Which Brand Battery?
I am shopping for a new battery. Autozone Duralast Group 47 (or 48) battery is about $93.00! Is there a cheaper alternative? Duracell? Stock Volvo battery? Costco? Napa Gold International? Interstate? AGM? Everstart?
Volvofix1 » Well OK guys , I will share a secret with y’all Intersate batteries are made by Johnson Controls. Yes Interstate batteries are very good , I sold them in my old shop for many years, but they are also sold under many names such as Costco,Bosch,Duralast and others. Don’t screw around with cheap batteries, we have the latest testing gear in our shop and find many people who insist that nothing can be wrong because it is only 2 years old. We buy our batteries from Pep Boys who are close by and take good care of us because we are a commercial account( I am not getting paid for this) Costco probably has the best price for the average person. Make certain the connections are clean and tight…..happy motoring.
E Showell » Interstate 75 mo. and I think it was about $120 from my local garage. My former Volvo mechanic (now retired) told me why he would sell nothing but Interstate. Apparently they put, for example, an 84 mo. battery in a case marked 75 mos. and can be virtually certain the battery will last its entire rated life and therefore have very few warranty returns. Apparently, they must have determined that dealing with warranty returns was more of a hassle than just giving folks a little extra to begin with. I have no reason to doubt my former mechanic.
cn90 » Thanks for all the advices. Here is an UPDATE:
- Went to Autozone because they have a large network in the US should I need help while out of town etc.
- Listed price is $95.
- Remember one thing: Autozone price-matches competitor. So I priced a Group 48 battery from Walmart (Everstart brand) for $77. Walmart has 3-yr warranty I think.
- Whatever it is, they price-matched for me so I paid $77 + tax out of the door!
- BTW, Group 48 fits perfectly for my 1998 V70, better than Group 47.
So thanks for all the advices of using Group 48!
Last Updated on May 6, 2022
2 Comments
I replaced my battery on Volvo S60 T5 with OneTough Silver. I have never heard that brand, but mechanic said it’s the best one they carry and recommed for Volvo S60. It has 2 yrs warranty and it costs me $100 with installation. Should I be worried?”
It really doesn’t matter. I haven’t seen that much difference in what fails and most batteries are branded for the seller. There are not very many companies that manufacture batteries so don’t think that because it says Diehard it’s made BY Sears or Duralast is made by AutoZone. They are all made for them by a third party. Choose by cost, warranty and CCA (cold cranking amps). As for the warranty, remember not only how long it’s good for but what locations do they have to get it taken care of. Always SAVE THE RECEIPT! Don’t go cheap on a battery. Get one that matches or preferably exceeds the original. I’ve seen way too many people get a cheap one only to come back complaining that it won’t start their car when it gets really cold. It’s also a good thing to check when you’re buying a used car. Some places or people will toss in anything to get it sold, anything being the cheapest and you end up with a problem if it doesn’t have enough power.