Car Quest, batteries, warranty and customer service

[Newf Limo]

(As promised. )



As some of you that were so helpful already know, I had a rough go with a set of Carquest batteries. I thought I would post this so that those of you 36,000+ members with 72,000+ batteries, would be able to use my experience in helping you decide what batteries to buy, or not to buy in the future.



Let me say right up front, I have had good luck with some Car Quest suspension parts, but I only buy ones made by MOOG, so, that may have something to do with it.



2 years ago (to the month), my 7 year old OEM batteries gave up the ghost. The timing was really bad and I was strapped for time to research and shop. The closest place was Car Quest in Hollis, Maine and they had the batteries in stock. It was the recommendation that I get the premium 70 month batteries @ $127. 00 each. So I did.



Installing the new batteries was very straight forward, and there was absolutely no corrosion, after 7 years. Pretty amazing.



Within a couple months, I found my battery cable terminals, the terminal for my CB/10meter radio, the battery hold down bolts etc. with piles of white corrosion on them. So, I cleaned it all up and bought some spray (red crap) for battery posts and sprayed it on. Within two months it was happening again! Again I cleaned everything. This went on and on.



After nine months, new battery number one... . died. No explanation, no warning. Went out on a warm September morning to a truck that would hardly crank. A charge and test showed a dead battery and the reader also said, that it was no good (failed). I took it over to Car Quest Hollis, with the receipt, and they gladly exchanged it... for $37. 00!



I also figured that this bad battery was what was causing all this corrosion! So, on the bright side, that should go away! Uhuh. Nope. Nada. No way.



So, a regular cleaning is now in the list of crap to do.



To the month, 2years later battery number 2 failed. This time, it happened when my wife was driving the truck. It set off check gauges lights and gave zero volt readings, yada yada, until the truck wouldn't restart.

See... . https://www.turbodieselregister.com/forums/truck-911/219618-batteries-generator-neither-both.html



Fortunately with the help of members here, I eventually got the truck squared away (I think). It turns out, the battery had an internal failure as determined by the battery tester at Parts Plus. There was no way in Hades I was going to spend money to supplement my own warranty on this battery! 2 new batteries and 100% failure rate! No way! I tried to call the Hollis Car Quest and on both numbers the recording said #'s no longer in service! Crap! I called the Sanford store and they said we don't refund money on warranty and you didn't buy it here so we can't help you. I then called the 1800 customer servicve number and ended up filing a claim. They were great. Really great. They said that the area manager would get in touch with me in 48 hours. He didn't. I called them back and they said they would call him directly and put him on this. He still didn't respond. I said I just want the prorated portion of the warranty that remained on the battery refunded. Something! Make this right! As it turned out, not only had I lost the opportunity for a couple days work (I have been laid off since Dec 08) but it ultimately turns out that it trashed my alternator as well.



Our tax refund arrived today and I went and bought new Die Hard Platinums and then still had to go get an alternator. I only had used 24 out of 70 months on that battery, but to keep from taking a total loss, I exchanged it on my new batteries. Yup... I got 10 dollars for it! WooHOO! I feel confident that for the next four years I get 100% replacement on these batteries, and believe me, that is a big comfort!



As far as car quest goes, they have lost my business on everything. There are too many parts places available to have to get shafted like that.



You are welcome my fellow TDR members to buy what you like from whom you like. Just wanted you to see this experience so you can make a good decision. That is what this forum is all about.



Feel free to post your happy Car Quest Battery experiences as well. That way this topic stays well balanced.



Thanks again to all the folks that helped. As always You Rock!

 

[Bob Cochran]

My only comment is "you don't know what you don't know!" with your help I now know. I don't know if Car Quest are independently franchised or not. If this is so it can lead to one place being bad and another good. I have never understood why in a franchised situation corporate do something about things that go wrong. Typically their response is we have no control over individual franchises. It is still the corporates name bed dragged through the mud you would think they would be more concerned. Most seem not to be and it is beyond me why not. Glad you posted thanks.

 

[Newf Limo]

Indeed. And I'm glad too.



Thanks back at'chya.



D

 

[jeepit]

Let us know if the corroison returns. I have heard on 2nd Gens that vapors from corroding batterys acn get sucked out of engine compartment and across fenders causing paint damage.

When it is time I think i will go with Mopar replacements... .

 

[Newf Limo]

Hey Jeepit...



One of the BIG benefits of AGM batteries (such as Optima, Die Hard Platinums, and Odyssey) is that they are effectively a "dry" battery. There will be no acid vapors, hence, no corrosion. That being said, my mopar oem batteries that I had in my Ram for seven years, as well as the nine year old OEM lead acid battery in my wifes Dakota, have never caused a single bit of corrosion. So, you can make a battery that doesn't leak and destroy vehicles. You just have to want to. I hope we can motivate companies like Car Quest to 'want' to. Maybe somebody there should take a look at the warranty issues with their batteries and either fire their manufacturer, make them build a better battery or quit selling junk batteries all together. Once you own them, it is a viscious circle. You either have to be willing to take a big loss and dump the batteries altogether (like i just did $291 loss) or you have to keep paying over and over for replacements under warranty (like the $37 I did the first time @ 9 months). Some over paid actuary likely wrote the warranty, but it was written to protect the company. Warranties are supposed to protect the consumer. At least that is the idea. This warranty was more like an insurance policy. Now that is designed to protect the underwriter, and that is what the battery warranty feels like.

