I decided I would replace the battery in my wife's '09 whenever I came across a good price. Her old battery is still functioning fine, but it's one of those "change it before she risks getting stuck" things. Advance Auto Parts is the only non-Honda source of a direct replacement 151R battery that I know of, and their price of $82.99 with a $50 off coupon (code DOW24, buy online for store pickup) made me decide to make the move yesterday.

The point of this thread is that when I went to pick up the battery, it was date coded 02-2012. That's a 16 month old battery which is really old. I've seen recommendations not to buy a new battery older than 6 months, even 3 months, so I decided to skip that one. I then called several other Advance Auto Parts in my area that showed stock online, and asked them to check date codes. Three had the same 02-2012 batteries, and one claimed the battery had no date (maybe they peel the stickers off their old batteries?). The fifth store I tried had one battery in stock, dated 04-2013, so I'm headed there today.

So if you're thinking of Advance Auto Parts as a battery source, be advised that you might have to go to some effort to find a fresh battery, if you can find one at all. To me , this also helps justify changing my wife's battery sort of early. If I wait until she's stuck, I might end up settling for any battery I can get my hand's on, or pay full dealer price for a Honda battery.

 

a 16 month old battery is ridiculous. They should be sending them back to the factory after 6 months if they don't sell. Good advice to check the date code.

NAPA carries a cost effective replacement. I Think Pep-Boys also has a 151R. Autozone's is too expensive.

 

Shows you what I know. Somehow I thought Advance Auto Parts was the only source for a 151R. I never even checked the others but it looks like I still got the best current price.

 

Depends on whither or not the "new" battery on the shelf is kept dry or wet. If it is "Dry", with no acid in it, they will last forever with no problems.

But if they have acid in them while sitting around then degradation starts from day one.

 

Interstate batteries also has a 151R.

 

My battery suddenly died (and wouldn't recharge) from one day to the next and was going to buy a new battery but got to thinking that it could be the alternator, so I bit the bullet and went to the dealership to have it checked out.

It turned out to be a bad cell on the battery and they replaced it for $89. So for that price they installed the new one, disposed of the old one and it comes with a 5 year warranty. Can't beat the price IMO.

 

Was this a Honda dealership? On planet Earth?

 

My guess is a local wormhole.

 

Truth be told I might even prefer the 16 month old AutoCraft battery. Why on earth would you say? Because it comes with a 3 year free replacement warranty. No prorated fees, you walk out with a brand new battery within the first 3 years. Prorated fees apply after 3 years until warranty expires in 7 years though.

A fresh battery will not typically fail in 3 years if cared for properly. But starting with a 1-1/2 old battery you'll have a very good chance that it might fail before another 3 years passes.

The free replacement battery will need to be very fresh < 6 months for me to except it as my warranty replacement though. Unfortunately (or fortunately?) for me I bought this exact battery right before Christmas last year but just checked and the mfg date is 9/12.

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The lesson learned here is to always check the date on the battery. I purchase almost all of my batteries from Walmart (I have four vehicles, plus a motorcycle and lawn tractor) and I always check the date stamp. Sometimes I will have to "dig" for the most recent date stamp and never more than one month old. Walmart has stopped prorating batteries...only a three year replacement now, so I may have to shop around. My current battery in my truck is over 5 years and I still remember quite well the day the previous battery died. Was not fun.

 

They've foiled your plan based on this wording: "This period does not renew when the battery is replaced during the Free Replacement Period." It's here:

Advance Auto Parts Limited Warranty - Advance Auto Parts

Oh well...

 

Yup. Balise Honda in West Springfield, MA where I bought my Fit.

 

Oh I knew that and not my plan. Plan is to have the battery die at 2 yr 11 months and then get a brand new fresh production battery at that time. Then the new battery should be good for 4-5 years. Total service time will be longer for that then for one new fresh battery. Lots of hassle to save $20 over the course of a battery though, hahaha You'll be gaining ~2 years service time with the two battery scenerio. Trick is to get the first battery to fail 1 or 2 months short of the 3 year free replacement. Don't leave your dog alone in the car as it might turn on your headlights. 9 times out of 10 you bring back a dead battery and they just replace it instead of charging and testing.

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