So a month before I took posession of Motorbug, a fresh set of Wally World batts were installed. They are clearly marked 3 year replacement warranted. The sticker on both batts was from 04/12. The little stupid counter handheld they use to test them said they needed to be charged... interesting... since they had been sitting on the charger all night...

4 hours later... i finally get the call that they are done on the charger/load test machine... and both tested good.

What a surprise.

I explained in detail how the batts have been steadily tanking over the past 3-4 weeks... and that even when i do get the truck to start on the charger... if it sits for any length of time once i get where im going that they fall on their face...

"Well the machine says they are good...so we cant do anything for you..."


Alrighty then...

Took them to Interstate.
They load tested again...

Their test results showed one on the lower end verge of death... the other was toast and pulling amps from the one still clinging to life.

With the wally world junk batts as cores i was out the door with 2 brand new 850cca batts for 248$... and the fellow who took my money gave me 4 brand spankin new terminals to rebuild my cables for free.

Interstate has earned my business for life.

I will never buy another battery from wally world.

Not even for a flashlight. F them... f them right in the A.

 

Anyway. I made the egregious error of attempting to do business at a said establishment so I can empathize any misgivings that can develope. I cleared a shelf a whole aisle long as I egressed

 

[QUOTE=Imfubar;14913665]Anyway. I made the egregious error of attempting to do business at a said establishment so I can empathize any misgivings that can develope. I cleared a shelf a whole aisle long as I egressed. Batteries? Projectiles.

 

Wally World and a lot of parts houses just use a standard hand held yay or nay load tester. Most only load the batteries to 100 amps or less, and the employees don't really know what they are doing anyway. I am surprised that they argued with you, I though their policy was if you are not happy to just do the replacement.


I will admit though I avoid Walmart as much as possible. Years ago I went there hearing they had Rotella. I found one gallon and asked the kid for more. He told me they don't carry it without even looking at the gallon in my cart. Needless to say the single gallon torpedoed itself across the shelf and I didn't go back for years, and then only because I heard they carried Calypso Black Cherry lemonade. Needless to say I now get my Calypso at a corner market and gladly pay .50 more per bottle.


I guess I'll just never be a Walmart peep

 

If you really want to load test batteries you need a carbon pile load tester. I got this one after reading the reviews, it's the same one sold at many places for a lot more $$. Took it apart and tightened everything up per the reviews and have no complaints with it.


500 Amp Carbon Pile Load Tester

 

If you're having trouble with Walmart batteries try to take them to a Walmart without an auto service center. They usually don't have a clue and as long as they're still within the warranty they'll just tell you to go get two more.

 

If it wasn't for walmart there would be a lot of unemployed people. Having said that, however, those who are employed at walmart live below the poverty level......how sad is that?

92% of walmart products come from china, so if you care about yourself and your friends and neighbours stay away from walmart, no matter how cheap they sell.

end of rant

 

Walmart is like Harbor Frieght with the things they sell and at times they fill the need. But when it comes to their batteries they are made by the same company as Interstate. Johnson ********** Now I have been buying Interstate batteries for over 20 yrs. When I bought my truck it had Walmart batteries and to my surprise they are still hanging in there build date 8/09. So they have done right by me !! In my old motorhome I have a Interstate that is 10 yrs old and still starts it up once a month and that is the only time it gets charged. Now I replaced one of my batteries in my boat with a Interstate 2 yrs ago and I have had to have it replaced twice in 2 yrs. My point is it doesn't always matter what brand it is sometimes there is just a bad batch made. So now when my truck batteries go I just might replace them with another set of Walmart batteries or might stick which the Interstate.

 

Hey Ed, the batteries are made by Johnson Control. Now if their affiliated with Johnson & Johnson in anyway, I couldn't tell you.

I have a load tester almost like the one posted and it only goes to 500amps, so to get a true reading of your batts you will need one that reads at least 1000 so you don't get a false positive.

 

Funny how they named a company after a "great" tourist attraction in the country they get all their stuff from. Let it fester - you'll get it.

Stinky doesn't even know how to turn toward that store. You may feel like you're "saving" money, but you're not.

While saying that, I'm being a bit of a hypocrite. They are a huge customer for the produce we grow in my area. Feel free to buy apples in the Superstores - part of that goes toward the Stinky fund.

 

Bought Wally world batteries my self about 3 yrs ago. They seemed to get pretty good reviews so I bit. Seems like with the plowing and everything I am replacing them every 1 1/2 years. Of course I can't find my receipts after the last time so I am seriously thinking about going with some interstates. I really was the P2 or whatever from Sears but I can't do $250 a piece for batteries.

 

Daaa Thanks for the correction. You are right I don't know why I said that or what I was thinking..

 

I have been through several Interstates over the last 5 years. I had the green tops and about 2 years into it was having issues while out plowing. Stopped by a distributor and he commenced to telling me that the 85 month warranty did not apply to commercial vehicles and I had to buy a new one. I was stuck and shelled out the money.

I came here and ranted about it. Interstate contacted me through this board, gave me the number of the person I needed to speak to. Talked with him, and he asked me about the interaction, knew the guy personally, and said he would clarify the fact that he was wrong about the commercial exemption had me fax a receipt to him and sent me a check in the mail for the full price of the battery. Since then, I have had 4 more batteries at no charge to me. They have EARNED my business since my initial rant.

Last spring I had a local alternator builder build me a 160 amp alternator, hoping it can keep up with the plow, strobes, and salt spreader this year.

Here is a link to my Interstate saga: https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...batteries.html

 

I don't know for certain, but I'd wager that auto start batteries are among the most frequently returned warranty item that really eats into profits. Why? Because they have no control over what it's installed in - a defective charging system will not keep the battery happy and it will soon be trash. So the battery gets blamed.

 

Very good point !