 

[pullya]

I have no specific comment on your battery problem however I do understand your frustration. This is one story in a continuing number of stories of typical BAD customer service everyone is experiencing with all types of vendors. I for one, wished that the owners of Geno's would begin customer service training classes for other vendors. They are one of the only organization that I have NEVER had a problem with.

Jay

 

[JMetzger]

My OEM batteries had corrosion on them untill I put those Red & Green things that go on the battery terminals you know the felt pads. Since putting those on I have never had any more corrosion problems. That was 6 years ago & batteries are now 8 years old.

 

[Newf Limo]

Just received a telephone call from the area manager for Car Quest. I think that is his title. He had me explain the whole thing again. He basically said, we would just warranty the battery, you would pay the difference on the proration. In other words, we aren't interested in finding a solution that is supportive of the customer. East Penn Battery Manufacturing sets the policy and we just follow it. I said I had been there and done that. At this rate, by the time I reach 70 months, I will have bought 4 batteries instead of the two!



I told him that their batteries had a 100% failure rate. Not to mention all the damage from corrosion. He said that if my alternator's voltage regulator was charging at >fifteen volts, then it would cause the batteries to boil and that is what causes the corrosion and gassing off. So, I guess it is my trucks fault. As far as the battery failure, they only have about a 1 to 2% failure rate. (and I seemed to have gotten both of them) So, it is very unusual to have two batteries fail like that. I said, all the more reason to say, "Hey, something is going on here, maybe a bad batch of batteries, let's take care of this customer, and send these batteries back so they can figure out what is going on" or something to that effect. "... . We have to follow the policy set forward by the manufacturer... . blah blah blah.



So, fine. One of the benefits of losing my arse on these batteries, having to repair all the damage at my expense, and not getting any notion of customer support from Car Quest, is, I get to tell my 36,000+ fellow TDR mates, about it. They can think about it and decide who to buy their batteries from in the future. Any gamblers out there????





Here is an example of REAL CUSTOMER SERVICE!



This past Christmas morning, I was going to make our morning breakfast. We buy Nellies Cage Free Eggs from the grocery store, provided by a regional grower (layer?). Anyhow, One of the eggs... . was bad. Like holy schmoly that's bad, bad. :-laf Yuk, and, I don't want breakfast bad. I tried a second one, and it only had a fairly large blood spot. Having had fresh eggs as a kid, right from the hen house, I could handle the blood spot. I have even seen a litte gushy chick before at the farm. But this one... . not good.



So, I shot some photos of the eggs as well as the carton and serial number, told the story and emailed it to the company. I figured in a few days, after the holiday, I would hear something. Just wanted them to know that it happened, and maybe they need to candle all the eggs a little better. These days somone may send the pictures to 20/20 or 60 minutes or something.



They emailed me back a couple hours later! On CHRISTMAS DAY! :--)



They asked how much I paid for the eggs and wanted my address to mail a refund. They apologized profusely. I said it was about 3 bucks and thanks for the refund, it isn't really necessary though. I mostly just wanted to make you aware; and that, it was a bit ... creepy. They think an egg that had been 'tucked away' by a hen, may have made its way down the line.



A few days later, there was a letter, with coupons for a few dozen eggs, and... the President (!) of the company, had bothered to reach into their wallet and remove a ten dollar bill and stick it in the envelope as well! I know, that is such a small amount. But hey, someone did it! It was totally unnecessary, and unexpected. Doesn't THAT fall into the definition of "Positively Outrageous Customer Service"? ( according to T. Scott Gross )



Yup, I still buy their eggs, and I really, really like that company! That is customer service. It doesn't take a lot. But it takes a little EFFORT!



Nellies Eggs ROCK! :-laf

 

[PToombs]

I have a Carquest here in town, it's a franchise. The owner is a sorta close aquaintence, so I get good deals from him. I had just bought batteries about a week before Newf Limo posted his problems, or I would have gotten them elsewhere. I guess I'll just have to watch and see how things go. I've had good luck with other stuff I got from him.

 

[Skydiver]

Nice egg farmer Newf. Sorry to hear about you battery problems.
Good customer service is the only way to make a business strong in todays competitive www market. When doing forum research before buying a product I take negative replies with a grain of salt unless the number of negative replies is numerous. That's why I have only joined 3-4 forums. It makes it easier to find honest answers when dealing with people I know I can trust. I think forums also keep the product manufactures in line. I'm also leary of reviews because the company selling a product can place false positive reviews.
I sometimes wished I had a T-shirt with "GOT FORUM" printed on it.

 

[The patriot]

I have NEVER had the corrosion show on ANY of my batteries. I dont know why, I'm pretty close to the ocean. Maybe that has something to do with it.

When my batts went (2nd set since new in dec 1997) I went to the Interstate group 31's. They were a tight fit, but I managed to coax them in.

