Battery problems, oh my! Interstat

Click, click... dead battery. Out comes the Shumacher microprocessor controlled charger and tester. The battery reads 4V and 21%. I turn on the charger and the percentage starts to rise as it takes a charge. After 5 minutes Vrooom, the engine fires. I leave the battery on another 4 hours.
81%! Not looking good. I fire it up and the charging system reads 14V.
This is a 2 year old Interstate MegaTron 65.
Off I go to the place of purchase (Firestone) with my paperwork. The sarcasatic computer game playing sack of **** behind the counter never makes eye contact with me; but tells me there is a $29.95 charge to test the battery, bad or good. "Can't adjust without the fee!"
I go home, call Interstate and am told that everyone is charging that now.

Is that the truth? I've never heard of paying an up front fee to have your battery tested and warranteed. Is it only Interstate batteries?

 

1: Do an intro
2: That is ********. Nobody charges that. Local parts stores test, charge and install them, free.

 

I work at an auto parts store and have most of my life and I have never heard of this. It should help my battery sales!!!!!

 

Do an intro? Hey, no jargon please. I been a wallflower here for eons, just never wanted to bend your vision with demented verbs and adjectives, but now I'm sorta pissed about this battery. What's an intro?

 

2 years and you never noticed?
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=18

now, go back to firestone and punch him in the throat.

 

OK, I have no problem with doing "an intro". Are you sure I haven't done one before? How do I tell? Prepare yourself to be bored.

 

Sounds like BS to me. I work at a Ford/Lincoln/Mazda dealership and we test batteries for free on every car that comes in. Hell we the mechanics don't even get paid for checkin them out or replacing them, its considered a courtesy, like toppin off tire pressure or fluids...

 

Punching the self centered, narcissistic, tire changer in the throat will only get me sent to jail and not accomplish much, but it's easy to say.
It wasn't too long ago that you could buy a battery for not much more than the $30 diagnostic charge.
One of the problems is, I anm insulted, as are most of you, I'm sure, by the at***ude that they are experts on batteries and charging system, and we had better listen to the experts. It's like, pay the fee or you can't talk to me.

When I called Interstate to complain, they were like, what's the big deal? $30? Our batteries are worth it.

Who has a good battery, with a decent warranty? I'll throw this Interstate in the landfill.

 

Optima...

 

I have had good luck with Walmart- 2 miles away,checks for free, stood by their warranty when i needed it. Fair price. There have been quite few discussions, pro and con, around Optimas and, frankly, I don't see the point-or the need.

I don't care about your intro-I don't have time to read it. Do you like old cars? Traditional hotrods? Welcome from me. There.

 

Best battery you can buy. Deka. Made in Lyons Station, PA.

 

I have an Optima in my 1950 GMC. A Delco in my wife's C5, LS1(she's old, does that count?)

 

no one around here charges that , we charge and test for FREE all the time

4 hours on a charger was probably not enough to full charge a discharged battery. i suggest you take it to an O'Reilly and have them fully charge it and then load test it for free. then you can decide what to do next

 

Thanks for your comprehensive answer. The problem is: finding an Interstate dealer who will do that. If not, I will probably get another battery from people who care, and will be around for the warranty period.

It alway amazes me that when something is prorated, you always pay for what you used, at the current price, and not for what you shopped and paid for.
Toughnut

 

They must have seen you coming - a friend of mine just took an intersate battery he'd had for 2 years back and they gave him a brand new one, not even a pro-rate charge.

 

You need to charge it longer than 4-hours to get a full charge,clean all connections ,then make sure you don"t have something drawing the battery down. J ust because a battery is dead doesn"t mean a new one is the fix.As far as Interstate batteries,cheap *** junk,tried them in a fleet of 28 trucks,pure junk.

 

Nope, I checked your history, No Intro

 

I've had my Smart Charger tell me twice that batteries were bad..little LCD said REPLACE. Stuck them on my old stupid charger..charged them up..put them back on the Schumacher &....you guessed it...100% charged.

 

I don,t like to sound of your battery charger try another one.Before i pay to check battery i,d buy a new one.I like NAPA batterys.

 

Uhhh, check again please.

