. you save a couple bucks and they still get the sale.