The last batts I had before the Interstates were Sears diehards. They were OK and lasted a good long while.

I got rid of the factory Mopars prematurely. There were a bunch of guys having problems with them exploding. I didnt want to mess up the paint etc. etc.

 

[Newf Limo]

I just received an email from CarQuest. In all fairness, I shall post it.





I know that you are very upset over this situation. I thought it may help that I pass on to you the thoughts of our battery specialist. This guy is an expert on automotive batteries and can shed some light on to your experience.







Mark Roazen



Carquest Auto Parts







________________________________________________________________________________________________________________















Gassing on today's Calcium maintenance-free batteries occurs only when the batteries are severely overcharged. This is a symptom of a faulty alternator or voltage regulator. Batteries will not gas under normal operating conditions. Nor would an internal defect cause the batteries to gas excessively.







The most likely cause of the issues described by this customer is that the original batteries were worn down over their 7 years of service. The alternator was forced to work overtime maintaining weak batteries, which eventually caused a charging system issue.







The voltage put out by the alternator in this case exceeded normal operating parameters and overcharged the batteries over their 9 months of service. The corrosion build up was an indication that the voltage level was excessive and that the batteries were being damaged. Gases emitted from a battery during periods of overcharge will have a tendency to migrate towards the nearest metal objects. This will traditionally be the battery hold down brackets or the battery cables and terminals. If left unchecked, corrosion can work its way up the cables, creating large amounts of resistance. Most skilled technicians can perform a voltage drop test to determine the extent of damage the cables have experienced due to corrosion.







It is always recommended to replace batteries in tandem. If this is not done, the weaker (older) battery will draw off the new, replacement battery, negatively impacting the life and performance of the new battery. In addition, the weaken bank of batteries will further stress the vehicle's already damaged charging system.







The symptoms described by the customer below are clearly an indication of a malfunctioning alternator.







Wife drives to work, (10 miles). About 2 miles down the road, the CHECK GAUGES light, followed a little later by an AIR BAG light. She thinks the Voltage gauge and temp gauge were reading naught. She thinks the temp climbed normally as she progressed but the Volt gauge didn't move.



When leaving work a few hours later, she went out, pre heat cycled the key and started the truck. It was a little slow turning over but did fire up. Ran a moment, gauges went wonky... puff of smoke... engine died and then there was nothing. Turned key, and everything was stone dead.







It is critical that the alternator be replaced before damage is done to the newest set of replacement batteries. If the alternator is not replaced the result will be another set of prematurely failed batteries and further damage to other electrical system components. It would be reasonable to presume that the starter will be the next component to fail as a result of excessive workloads caused by low battery voltage levels.







Absorbed Glass Mat (AGM) technology like that found in the Sears Platinum, Odyssey and Optima batteries provides a number of advantages when compared to traditional flooded, lead acid technology. AGM batteries are completely sealed and spill-proof - gassing will only occur if severely overcharged. AGM batteries also handle the rigors of deep cycle service and high vibration applications much better than their conventional counterparts.







However, AGM batteries have a very tight threshold where they can be charged. It is recommended that AGM batteries be charged between 14. 4 and 14. 6 volts. If the charging voltage exceeds these parameters, there will be an internal build up of pressure, the pressure release valves will open, gassing will occur and irreversible damage will be done to these very expensive batteries.







If not corrected, the Sears Platinum batteries purchased by this customer will be destroyed within a matter of weeks or months. It is imperative the customer have the alternator replaced and ideally, a comprehensive electrical system test performed to determine if the cables require replacement.



__________________________________________________________________________





So there you have it. It was my fault.

 

[Newf Limo]

Our generators (alternators) are run by the PCM. There are specific parameters that need to be met before it even allows the generator to engage the charging system. It provides different charging rates under different conditions. This isn't the old style charging systems that we had in our '68 Nova's.



In my opinion, for what it is worth...



I started the truck an hour before she went to work. I let it warm up so she wouldn't freeze her butt off. It pre-heated the grid just fine, started normal, and cycled through the Cummins warm up program as usual based upon the temperature. After feeding the horses, I turned the engine off, but checked the guages to ensure that the engine would be warm enough to provide her heat when she leaves for work. There were no issues. No lights, sirens, bells or whistles.



On her way to work, the hard riding heavy duty suspension in combination with our winter beaten roads, I believe was too much work for a poorly made light duty battery, and so it broke internally. The internal short hence fried the diodes in my generator (alternator). I think I am lucky that it didn't spike my PCM. I seriously doubt that my alternator could have created a charge so great that it internally shorted out a battery! Especially to have done it to one 18 months ago and then, what, it waited to do it to this one as well? Was it sneaking up on it? Both batteries were replaced at the same time. Because the first one failed in nine months, do i have to pay to have BOTH batteries replaced at nine months so that they 'play nice' together?



This is nuts!

 

[JLEONARD]

I've used Carquest batteries in the past and have not had any problems.

I had a very bad corrosion problem on the + post of one AC Delco battery and I believe the lead was porous. It would eat thru connectors in no time.

A new battery solved that problem. I do not believe it had anything to do with the charging system (it was a Ford truck).