Low end Walmart battery decent?

[454cid]

I was checking my oil today, and decided to look at the battery closer... I do have the Maxx, and it's dated 2017. Maybe the mid-level battery I bought went in my Buick.

Consumer reports reviews...

I can't stand that rag. They review models that are no longer available, and when it comes to cars they favor foreign made. If a foreign made car has an issue, it's a quirk, if a domestic has a problem it's a major flaw. When I bought a 2004 Malibu they counted it not having the ability to disable the rear widows as a safety flaw... like GM has done for years they only went down 1/2 way (which I hated as a kid).

One thing I’d recommend is consider getting a Group 34/78 battery with top and side posts so you can use the terminal adapters if the side posts crap out on you.

I've had one of those once, when that's the way Walmart was selling them. I'd rather have one or the other. I like the sideposts in that it leaves a bare/flat surface area for me to put coffee, or tools.... it's like a little end table on my hood

 

[scottydl]

As mentioned, I've also read that Johnson Controls makes the majority of car batteries no matter what label is on the outside... and only a couple other companies that make the rest. The battery in my Burb is the cheapest one that Auto Zone sells (in there when I bought it in 2015) and I keep waiting for it to crap out. It's been through all Midwest temperature extremes 0-100 and beyond, and just keeps on cranking!

For what you described I don't think you'd have an issue with a cheap Walmart battery. Especially because their return/exchange policy is among the best in retail, if you DO happen to have problems.

 

[Schurkey]

I've also read that Johnson Controls makes the majority of car batteries no matter what label is on the outside... and only a couple other companies that make the rest.

Like so many automotive components, there's a few companies that MAKE the product, and hundreds that buy in bulk and put their name on the outside. Within the industry, this is called "reboxing".

The AC-Delco batteries at Menards are made in Korea.
The AC-Delco batteries for utility vehicles--golf carts, lawn tractors, etc.--were made in China last I bothered to look. Import-junk Chinese batteries are epidemic. LOOK CAREFULLY!

Exide has a horrible reputation around here.

Johnson Controls seems to do well. (Usually.) I had several Interstates, thought they were good product. Later on, I had a lot of failures but maybe just due to age.

East Penn (Deka) batteries are well-reviewed. Seems to me the NAPA line is made by them. I have one or two.

I bought a USA-made Red-Top Optima twenty-plus years ago. It's still in a vehicle. The Red-Top Mexican battery lasted about a year in my Wife's Trailblazer.

 

[scottydl]

^^ Awesome manufacturer clarifications, thanks!

 

[Schurkey]

^^ Awesome manufacturer clarifications, thanks!

Appreciated...but it's only scratching the surface of what's out there.

The real message is to LOOK AT THE COUNTRY OF ORIGIN, and if the product comes from some reprehensible hell-hole, you might want to think twice about buying it.

Even "Made In USA" isn't a perfect indicator of quality--I haven't bought an Exide in over a decade, but the ones I did buy were disappointing.

 

[df2x4]

I neglected to bring this up because the focus of this thread seems to be more on budget batteries, but there is at least one USA based (well, kind of, they're based in the UK but they have a production facility here in Missouri that does all our stuff) automotive battery manufacturer that makes awesome products. Enersys, the parent company of Odyssey batteries. I run Odyssey Extremes in all of my vehicles and they are incredible. No noticeable loss of performance in six years or so. You pay for the quality, though. Around $300 per.

 

[Crookedaxle]

I was checking my oil today, and decided to look at the battery closer... I do have the Maxx, and it's dated 2017. Maybe the mid-level battery I bought went in my Buick.



I can't stand that rag. They review models that are no longer available, and when it comes to cars they favor foreign made. If a foreign made car has an issue, it's a quirk, if a domestic has a problem it's a major flaw. When I bought a 2004 Malibu they counted it not having the ability to disable the rear widows as a safety flaw... like GM has done for years they only went down 1/2 way (which I hated as a kid).



I've had one of those once, when that's the way Walmart was selling them. I'd rather have one or the other. I like the sideposts in that it leaves a bare/flat surface area for me to put coffee, or tools.... it's like a little end table on my hood

I was just appreciating that feature myself the other day. I never really cared for side posts because it was always a pain to get jumper cables and charger cables on them but if you get the right bolts it's just as easy as a top post I've learned.

 

[Oldblue98]

I was checking my oil today, and decided to look at the battery closer... I do have the Maxx, and it's dated 2017. Maybe the mid-level battery I bought went in my Buick.



I can't stand that rag. They review models that are no longer available, and when it comes to cars they favor foreign made. If a foreign made car has an issue, it's a quirk, if a domestic has a problem it's a major flaw. When I bought a 2004 Malibu they counted it not having the ability to disable the rear widows as a safety flaw... like GM has done for years they only went down 1/2 way (which I hated as a kid).



I've had one of those once, when that's the way Walmart was selling them. I'd rather have one or the other. I like the sideposts in that it leaves a bare/flat surface area for me to put coffee, or tools.... it's like a little end table on my hood

I have had walmart maxx in three different vehicles and they all give me 7 years one of them in the G20 was still good, and I changed it out of fear after 7 years