Way more than one bad one.

 

it's like the old saying, don't buy a car built on monday or fridays.
Bad batches happen. I'm sure their replacement has been fine, it's when the replacement needs replaced as fast as the last one when you really need to
question quality control.

 

That has happened as well. Some people have to get it replaced once a year.

 

Region plays into it as well. In hot climates the batteries are made differently to handle the hot climate. I actually got a diehard once I got it at a discount of 50% off cause the sears was accidently sent northern climate batteries that wasnt designed for hot climates. Battery didnt even make it a year before the Texas heat killed it.

 

well I spoke a little quickly, I'd be looking at their charging system and other factors if it's happening in a year on a reputable brand.
Even durajunk lasts longer than that.

 

The conditions a battery sees make a difference. One battery may work quite well in say a temperate/artic region and may be complete garbage in southern regions and vise versa. So environment plays a part in it. As does the vehicle itself. Some batteries will more sensitive to overcharging or higher than average charging voltage while others may shrug it off, the same applies if the voltages are a bit low.

So there are many factors contributing to a particular battery's longevity. Here East Penn batteries tend to be crap they do not handle our sub-arctic and artic winters at all. While Clarios (Johnson Controls) batteries seem to perform the best with Exide products somewhere in the middle. Interstate batteries even though they are made by Clarios (Johnson Controls) in our climate are complete trash and basically any the house brands will outperform them. The specifications for their batteries seem to be more geared to warmer climes IMHO.

Are their imported automotive batteries in North America oh you better believe it Batteries are made in Mexico Canada and the US, but batteries are also imported from Germany (Varta), Italy (Fiamm) the UK (Varta ,Yuasa)
Japan ( GS Yuasa, Panasonic, Furukawa) And of course everyone's favorite China.
If you come across a never heard of before brand with too good to be true prices you can bet it from the PRC. And it's life span will likly be on par with how long to took get shipped here.

As for the conductance battery testers, the cheap ones (solar cough cough) for the most part are crap Until you get into the $200 range their accuracy can not be trusted. I have a dealer-level Midtronics unit that was sent in for a calibration check to Midtronics as it was not agreeing with some of the other conductance battery testers I have kicing around or had had access to. In the end my unit was spot on and the other testers were out, the amount they were out was almost directly related to their purchase price some were a couple of hunderd CCA out and failed batteries that were good. Others passed batteries that were failed.
In my opinion, if you do not have the funds to drop a couple hundred for a good conductance battery tester you are much better off with an old-school analog load tester. A really good top of the line 100A analog load tester can be had for well under $100.

 

I was visiting a friend in Canada a couple years ago. I helped him change out a battery that he got at Crappy Tire, the local nomenclature for Canadian Tire. The battery was only a year old and was shot. We got a warranty replacement and installed it. I think the battery said Canadian Tire on it, so a store brand. Yep even Canadian batteries can go south for the winter.

After getting 20 years of service from my Interstate batteries, a record for me in longevity, how could I go for some other brand? Go with what you know for your area and climate I guess. My replacements are going strong after 3 years. 810 CCA with 4 year warranty. It was a no brainer.

 

Canadian Tire batteries come from Exide and East Penn, quality is very hit and miss.
And you got 20 years of service out of Johson Controls batteries with Interstate stickers on them. Again Interstate batteries are made by Johson Controls. You are buying Interstate stickered Johson Controls batteries the exact same batteries are available from Ford.

 

Yah, that's been covered. Your battery no matter who you buy it from comes from a handful of producers. If Interstate is made by Johnson Controls then they make a damn good battery in my experience.

The OP asked which battery should he buy. You haven't answered the OP's question yet unless I missed it.

 

I've got one of those, too, aka The Toaster. Mine is a Schumacher BT-100, probably an early 70s vintage:

https://www.batterychargers.com/en/p...ry-load-tester


The high-tech conductance tester (magic in a box) and the low-tech toaster each have their strengths and weaknesses. I like to use both and that combination gives what seems to be a good indication of overall battery health. The conductance tester seems to be much better at detecting when an aging battery doesn't hold a charge very well. The toaster basically only tests the ability to supply power for a heavy load, and so isn't really designed to catch a battery losing the ability to hold a charge. For example, I have a known-bad battery sitting in one of my back-burner project vehicles. It is about 10 years old and won't hold a charge for more than several days. If this were driven daily (and thus kept charged) you probably wouldn't even realize it. It cranks the starter just fine. For now, when I need to start the engine, I just charge the battery ahead of time. I don't plan to replace it until the vehicle is back on the road. This tired battery passes the toaster test just fine, but it would run down and leave me stranded if parked for several days. The conductance tester really shines here, because it catches this problem that might not be readily visible depending on the pattern of usage.

As far as that Ancel BA101 conductance tester, I'm quite impressed with it, especially for the price. During a test, you're given the option of battery connected or disconnected. I've found the disconnected test seems to be more accurate, so it's worth the small extra hassle to disconnect the battery.

The BA 101 will also test the charging system for AC ripple, something that few meters are designed to do.

 

Still wondering why the results with different brands are so varied.

"Brand X is junk, only purchase brand Y!"

"Yo Momma buys brand Y!"

"You mouth-breather, only buy brand Z"

"I insist on brand Z for my fishing boat. They make the absolute best anchors!"


A few factors to consider, as we lurch off into Tangentville...

The charging system has to be within specs. If high, the battery will slowly getting cooked. If low, the battery will be overworked. Both will lead to an early demise.

The engine has to be in good condition, to limit how long the starter must operate. If excessive cranking is needed on a regular basis, this is tough on a battery.

Always buy a battery from a vendor with high product turnover. You don't want to purchase a battery that's been sitting on a shelf for a long time.

 

And don't forget to add, Doh...I left the lights on again!
​​​​​

 

That does not matter if they are stored dry.

 

You are correct, Duralast and Everstart both last much longer. It is more than one vehicle that this has been an issue with, nothing wrong with the charging systems, I have never seen a Duralast or Everstart fail within a year.

 

This is my latest experiment. I bought a backhoe a few years ago and it had "Advance Auto Used Battery" sticker on it. That unit sits around a lot and it always starts.

Batteries are so expensive now, I started wondering about this, so I needed a battery for my Kubota tractor. I stopped in my local Autozone and ask "do you sell used batteries?". He said yes, and that they are really not used, but ones that have sat on the shelf too long and they can't sell them as new. So they peel all the stickers off, and sell them with a 30 day warranty for $50. You never know what type of battery they may have, or they may have none. Or you may have to buy one and "make it work" by turning it around or adapting the holder.

I went to another local Autozone and asked the same question, and they looked shocked and said they would never sell a used battery. I told them it is really just batteries that have sat on the shelf too long, and the manager claims "we never have batteries sit that long on the shelf" Note to self, don't buy batteries from that store. Went across the street to the Advance Auto, and sure enough, they also sold batteries that have sat on the shelf. But they sit them on the counter with a reduced price. Not as good as $50, about $80 for some of them. I whined to the guy behind the counter that I could go to Walmart and buy that battery new from them for about $10 more and he took $10 off both of them (for my diesel pickup).

So while you guys are hunting around for this brand or that brand, I am using whatever I can get my hands on cheap. Working so far and saving lots of money.