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Sears has the Platinum Group 65 battery on sale

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Good find, good post... even better, since our trucks need two, and until Feb 02, get an additional $35 off by using promo AUTO35 for an extra 10% off of $350 up orders.



That makes the Platinums only $158. 50 each Oo. Oo. , which is almost as low as I have ever seen them. Prices good only online, so buy online and pick-upat local store, or perhaps get free shipping.



http://www.sears.com/shc/s/ProductDi...atalogId=12605



FYI-- these deals usually last LESS then 24 hours !!!





PPS--when you pick them up, be sure to get two with MATCHING date codes.
 
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Looks like they're still on sale.

Do you have to exchange your old batteries?

-Ryan

Yes there is a core charge, though I forget what it is. Probably charged online at first and then refunded with pick-up, but for some reason I don't remember exactly how it worked. My oem batteries still had some good life in them, so I found 2 cores that were definitely bad from other vehicles. Put one of the oem truck batteries in a toyota and keep the other around on a trickle charger for other uses.
 
I bought two yesterday, The nearest store that handles is 200 miles away. This weekend family is comeing up so they are going to pick them up. Cant wait. I have been trying to get these for a wile people at sears were no help tell yesterday. It is amazing what difference one person can make on the phone.

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93 250 2wd xc 354 auto
04. 5 3500 4wd cc dully 373 6speed
 
I bought two yesterday, The nearest store that handles is 200 miles away. This weekend family is comeing up so they are going to pick them up. Cant wait. I have been trying to get these for a wile people at sears were no help tell yesterday. It is amazing what difference one person can make on the phone.

If you can , be SURE to put one of your family members "in charge" of the battery pick-up, and be sure to have them "insist/ensure" while AT the pick-up store, that the TWO batteries that they actaully pick up have a "date code" that are identical to each other, and NOT more then 6 months old. The date code is NOT the rectangular sticker on top of the battery with the scratch of month / year, but generally a small, round sticker with 2 numbers, separated by a slash or a dash, like 4/12 or 4-12, which indicate month and year of the batteries' manufacture. It can be located either on top or on the sides of the batteries.
 
It is amazing what difference one person can make on the phone.

If you have already been in touch with a decent salesperson at the store where your family is going to pick up the batteries, I would call him/her back and express to them your concerns/desire to have both batteries have the same date of manufacture as indicated by the date code.
That same individual who has already been good to you, will likely be able to pull two of the P2 batteries from stock with the same code and hold them for your family at will call. Ask him to pull the two batteries with the most recent date codes that match. Then have your family memebr double check the code before final pick-up just to be sure evrything is good.

Just my . 02.
 
If you can , be SURE to put one of your family members "in charge" of the battery pick-up, and be sure to have them "insist/ensure" while AT the pick-up store, that the TWO batteries that they actaully pick up have a "date code" that are identical to each other, and NOT more then 6 months old. The date code is NOT the rectangular sticker on top of the battery with the scratch of month / year, but generally a small, round sticker with 2 numbers, separated by a slash or a dash, like 4/12 or 4-12, which indicate month and year of the batteries' manufacture. It can be located either on top or on the sides of the batteries.



Date Codes on batteries can also be formatted with a letter / number combo.



For example a date code of B12 would be February of 2012. L12 would be December of 2012.



Mike.
 
Thanks thats really good info. I am called the store one is an 8-12 and the other is 10-12 they only had one other it was 1-12 so he must have known or just lucky. I wish I would have thought of this I found two other stores on there way that had them, I would have looked for a match. I picked the one that was closest incase I had to go get them.
 
Yes there is a core charge, though I forget what it is. Probably charged online at first and then refunded with pick-up, but for some reason I don't remember exactly how it worked. My oem batteries still had some good life in them, so I found 2 cores that were definitely bad from other vehicles. Put one of the oem truck batteries in a toyota and keep the other around on a trickle charger for other uses.
Yeah,that's what I did last time. My stockers are living a good life in a 12 valve now and I turned in his near dead ones for core credit.
 
