NTB batteries

Anyone have experience with them?

Almost 4 years ago my wife's car oem battery died. It was on a Sunday. I've always liked Interstate batteries so I checked around and the only place I could find that had one was NTB. So I pull the battery from the car (it wouldn't jump start) and head to NTB. They bring out this black battery which nowhere says anything Interstate on it that I could find. They assure me it's an Interstate battery just labeled for their store. So we take it with no issues. 36 month replacement/ 85 month pro rated.

Almost 2 years to the day it dies fortunately at home and on me as I was prepping the car for my step daughter about to head off to college out of state about 3 1/2 hr drive. I have a charger at home so I jump it off and take it to NTB. They replace it with no problem. I ask about the warranty to be sure and to my surprise the SA informs me that the warranty starts over at this point. Great! I have 3 years and 85 months again.

FF to yesterday. Step daughter is home for the weekend. I take her car to change the oil and do some minor maintenance and a general check before she heads back. When I crank the car I notice the batter sounds awfully weak. So I drive it down to the local parts store to buy the oil, filter, etc and have them check the battery. It's going bad. This is 20 months after the last replacement. WTF? Again?

So I took it back to NTB and convinced them to replace. They of course said it was good but replaced it again. I'm not bashing NTB, they've been great, but their batteries suck!

I just wanted to see if anyone else has had any issues with them or if they can confirm or prove wrong that their batteries are made by Interstate?

 

Forgot to mention that being that it was Sunday I couldn't find many places that were open and they were the only place I could find for an Interstate battery.

 

I steer far away from NTB.

 

I actually cant say anything bad about the service, they installed my front 5100's for $100 plus my choice of alignment package. They have been great at this location. Have had bad experiences in the past with other locations. But weather their batteries are actually Interstate or not, I'll never buy another from them again.

 

There are several things to consider when buying replacement batteries. Please keep in mind that the battery manufactures build what their their customers order. In this case, appears that NTB is a larger retail chain, and Interstate is a distributor. You normally will see a lower priced "value" battery and a higher priced "premium" battery in the same BCI Group size. Generally the "premium" battery has more performance (CCAs), capacity (RC) or a better warranty that the "value" battery and is more expensive.

A second consideration is freshness, especially with the most common wet low-maintenance batteries. The longer a battery sits on a dealer's shelf without a recharge, more lead sulfate builds up on the plates of the battery.

More buying tips can be found in Section 7.8 of the Car and Deep cycle Battery FAQ on www.batteryfaq.org.

 

Get an auto zone duralast gold battery. Last one in my car lasted 9 years. Just replaced it last week. They're made by JCI and are supposed to be the best/one of the best battery makers

 

Never got a battery from them but my local NTB got me a great deal on my Nitto's and also installed my extended brake lines for a very reasonable price.
12 months no interest was not bad either.

 

No experience with the batteries, but I go there to get my alignments. Great guys at my local NTB. I'll likely stay away from their batteries now that I know they are iffy.