You might want to rethink the dealer option. The last two times I needed batteries, the dealers (Acura & Nissan) were both ten dollars cheaper than Die Hard (at NTB) and had a longer (3 years vs. two) free exchange period.
If'n ya noticed .... I said that Sears was frequently beat by both Pep Boys and Wal-Mart that's why I never go to them any more. The cheapest any dealer ever quoted me for a battery was $89.00 plus $25.00 installation and a $15 hazmat dump fee. At Pep Boys, a 5 year battery installed and paid for never runs over $80 period. Shop the sales and you can beat that by $15-20. So, the dealer is out as far as I'm concerned.
How did you arrive at that figure? A fuel gage is on an instrument regulator, isn't it? That's because alternator voltage varies, depending on the load and the temperature, for examples.
nor used it. I later discovered that my other battery in my car is fine, something was wrong with my car's charging system. Any way, I thought I wouldn't be needing this new battery, now I am stuck with their battery.
A spare battery can be useful. If you keep it charged in a cool place it should last many years.
Current+Voltage will jump from 12.80v to 13.76v, also to 15.45volts,
Alternators can jump like that. 15.45 sounds a little high in warm weather. Off the shelf, a battery may have to sit on a charger a day or two before it will work right. The problem could also be corrosion in a connection or a faulty alternator/regulator.
this? I put a current & volt meter on their battery and that's how I know.
You said you hadn't opened the seal on the battery. You could turn on your headlights with the engine off. If the battery is fully charged, the voltage should be about 12.6. If the lights don't flicker, the current flow is constant. If they flicker, the problem may be in the electrical system.
pump depends on a constant flow of current.
Do you know your fuel pressure fluctuates? I imagine it should be constant despite the voltage variations you described.
Obviously your mind is closed on the subject, but just for reference, my last battery on the Acura TL was $69.95 plus sales tax, no additional fees, free installation & 3 year free replacement warranty (the pro-rated period is 6 years) from the Acura dealer. They also threw in a free car wash while they had it. Definitely met your under $80 criteria.
Don't close the door to the dealer for everybody just because the one in your area is a greedy sleaze.
Costco batteries are great, and IIRC have a 5 year warranty to boot. I imagine any of the warehouse clubs have a similar deal. The battery in my Maxima is going on 5 years old, and I'm debating replacing it before winter even though it still tests fine.
If you got five years out of it you are way ahead of the game. The only question now is do you want to replace it on a nice sunny afternoon during half time watching your team on TV, or wait for the first snow or ice storm?
For several years, I bought 5 year warranted Pep Boys batteries for a number of different cars. Several of them failed and whenever I took one back they would cheerfully replace it with a new one.
Then I realised that all the hassle simply isn't worth it. Pay the extra for a battery that's less likely to crap on you at an inconvenient time. In my hog f*cking opinion, Pep Boys batteries are garbage, regardless of the warranty.
Fabulous. That and $1.95 will get you a cup of coffee.
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