Why is it so critical to have identical date codes?

-Ryan

Not CRITICAL, but defintely a good idea.

The chemical processes that constitute a working battery start to happen as soon as the battery is manufactured and charged.
That process includes the degradation of the plates by the fluid (ion exchange) and is measured by the working voltage of the battery, as well as by the specific gravity of the fluid. Since our trucks utilize a dual battery system with a single alternator charging them controlled by temperature of only one of them, it is ideal to have batteries that will accept the same rate of charge and remain the same temperature while charging, so that the state of charge stays as equal as possible for as long as possible. Once one battery starts recieivng a charge that is higher then the other battery, for WHATEVER reason, it will degrade faster and eventually lead to a failed battery due to overcharging and boiling over (think 787 Dreamliner lol) and once that battery fails, the other will soon follow (... which is why it is ALSO better to replace BOTH batteries at the same time. ) Of course, that entire "failure" process happens over a long period of time that shortens as the overcharging continues, (and might not even happen at all, depending on the use and charging of the vehicle being driven) but in short (npi) it is simply a good idea/best to keep things as equal as possible for as long as possible with a dual battery system, which is why it is a good idea/best (though not critical) to start with batteries MADE at the same time. Personally, I definitely would not buy batteries that have been sitting on a shelf for more then 6 months or that were manufactured more then 6 months apart, particularly for how MUCH these batteries cost in the first place... lol. When I bought my Diehard Platinums last year, for about the same price they are on sale for now, I called the pick-up store, got ahold of a decent employee, and he ended up setting aside 2 batteries that were made just the month before I picked them up. I have been well pleased with the purchase!!

Hope that helps, even though I am NOT an electrical engineer.
 
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Just picked up 2 group 65 batteries from Costco a while back for my ctd. these batteries are 850cca and have a 100 month pro rated warranty. Have had these batteries in other rigs that I own and never have had any problems. The batteries cost $220 and some change for both. This might be of some help if your wanting to save a few bucks.
 
Just picked up 2 group 65 batteries from Costco a while back for my ctd. these batteries are 850cca and have a 100 month pro rated warranty. Have had these batteries in other rigs that I own and never have had any problems. The batteries cost $220 and some change for both. This might be of some help if your wanting to save a few bucks.

were those the interstate or the costco brand... . the interstate cca is poor and the costco ones were like 900 or more... . i have the costco ones and are great, but would not buy interstate ones...
 
Picked mine up yesterday.

One date code is October 2012, the other is January 2013. That's the best I could do, as the store had only those two left. Close enough.

The interesting thing is the price change that happened overnight from 1/31 to 2/1. Ordered on 1/31 at $197/battery. Checked the website again around 9am on 2/1, price was down to $159/battery!

Called the store and they told me to bring in a printout of the website and they'd match it. Which they did.

So instead of paying a total out-the-door of $386, I paid $343.

Core charge was $15/battery. For that price I may just keep both old batteries. They're still working, and it's sometimes nice to have a spare lying around in case one of the cars dies. Although it's hard to cram a group 65 into a Civic or an Accord.

I believe tomorrow (2/2/13) is the last day of the sale.

I notice this morning the price is back to $197/battery.

-Ryan
 
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What are all these expensive batteries capable of doing that the $80/each OEM replacements that I got from the local dealer can't do?
 
24% more CCA's, and it's very noticeable.

Besides that, I'm hoping for long life. I got 10 solid years from the OEMs and I expect to get double that on these. Since I paid, effectively, $160/battery, I better get 2x life over $80/battery OEMs.

These are 930 amp at 0°F. I think the OEMs are only 750 at 0°F.

Thin justification for such a huge cost? Maybe.

Plus if I ever have to jump start, say, the USS Missouri, I can. I sleep better knowing that.

-Ryan
 
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