no one listens to me about reman batteries

[spaceman]

at the local carquest i get refurbed batteries for around $30+core
ive had them last several yrs
thru sub zero into hot summer weather
if u dont care about labels and are thrifty/broke/cheap etc.
u cant beat them
so next time u need a battery check ur local carquest pls.

 

[jlee]

spaceman....dude, where've you been!?

 

[evident]

Hey bud you have my attention... I didn't even know you could buy refurbed car batteries. Carquest has them? do other auto parts stores have them?

 

[JulesMaximus]

The Spaceman giveth... and the Spaceman taketh.

 

[steppinthrax]

at the local carquest i get refurbed batteries for around $30+core
ive had them last several yrs
thru sub zero into hot summer weather
if u dont care about labels and are thrifty/broke/cheap etc.
u cant beat them
so next time u need a battery check ur local carquest pls.

REFURB CAR BATTERIES!!!!!!

Where, I've been looking for a two batteries for my tractors. Just need a basic size 24....
Carquest has them?

 

[steppinthrax]

Just call my local carquest. They said NO (with a brief pause of unbelief)....

 

[Raizinman]

Having run a battery shop that sold reconditioned batteries, here is the poop.

We would purchase the battery cores from all the local Kmart, Sears, and Walmart stores for a dollar over core cost, which is usually about $2 per battery. That includes free pickup. We would then take these batteries and do a quick voltage check. Anything below 9volts would go to the recycler. The better batteries would go into rows of 20 connected in series to a charger. We would often have 200 or more batteries charging each night in our warehouse. After charging, we would let them sit for 24 hours to cool. Then we would test each battery with a load tester. We would easily get 60 to 70 percent, test good batteries. We then take these good batteries, spray paint them black, put on a battery label, and clean the terminals. When done, the battery looks almost like new. We would leave them on consignment at gas stations, car washes, tow lots, car lots, and other places. Then come back in 30 days, to collect our money and leave more batteries. We would warrant the batteries for 30 days. How much would we sell these batteries for? For light duty batteries $24.95 and heavy duty batteries $34.95. We easily sold 4 or 5 hundred of these batteries a month.

You would be surprised at how many people would purchase a new battery when they really didn't need one. To be exact - about 60 to 70 percent of the people!

 

[skyking]

Wrecking yards do the same thing. The local pick and pull has a rack of tested batteries there.

 

[lsd]

I went to the local Carquest and told them the SpaceMan on the internets said they had refurbished batteries.. all I got was weird looks.

 

[skyking]

what did you expect, a dude named lsd talking about another dude named spaceman?

 

[lsd]

what did you expect, a dude named lsd talking about another dude named spaceman?

Must have been the talk about acid but I swear I was talking about battery acid ()

 

[steppinthrax]

Having run a battery shop that sold reconditioned batteries, here is the poop.

We would purchase the battery cores from all the local Kmart, Sears, and Walmart stores for a dollar over core cost, which is usually about $2 per battery. That includes free pickup. We would then take these batteries and do a quick voltage check. Anything below 9volts would go to the recycler. The better batteries would go into rows of 20 connected in series to a charger. We would often have 200 or more batteries charging each night in our warehouse. After charging, we would let them sit for 24 hours to cool. Then we would test each battery with a load tester. We would easily get 60 to 70 percent, test good batteries. We then take these good batteries, spray paint them black, put on a battery label, and clean the terminals. When done, the battery looks almost like new. We would leave them on consignment at gas stations, car washes, tow lots, car lots, and other places. Then come back in 30 days, to collect our money and leave more batteries. We would warrant the batteries for 30 days. How much would we sell these batteries for? For light duty batteries $24.95 and heavy duty batteries $34.95. We easily sold 4 or 5 hundred of these batteries a month.

You would be surprised at how many people would purchase a new battery when they really didn't need one. To be exact - about 60 to 70 percent of the people!

That would make sense.

