car battery - are they all basically the same?

[michal1980]

looking for a new battery for my wifes 2006 scion xa.

It seems like in that size battery all the offerings are bascially the same. Sure there is a red top that fits. But outside of that sears/walmart/advance all carry basically a 24 month warranty battery with 550cca. At this point do I just shop by price?

 

[Jimzz]

If it has the same or more CCA and a decent warranty then yea pretty much the same now. So many battery makers have been swallowed up I think there are only 3 major ones left. Just don't buy the economy battery and you should be fine.

Advance with its coupons and Costco are my 2 go to now.

 

[LTC8K6]

Yes, there are not many battery mfgs. Most of the brand names are made by the same 2 or 3 companies.

The Wal-mart battery with the 2 year replacement warranty should be fine.

 

[michal1980]

If it has the same or more CCA and a decent warranty then yea pretty much the same now. So many battery makers have been swallowed up I think there are only 3 major ones left. Just don't buy the economy battery and you should be fine.

Advance with its coupons and Costco are my 2 go to now.

Neareast costco is ~20+ miles away, far away enough to be a PIA to get to.

 

[michal1980]

Yes, there are not many battery mfgs. Most of the brand names are made by the same 2 or 3 companies.

The Wal-mart battery with the 2 year replacement warranty should be fine.

thats kind of what I figured in my research.


Nothing but 'silver' level batteries for the xA either.

 

[LTC8K6]

http://www.showmetheparts.com/n2ebattery/

Exide has a couple with higher CCA ratings.

 

[LTC8K6]

The Exide batteries seem to have a 40 month free replacement period.

Here is a Where to buy page if you want to check them out:

http://www.exide.com/us/en/product-solutions/transportation/where-to-buy-transportation.aspx

 

[Slacker]

Get a price on a battery from the dealer, you might be surprised.

 

[Midwayman]

looking for a new battery for my wifes 2006 scion xa.

It seems like in that size battery all the offerings are bascially the same. Sure there is a red top that fits. But outside of that sears/walmart/advance all carry basically a 24 month warranty battery with 550cca. At this point do I just shop by price?

Generally there are 2-3 levels of battery. Different CCA ratings per battery. Beyond that shop by warranty and price. If you have a particularly demanding application (like a big stereo you'll be running with the engine off or bags, etc) you might look into brand a bit more.

 

[ummduh]

looking for a new battery for my wifes 2006 scion xa.

It seems like in that size battery all the offerings are bascially the same. Sure there is a red top that fits. But outside of that sears/walmart/advance all carry basically a 24 month warranty battery with 550cca. At this point do I just shop by price?

Short answer; for you, yes they are all the same. Match the oe specs and have fun. Shop via best warranty for the money.

Long answer; no, there are many many different types and design of batteries out there.

 

[colorblind]

I would go with the Interstate brand.

 

[rsbennett00]

I just bought one recently. Interstate wanted almost twice what sears did. I'm a walmart boycotter so no idea there. Sears had the best price per warranty, 4 years 0 cost and prorated up to 10 years. The one I replaced lasted for 7 years before I got tired of the slow starts.

 

[evident]

costco, their batteries are made by johnson controls, which i think is a major manufacturer for many other car battery brands.

 

[silicon]

looking for a new battery for my wifes 2006 scion xa.

It seems like in that size battery all the offerings are bascially the same. Sure there is a red top that fits. But outside of that sears/walmart/advance all carry basically a 24 month warranty battery with 550cca. At this point do I just shop by price?

yes batteries are all similar and the CCA is the spec to look for. Also batteries will degrade over time when sitting on the shelf of the store. like produce and other perishable items the newer the better.

 

[eng2d2]

Costco to me is good enough, not the best but I don't have any complaints.

 

[rsbennett00]

Costco to me is good enough, not the best but I don't have any complaints.

I'm jealous. Wish we had one around here.

 

[eng2d2]

I'm jealous. Wish we had one around here.

You could try Sam's club. They might have the same policy and quality as costco.

 

[tamm]

advance auto FTW as it has tons of coupon codes to make it under $80 for a new batteyr

 

[RLGL]

costco, their batteries are made by johnson controls, which i think is a major manufacturer for many other car battery brands.

Interstate is also by Johnson Controls

No not all the batteries are basically the same. You get what you pay for.
I had a long conversation with my Interstate driver. There are a lot of differences in the batteries that affect the pricing.