Technical Auto zone Duralast Batteries quality?

I wish the Die Hard battery commercials still existed. To me it was like a Farmer John ad with Vin Scully.
Cl***ic.

 

I doubt that the different stickers you're seeing get placed randomly on the same model battery depending on how it's priced. It's probably more a matter of showing the purchase date to prevent certain customers from trying to "game" their warranty policy.

It likely also states that only one free replacement battery will be honored on the original battery. And their replacement battery is only covered for the remaining balance of warranty coverage on the failed battery. You don't get to start your 48, 60 or 72 mos. warranty all over again.

The best indicator of battery warranty and pricing would be to compare the cold cranking and reserve amperage ratings between the good, better, best battery grades for a given application.

 

I’m was incorrect.
It’s on the commercial side to cover up the store brand so the customer at a repair shop doesn’t get upset

 

I normally use NAPA gold batteries.
Maybe Todd will be able answer your question about which brand:

 

With batteries, you either go for the cheapest you can find and expect to replace it in a few years, or go for the one with the best warranty. Believe it or not, I used to always run walmart's house brand, and got 5 or so "free" batteries throughout the years with the warranty they had on them.

Now I have switched to Rural King for batteries because they are about half the price for what's most likely just a re-badged name brand battery. If one dies, I don't care because I can afford another one.

 

Odysseys are slipping too.

 

I’ve had good luck with Duralast batteries but they have gotten too expensive for my taste - $200+.
I buy Exide from Home Depot @$149 or (if I remember to pay my Costco membership) Interstate. Both have been exceptional as far as power and value. I had a drain on my big van that I had a helluva time isolating that killed a new Exide battery, they replaced it.
I’ve learned not to let batteries go completely flat, they don’t seem to fully recover.

 

I have an AutoZone 6v in my Tudor and I can usually get a couple three years out of them. They are listed as a lawn and tractor battery so you have to present the question right to the parts guy

My OT cars all get Interstate batteries from Costco because the prices are incredibly low and I can usually get 5+ years out of them minimum. I’m doing a 12v conversion on my Tudor this fall/winter and that’s where I’ll get it from.

 

From managing stores for NAPA I can tell you for a fact that when you buy one of their batteries they are all the same across the board. I had to go to the battery distributor here in Memphis and pick up some commercial batteries for a new customer that I specialize ordered for them and all the batteries in the place were missing the labels and I’m talking about 100’s of pallets and shelves full of them commercial and domestic. They would roll them down a conveyor and put the label on when they left to go to the store that sells them. I counted at least 12 different brands that they had to choose from, everything from NAPA, Duralast, Duracell, Champion and so forth. The only reason I found this out was because they didn’t put the labels on the ones I ordered and had to run over to grab them off a roll to put on. Batteries are like antifreeze it’s all the same only 2 manufacturers and tons of different brand bottles

 

Get the longest life battery they have. My sister worked for AZ for a while, she said always go for the longest warranty available, the short one **** out on schedule.

 

I ponied up the money for a DieHard 6 volt battery for my Model T. Local Baxters Auto Parts store. It lasted a year and a half and I run an alternator and use the car alot. Usually I buy my batteries at Bi-mart and even wih 6 volts I get a least 5 years or more out of them. Some of their 12 volt ones are 7-8 or more years. That DieHard most certainly died hard! It went just fine to totally dead in 24 hours and would not take a charge. Back to Bi-mart for a new one.
Then a couple months later I spent $1100.00 switching over to 12 volt! New gear reduction starter, 12 volt alternator, battery (Bi-mart) LED headlight bulbs, etc etc. Love those mini gear reduction starters! I did manage to sell my 6 volt alternator for half of new price to a friend.

Dave