I have found that when a battery has stopped working. I somehow have found ways to "revive it". I remember I had a battery on our van that was good but would not hold a charge for two long. If you ran the radio/windows after the ignition was off you might not be able to start your car. I pulled the battery out, put about a teaspoon of Epsom salt in each of the cells. Filled with deionized water and put it on a battery charger with a desulficator. What I saw happened was about after 10 hours, the cell was bulging a bit on the sides and a little bit of fluid was oozing out the top. After about 24 or so this stop and the battery was just "surface charging".

I washed it off and put it back in the van. I got 5 more years out from that battery.

 

[eng2d2]

To those who revitalize their battery, are you able to listen to the radio when you are in the car(not running)? If so how long can uyou use the radio with a revitalize battery?

 

[tortillasoup]

To those who revitalize their battery, are you able to listen to the radio when you are in the car(not running)? If so how long can uyou use the radio with a revitalize battery?

It depends on how the battery failed. A lot of batteries in disused cars fail due to sulfation which is somewhat reversible. A battery in a hot car on the other hand, that could easily be caused by positive grid corrosion which is not reversible. I used a Battery Minder 1500 on a Group H6 battery for 6 months that originally had a resting voltage of 11.9V but otherwise was capable of starting the car. But prior to desulfating, I went to Autozone and I ran a battery test on it, we input 600CCA and the tester said, "bad". Re-input 500CCA and then the tester said "pass". 6 months later, the battery now had a resting voltage of 12.5V, took it back to autozone and it still failed the battery test at 600CCA but "passed" with a 500CCA. So I realize what ended up happening, the reserve capacity improved tremendously but the cranking capacity did not. In my case, that's fine with me because 500CCA was more than sufficient, it was the reserve capacity (or lack of) that was the problem since a week of the car parked meant a car that wouldn't start.


Epsom salts can be damaging to a battery because they shave off some of the plate material and hopefully let it settle to the bottom of the battery. I have not used the stuff as I prefer trying the electronic desulfation method since it's the least destructive method. But if I had to make a choice of tossing the battery or trying the Epsom salts, I'd try the epsom salts.

Epsom salts is a last resort as it's partially destructive and can be done incorrectly.

 

[eng2d2]

This is good to know and good info but seems like the used battery is not as reliable as a new battery.

 

[tortillasoup]

This is good to know and good info but seems like the used battery is not as reliable as a new battery.

Well it depends on what you consider reliable? If your car battery is a year old in your car, if it passes all of its tests, you don't just go out and replace it anyway, right? Same thing. An older, refurbished battery is just a battery that is further down the line to needing replacement but still can have good life left in it.

A large deciding factor in battery life is in how it's treated. A battery put in a car with lots of parasitic losses and is not driven often enough is going to become unusable very quickly though that damage can be reversed. I've gotten 12 years out of an H6 Lead Acid battery and I expect to see more due to the usage of the Battery Minder 1500 as a battery tender when the car isn't being used. Had I not used the Battery Minder 1500 or its equivalent (one that has full time desulfation function) I would have replaced the battery in 2009.

Now if that battery came from a Florida car or a car that has a very hot engine bay and was driven every day and failed after a few years, I probably wouldn't consider that battery at all because it likely failed from grid corrosion.


So really, complaining about which battery is more or less reliable, if you want the longest lasting, most reliable battery, I'd consult with the consumer reports guide and just buy a new battery. But if you want maximum value and don't care about replacing the battery a bit more frequently, I don't see the issue with going with a remanufactured battery. I mean after all, there is nothing stopping you from having your battery tested on a regular basis, well before it completely fails.

If I can buy 4 re-manufactured batteries for the price of 1 new battery, and each reman lasts 2-3 years, I'll go with remanufactured because that's not a huge inconvenience for me.

 

[Raizinman]

I replace my battery with new every 3.5 years or so whether it needs it or not. I don't have time to be playing with a worn out battery and therefore will replace my battery on my terms when I have time to replace it. As opposed to missing an important appointment or getting stuck in a bad neighborhood. Whoever gets my slightly used battery will be getting a battery with likely many years left in it.

