Anybody here have any experience with Duracell car batteries? I've never tried any.
My youngest's daughter (in college) will need a battery soon. It's not giving her any problems YET, but it's getting up there in age and a recent test put the CCA at less than half its rated capacity. She lives in a college dorm, so this isn't something Daddy can take care of at the drop of a hat if she does have problems, and she's going to be driving down to Florida soon to put her annual Universal Studios pass to work that we got her for Christmas. Pre-emptively replacing the battery would reset any concerns I have about battery problems for about 5 years.
I've really had no problems with car batteries in general. My experience (and opinion) is that if your battery makes it to 5 years, you've definitely gotten your money's worth out of it and any more is "living on borrowed time". My personal experience is that a car battery will generally get me to 5 years before I start having problems.
I generally compare prices at a handful of car parts stores and go with the best price for what I want. I've even had an EverStart battery from Walmart with no issues years and years ago.
The absolute longest I've ever seen a battery last is the one I recently replaced in my SIL's Cherokee last year...dated for 2006, that battery lasted 16 years! It was a Napa battery, so I just put another Napa battery in it. Can't argue with that!
The only car battery I can think of that I've had problems with (that wasn't related to, say, me running a linear amplifier pulling 70 Amps at full power and damaging my battery and alternator) is the Interstate battery in my wife's Expedition. It wouldn't start last summer and she had just had that battery replaced less than a year before. It was replaced free of charge, but wouldn't crank her Expedition last December when the temperatures dropped to about 10 degrees for a few days before Christmas. Jumped it and it was OK. So I'm not inclined to buy an Interstate battery at the moment.
Anyway, batteries are now running for about $200, give or take. A 2 year warranty is common, but a 3 year less so and adds a few extra Hamilton's to the cost. The EverStart from Walmart in 36R is about $100 with a 2 year warranty. (They apparently don't have the Maxx in 36R.)
But I just discovered Sam's has Duracell car batteries with a 3 year warranty, and the 36R would run $130. I'm thinking about trying this out.
My youngest's daughter (in college) will need a battery soon. It's not giving her any problems YET, but it's getting up there in age and a recent test put the CCA at less than half its rated capacity. She lives in a college dorm, so this isn't something Daddy can take care of at the drop of a hat if she does have problems, and she's going to be driving down to Florida soon to put her annual Universal Studios pass to work that we got her for Christmas. Pre-emptively replacing the battery would reset any concerns I have about battery problems for about 5 years.
I've really had no problems with car batteries in general. My experience (and opinion) is that if your battery makes it to 5 years, you've definitely gotten your money's worth out of it and any more is "living on borrowed time". My personal experience is that a car battery will generally get me to 5 years before I start having problems.
I generally compare prices at a handful of car parts stores and go with the best price for what I want. I've even had an EverStart battery from Walmart with no issues years and years ago.
The absolute longest I've ever seen a battery last is the one I recently replaced in my SIL's Cherokee last year...dated for 2006, that battery lasted 16 years! It was a Napa battery, so I just put another Napa battery in it. Can't argue with that!
The only car battery I can think of that I've had problems with (that wasn't related to, say, me running a linear amplifier pulling 70 Amps at full power and damaging my battery and alternator) is the Interstate battery in my wife's Expedition. It wouldn't start last summer and she had just had that battery replaced less than a year before. It was replaced free of charge, but wouldn't crank her Expedition last December when the temperatures dropped to about 10 degrees for a few days before Christmas. Jumped it and it was OK. So I'm not inclined to buy an Interstate battery at the moment.
Anyway, batteries are now running for about $200, give or take. A 2 year warranty is common, but a 3 year less so and adds a few extra Hamilton's to the cost. The EverStart from Walmart in 36R is about $100 with a 2 year warranty. (They apparently don't have the Maxx in 36R.)
But I just discovered Sam's has Duracell car batteries with a 3 year warranty, and the 36R would run $130. I'm thinking about trying this out.