Best car battery brand?

FWIW, Optima is owned by Johnson Controls, same company that I believe makes Toyota's Tru-start batteries. I've also historically had good luck with Optima batteries but I have heard the same rumors about variable quality. I have Odyssey batteries now, time will tell. Northstar is supposed to be solid but no personal experience. Interstate, East Penn, Deka, also good brands.

All domestic lead is refined (recycled) since the Doe Run smelter in Herculaneum, MO, closed in 2013. There's nothing wrong with reusing lead for battery plates, it's usually alloyed with other materials anyway, tin, calcium, antimony, selenium, etc.

 

What part of the country do you reside?

 

To me it depends on just how you use your truck .

Myself I want a battery if it fails I can drive down the street and solve the problem.

Since in times past and the fact batteries are not expensive if one failed on the road that was under warranty I would just buy another one eat the core charge and go about my business .

The plan being to figure out the warranty when I got home . What happens is I get home unload the truck bad battery gets put aside only to be found years later .

In my whole life I have yet to have a battery replaced under warranty in no doubt a few hundred batteries

 

Northstar!

 

Not sure if the salt water is a red herring or not but I had the same theory and covered my terminals in fluid film. It’s non-conductive and says right on the bottle to do it. If salt in the air is a factor, sealing the terminals in this stuff can’t hurt.

 

I use Interstate batteries on the following vehicles I own:

2002 F350 Powerstroke (super finicky and won’t start if battery is below 12.8 volts)
2004 Rubicon (has the highest under hood temperatures of any vehicle i’ve ever owned)
2002 Tacoma (least drama of any of my vehicles)

All of my batteries were bought at Costco for less than $100. 42 month unconditional warranty. The Ford had the batteries (2) drop to 11.8 volts after 3 years. It was winter and I didn’t start it for 3 months. The batteries never came all the way back. Costco replaced both with no questions asked. The 42 month warranty started over.

 

I use Diehard batteries. Why? Great return policies plus there are Sears everywhere. Stay away from Optima batteries.

 

Bummer dude. I decided to live with mine. I get asked about it all the time. Keeps me humble.

I did mine when hauling an unfamiliar trailer with the tailgate down. First turn, and I knew “that doesn’t feel right”.
Good luck.

 

I am lucky I am able to get Factory Second AGM batteries either East Penn or Interstate for $45.00 I have been using them the last 5 years so. No problems.

 

Wrong forum, wrong decade

 

Unless your vehicle came with a agm or you have lots of extra electronics I dont think agm is worth it.
I think most brands are fairly similar in quality, I stay away from the cheap/budget battery of any brand, for example I'm running napa legend batteries and they have been decent.
I would recommend buying from a brand/store that is nationwide so you don't have to worry about trying to find a napa/advance/walmart store if it dies under warranty.

 

Duuuuuuuuuuude. I swear this has never happened to me before.

 

I just put the X2 in as well and in fact it's the third one since my 2018 Tundra and my step-son's 2010 Tundra is outfitted with them. They say X2 as a "house" brand for batteries plus but they are Northstar which is EnerSys and they make Odyssey. I like the red and black of the Odyssey vice the blue and gray of the X2 but that is just me. Great battery none the less. I did hear Optima moved production to Mexico and started using lesser quality lead which hurts longevity.

 

I too am a big fan of the Interstate battery from Costco. Best bang for the buck and non prorated warranty.

 

Walmart batteries have been very good for my family. My Jeep has a five year old Diehard. I can't believe the price increases. Imagine a poor family that shares a car, and the thing is dead in the morning. Two hundred fifty bucks. Walmart batteries have stayed about a hundred. How much does an Interstate battery cost at Cosco. I like the look in a classic car

 

I bought one not too long ago for $109.99 at Costco. They used to be like $79-89 but inflation took care of that.