N/A Automotive Batteries N/A

[asicer]

I've had warranty replacements on two Costco batteries-one in month 59 of the 5-year full replacement warranty they used to offer. WooHoo! Free battery! The second one was pretty far into the now-shorter warranty they offer, but the replacement still only cost me $12.

Anyway, in neither case did I have the receipt, but they just scanned my membership card, quickly found when the battery was purchased, and honored the warranty claim.

My battery died over the weekend so I popped on over to Costco for a new one. I hereby retract my earlier recommendation. Their warranty is down to 36 months now. In my opinion, there is no longer any competitive reason to buy one from them. I would estimate that the price was about the same or perhaps very slightly cheaper than elsewhere.

 

[Cap'n Jack]

. Never leave your key in any modern piece of equipment or vehicle. When the key is inserted the computer activates and a current is drawn on the system slowly draining a battery.

I haven't seen a car made in the past 6 years or more where you insert a key. I'm sure some may be out there, but I haven't seen any in rental cars.

 

[cowtowner]

I haven't seen a car made in the past 6 years or more where you insert a key. I'm sure some may be out there, but I haven't seen any in rental cars.

On a FOB, it works the same way. It talks to the computer and leaks energy.

 

[Cap'n Jack]

On a FOB, it works the same way. It talks to the computer and leaks energy.

You mean it is always leaking energy while seeing if there is a FOB around to talk to. Recent cars (past 4 years or so) light up when I get within 10 feet of them. It is probably like a phone with different modes ranging from full power to sleep. Even during sleep, it draws power. The car manufacturers probably aren't so good at power draw during "sleep".

 

[cowtowner]

My 78 year old parents bought a new Camry three years ago. They hated it. Continued to drive their 10 year old Camry and the new one sat there

Every once in a while they'd decide to take the new one uptown. The battery would be dead.
I put a new battery in it and took it to the dealership and had them reflash everything (the dealer even paid me back for the battery and told me to tell my dad they'd give him $5000 more for the car than they paid for it)

Instead of hanging the FOB on the rack by the door to the garage, I put them in the house in my dads office on the other side of the house

Can't definitively tell you the key fob was talking to the car draining the battery, but it's still holding a charge. They finally started driving it this fall as the old one rolled over 200,000 miles.

 

[Daleandee]

My 78 year old parents bought a new Camry three years ago. They hated it. Continued to drive their 10 year old Camry and the new one sat there

Every once in a while they'd decide to take the new one uptown. The battery would be dead.
I put a new battery in it and took it to the dealership and had them reflash everything (the dealer even paid me back for the battery and told me to tell my dad they'd give him $5000 more for the car than they paid for it)

Instead of hanging the FOB on the rack by the door to the garage, I put them in the house in my dads office on the other side of the house

Can't definitively tell you the key fob was talking to the car draining the battery, but it's still holding a charge. They finally started driving it this fall as the old one rolled over 200,000 miles.

A ten year old Camry with 200K? It's just getting broken in good! My little Ford Ranger is looking at 212K and still rolling right along ...

 

[cowtowner]

A ten year old Camry with 200K? It's just getting broken in good! My little Ford Ranger is looking at 212K and still rolling right along ...

Probably. But they live in the great white north and us kids encouraged them to start driving the new one

they gave the old one to my niece. It's still going strong.