 

Uhhh, OK, I take that $30 and put $30 with it and buy a battery that has a good warranty from a place that doesn't charge to adjust. I will probably end up with a better deal than Interstate/Firestone, who is going to charge me for 2.5 years on a six year battery ($123 list), and $30 diagnostic.. I just wanted you guys to know my misery and warn you about Interstate's policies.

The battery was dead. There is no detectable draw. The connections look good. The charging system rocks. This is typical for a battery in Phoenix, AZ.

 

I am a dealer for interstate batterys,I have great luck with them. 4 hrs is not enough to charge that dead battery. I think your test is probably not good and who ever that dealer was needs to be reported to interstate.have a great day Gary

 

You can buy a hydrometer to check state of charge instead of relying on some whiz bang charger with a chip in it. That is if it is a liquid acid type of battery. That way you can tell how charged it is over all, and if any cells are bad. The battery really needs a full charge before it can be load tested by any auto parts type place's tester. It also is best to charge a battery at a lower rate for a longet time. Putting it on a 10 amp charger for two hours may charge it enough to start your car, but it is not sufficient to fully charge it. The std. for load testing is to load it to 3 times the amp/hr rating or 1/2 the CCA forabout 15 seconds, a good battery should not fall below 9.5 volts.

 

I used to love Interstate batteries. 3 in the boat. One in every car. Always outlasted the warranty. Never had a problem. Sold them at my shop and never charged anyone to check a questonable battery, Interstate or other brand.

I worked with someone recently that had an issue with his Interstate battery. He went to an Interstate dealer and was told that in order to get a pro-rated warranty, he would have to go back to the dealer that he bought the batttery from. WTF? They used to have a nationwide warranty. After hearing this, I did not buy an Interstate a couple months ago when mine gave out.

 

Wow!, what great advice. My problem is that it never should have dropped to >zero< without a pretty good sized drain., AND the Interstate people shoule be able to tell me the condition of the battery. So we are at a battery imp***e. They say OK, we have to check for $30, then if it's bad, you pay the current list price for the time you have used it. I'll be stuck with an Interstate battery forever.
They should say... Oh my, you have a problem; let's see if it's the battery. Oh yes, the battery is the problem. Here is your money back on the time you have not used, or: let us replace the battery and you will only be charged for the time of use. Thanks for using Interstate batteries.

 

Have not bought a battery for my current build yet.
I have been watching the comments and complaints here.
Off my list now - Optima and Interstate and Firestone dealers.
Moving higher all the time - Wal-Mart

 

OK, I get it now. You just came here to rant.

 

I think the man has a reasonable complaint-a. he was treated in a ridiculous manner by the dealer and b. he came on here wanting solutions and to inform others who might be considering purchasing an Interstate battery.

In return, he's mostly gotten sarcasm, demands for an introduction which is rarely read by anybody (except, apparently, by T-man) and precious little useful advice. There's the problem with the HAMB today.

Toughnut, go here-http://corporate.interstatebatteries.com/warranty/-then you can read the warranty and find local dealers out there in Arizona. Then, go to the store and ask for the manager. If that person can't help you, insist on talking ot the regional manager. If that doesn't work, tell them you are writing to the president of the company and writing a review for Angie's list. Then you will come back and picket their store, telling only the truth-buy their battery and then they'll charge you to see if it's good. The court of public opinion has a lot of clout in the retail market.

Interstate Batteries Corporate Headquarters
12770 Merit Drive
Suite 1000
Dallas, TX 75251

Very Interesting-No comment
In a recent interview with ChristiaNet.com, Norm Miller, CEO of Interstate Batteries shared his experiences with motivating his employees to not only work within the constraints of his company's mission statement, but to live it as well. He also shares his testimony of a new life in Christ, and how he sees his faith being played out in the every day world of working.

 

I haven't found any good batteries lately. Like everything else, they don't make 'em like they used to so you have to find a brand with a good warranty. I had an 2 year old Interstate fail and even though I had all of the paperwork, the dealer said that the code on the battery tells him that it's 4 years old so I would have had to pay more to replace it than I paid for it new.

I have found a parts house that has a good warranty policy with a 2 year free replacement.

 

After 6 posts and as many people telling you to.