Art161

I tested the voltage on my Interstate battery after the car had been driven on the highway five days earlier (and not driven since) and the multimeter read 12.30 volts. That's roughly a 60% charge. It seemed rather low, so I removed the caps and measured the specific gravity with a battery hydrometer. Four cells read 75% charge, one cell read 50% charge, and I got erratic readings on the remaining cell.

After I had driven the car on the highway again, I let the car sit for five days and read 12.37 volts. The next day I went to an Interstate battery dealer, and they said the battery read 12.62 volts and the charging system was fine. The dealer is about two city miles from home. How in the world could the battery have gone from 12.37 volts to 12.62 volts in two miles of city driving unless they didn't remove the surface charge? I checked the battery two hours after I got home, and the charge was 12.56 volts. After 12 hours it was 12.46 volts. After 24 hours it was 12.37 volts.

So I went to another Interstate dealer, and they said the battery was about 90% charged. Before I drove there (again, about two city miles) the battery was about 60% charged.

They won't cover the battery under warranty as being bad, because their test equipment shows the battery is good. I don't think it is.

I bought the battery about 14 months ago. When I talked to the dealer on the phone, he said it was a fresh battery that they had gotten from the Interstate warehouse a couple of weeks ago. Unfortunately, I trusted the place, and didn't check the manufacturing date until after I purchased the battery. It was nine months old, and had been recharged twice since manufacture.

I park in a large garage at home, and don't have an AC outlet for a battery tender.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Shift

Take it back, and demand your money back for something that doesn't work and is old. Buy a Optima Red top. If you can get past the price they are the best in my opinion. Good luck on it. Hate when I have problems with shops or dealers.

White05GT

Best deal I've found on a battery is my local Lincoln dealer. 100 month warranty, free replacement for 3 years. Was $142 installed with charging system check.

JRC702

A reading of 12.3 volts does not indicate there is anything wrong with the battery. You can't measure a batterys capacity with a regular voltmeter.

The Interstate route driver is supposed to rotate the stock for the dealers, they usually do a decent job. I used to work at a shop that was an Interstate dealer. They can not warranty a battery unless the tester they supply shows the battery fails the capacity test.
Yes, the testers are accurate.

JRC702

That's a real good deal.

pilatti1

I read some reviews on batteries and the Bosch was rated high so that is what I went with about a year ago and so far it has been good to me.

Chromeshadow

JCR is correct, you cannot tell the battery condition from the voltage alone. You could take the battery to Napa or Autozone, they'll test it for free.

You could turn your headlights on while the engine is off, and measure the battery while you start the car. The voltage should not drop under 9 volts. You need to measure at the battery posts themselves, not on the connectors going to the battery.