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West Marine batteries are over priced garbage.

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West Marine batteries are over priced garbage.

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Old 07-20-2020, 05:15 PM
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Default West Marine batteries are over priced garbage.

I bought the 1050 starting group 27 battery from West Marine March of last year. I put about five hours of run time on it before tucking her away for the winter and also some major life shifts so she didn’t get much attention, but I did rotate the battery tender between it and the other two Walmart batteries every couple of weeks.

I finally pulled her out of storage and the battery is dead as a nail. The battery charger won’t even recognize it to charge and the voltage output is less than a volt. Done.

I took it back to WM and wasn’t expecting a full warranty but at least some help with maybe throwing it on their charger or prorating it towards a new one. Nope. It’s over 12 months so they won’t even touch it.

I will avoid the place as much as possible. The other 2 three year old Walmart batteries are still going strong.
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Old 07-20-2020, 06:00 PM
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Most everything at WM is overpriced..
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Old 07-20-2020, 06:31 PM
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Academy Sports batteries are about the SAME..

I got some Duracell AGM's from Batteries Plus this go 'round.. We'll see next summer
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Old 07-20-2020, 09:40 PM
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Napa.
I've started buy all of my batteries from the local Napa store. Their support is fantastic; and the batteries have been great quality.
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Old 07-20-2020, 10:00 PM
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Glad you have done well with them.

Probably installed 75-100 or more of their marine and auto batteries. I’d rate them as average at best. Would use them in a pinch if someone needed one right away didn’t have an Interstate in stock. Those where a better than average but not as good as they used to be.

Napa Support is up to one’s local store. Good to see you have a good one.
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Old 07-20-2020, 10:08 PM
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Interstate batteries from Costco...
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Old 07-20-2020, 10:15 PM
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I've only had to use WM a couple of times (when there was no other choice). Quality seemed OK, but yeah, hang on to your wallet.

I've had really good luck with Interstate batteries from Costco. Put them in the Duramax too. Price was very competitive. Life span has exceeded anything else I tried.

I keep batt tenders on all batts except the daily drivers.

Interested on seeing how the Duracell AGM's work out.
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Old 07-20-2020, 11:11 PM
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Interstate from Costco it is then.

I had an AGM battery from WM in the San Francisco Bay Area and I fried it over the winter with the wrong battery charger. I took it in and the guy was an old timer and very helpful so I bit the bullet on their lead acid unit. I took it in to the store here in Santa Monica and you’d think I was at Pep Boys buying muffler bearings. Expensive and annoying but I do try to support local shops even if it’s a chain. They can go suck a dry dock for all I care.
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Old 07-21-2020, 06:44 AM
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Most newer so called smart battery chargers will not charge a completely dead battery. Find someone with an old "dumb" charger and try again.

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Old 07-21-2020, 07:25 AM
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Costco and Menards have good marine battery deals.
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