Interstate Batteries let me down

[IDman]

This morning I learned that each one of my two Interstate Batteries had a dead cell. These were only 20 months old. Their warranty is 12 months full replacement; then zilch!

The ones they replaced were also Interstate, as they lasted less than two years also.

The original batteries that came with the TT lasted 4 years, and they were probably "cheapies".

I won't be buying anymore Interstates!

[nineoaks2004]

I have used Interstate batteries in my boats, RV's and tractors for years and have never had any problem with them. You could have gotten a bad one but usually the problem is caused by something else. Upkeep on the batteries is important and I developed that habit in the Navy with a whole bank of Gyro compass standby batteries.

[bpounds]

Why is it necessary to insinuate that the guy doesn't know how to maintain his batteries?

A surprisingly high percentage of exchanged batteries actually did not fail at all. Besides the crook above who just exchanges them for no reason at all, you have folks who will immediately buy a battery when their car won't start, without checking their charging system and cables. And maybe a second time when that one goes dead, before they figure out something else must be wrong.

We had a used battery shop here in town that made this fact their business. They collected used batteries, pulled off all labels, pressure washed them inside and out, spray painted the jars, and replaced the electrolyte. Give it a 6 month warranty and hope for the best. I have no idea of the percentages, but it was enough to make a business out of it. Environmental restrictions put them out of business.

[hohenwald48]

beemerphile1 wrote:
Most batteries die of abuse and neglect from the owner. Few die of old age.

What he said.

[bpounds]

tshirtman wrote:
Get them at Costco.
Take them back at 11 months.

Your father must be very proud. :R

[bpounds]

I have also lost faith in Interstate, after a long love affair. The 6V batteries in our trailer have lasted many years and still going. Meanwhile, I have gone through two pairs in my truck, neither of which made it to 3 years. I hope Interstate gets their act back together, but for now I put something else in my truck.

[westend]

tshirtman wrote:
Get them at Costco.
Take them back at 11 months.

Only one problem with that. A guy has to schlep batteries out-and-in. I've handled thousands of batteries ( did a short stint in a recycling plant) and I made a deal with myself and my Maker, as little battery schlepping as possible and no more drywall hanging. :B

FWIW, now I have five batteries in the trailer and solar does a better job of charging than I can with the 120V converters and chargers I have. The better news is no schlepping.

[tshirtman]

Get them at Costco.
Take them back at 11 months.

[nickthehunter]

deleted!

[Passin_Thru]

http://www.interstatebatteries.com/static/pdf/warranty/IB_warranty_2014_USenglish.pdf

Admit it. You bought the cheap one!

[Passin_Thru]

Blame it on Johnson Controls, not Interstate. Interstate is just a distributor of batteries. There aren't many battery mfgs in the US and one company rebuilds batteries ans sells them. Every part of a battery is recyclable. Gopher Resource Tampa Battery is a huge one and they melt everything down and make a new battery. Gopher Resource Tampa is expected to take in 60,000 spent batteries a day and put out 30 to 50 tons of completely repurposed materials every 24 hours. If you are so disgusted with Interstate, buy a Concorde Battery Corporation aircraft battery and it should last three years.

[Sandia_Man]

I take care of our batteries and have had mostly good success regardless of brand. I have, over the many years, had batteries that had internal failures primarily from poor manufacturing, that indeed failed well before their expected usable life. Like any other product, occasionally a bad batch, or a few lemons within every batch, leaves the factory although they have been tested and meet quality assurance standards. Sorry to hear about your experience, I've been fortunate with the last couple of sets I purchased from Samsclub. Although their brands or badging frequently changes, quality remains the same.

[coolbreeze01]

I didn't disconnect my Interstates and they died after a couple months.
Slow charged them back to life and still using them. No idea how long they will last if taken care of.

[northshore]

Not disingenuous at all, I agree with the original poster, I will not buy Interstate batteries again. Had less than satisfactory performance from Interstate and mine crapped out just after the 12 month time limit on their warranty.
All this stuff about how the battery was abused is just bull, my battery was maintained and used just like the batteries that last well beyond the warranty dates.
I will say this, with the amount of money you spend on an Interstate battery you can easily get better longer lasting batteries cheaper.

[beemerphile1]

Most batteries die of abuse and neglect from the owner. Few die of old age.