 

[foghorn67]

I replace my battery with new every 3.5 years or so whether it needs it or not. I don't have time to be playing with a worn out battery and therefore will replace my battery on my terms when I have time to replace it. As opposed to missing an important appointment or getting stuck in a bad neighborhood. Whoever gets my slightly used battery will be getting a battery with likely many years left in it.

My cars and and their batteries always have ample warning.
My remote start won't work if the battery goes below 12v.

 

[MongGrel]

Must have been the talk about acid but I swear I was talking about battery acid ()

:biggrin:

 

[steppinthrax]

Well it depends on what you consider reliable? If your car battery is a year old in your car, if it passes all of its tests, you don't just go out and replace it anyway, right? Same thing. An older, refurbished battery is just a battery that is further down the line to needing replacement but still can have good life left in it.

A large deciding factor in battery life is in how it's treated. A battery put in a car with lots of parasitic losses and is not driven often enough is going to become unusable very quickly though that damage can be reversed. I've gotten 12 years out of an H6 Lead Acid battery and I expect to see more due to the usage of the Battery Minder 1500 as a battery tender when the car isn't being used. Had I not used the Battery Minder 1500 or its equivalent (one that has full time desulfation function) I would have replaced the battery in 2009.

Now if that battery came from a Florida car or a car that has a very hot engine bay and was driven every day and failed after a few years, I probably wouldn't consider that battery at all because it likely failed from grid corrosion.


So really, complaining about which battery is more or less reliable, if you want the longest lasting, most reliable battery, I'd consult with the consumer reports guide and just buy a new battery. But if you want maximum value and don't care about replacing the battery a bit more frequently, I don't see the issue with going with a remanufactured battery. I mean after all, there is nothing stopping you from having your battery tested on a regular basis, well before it completely fails.

If I can buy 4 re-manufactured batteries for the price of 1 new battery, and each reman lasts 2-3 years, I'll go with remanufactured because that's not a huge inconvenience for me.

I agree with this 100%. The application is mainly concerned with battery life. If you have any brand battery sitting on a table in a cool place that undergoes regular charge/discharge cycles. Versus a battery under a hot hood and subjective to mechanical vibration.

I remember I had to change the battery out of may Saturn every few years. No battery lasted long in that car.

 

[steppinthrax]

My cars and and their batteries always have ample warning.
My remote start won't work if the battery goes below 12v.

Usually car batteries give you ample warning whatever you turn the key. The starter will sound sluggish.

 

[LTC8K6]

I replace my battery with new every 3.5 years or so whether it needs it or not. I don't have time to be playing with a worn out battery and therefore will replace my battery on my terms when I have time to replace it. As opposed to missing an important appointment or getting stuck in a bad neighborhood. Whoever gets my slightly used battery will be getting a battery with likely many years left in it.

I did that.

The new battery let me down one year later, almost to the day. Far from home in the middle of nowhere on a Sunday morning.

The old battery almost certainly wouldn't have.

So, you never know.

Just be prepared to deal with a dead battery on the road, and you won't need to spend money replacing a battery that does not need to be replaced.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Just be prepared to deal with a dead battery on the road, and you won't need to spend money replacing a battery that does not need to be replaced.

Would you suggest one of those newer Li-Ion "Jump Packs"? Last time my battery went dead in my vehicle, the tow guy (AAA is a lifesaver), brought one of those to jump it, and it surprised me how tiny, yet how powerful, it was. You can get them from $60-150 on the internet.

 

[LTC8K6]

I have no experience with them. I have a conventional type of jump box that I take with me on longer trips.

I have been eyeing the lithium ion types for a while now, though. Every time I pick up the one I have now, I think of how much lighter it could be.

 

[jlee]

Would you suggest one of those newer Li-Ion "Jump Packs"? Last time my battery went dead in my vehicle, the tow guy (AAA is a lifesaver), brought one of those to jump it, and it surprised me how tiny, yet how powerful, it was. You can get them from $60-150 on the internet.

I've been looking at one of those to keep in my truck for long offroad trips.