Battery Shock

[JDStrickland]

No, not that kind of shock.

$185 + tax for a Group 92 battery from AutoZone. Holy cow! It's not even a vibration resistant battery that the 'verts need.

[gc325is]

I went with an AGM since it was the same price range or less (H7 or 94R $160 sale at Sears). AGM has better vibration resistance but do not know if it is recommended for a convertible.

[bluptgm3]

Go Interstate from the local distributer. Ask for. deeply discounted "blem".


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[Nanniepoo]

All of my batteries have lasted 8+ years in Michigan. Chalk the price to oh well

[Eric93se]

It's funny cause even a $100 battery will start the car. I got a new battery last year and I went with the largest the car could hold and it was actually a bit cheaper with discounts than the normal size. My battery is also now properly secured, the car didn't come with the battery tie down, got one cheap from RMeuropean.

It's really a joke that we are still using lead acid batteries in cars today. At least they get recycled now.

[samy01]

that's not a joke, it makes perfect sense. they're simple and do their job, and they're cheap. no need to make things more complicated.

[flyfishvt]

I've never paid more than $125 for any of the batteries for my e36s. The last two I bought were Bosch. $100 each and they came with a 3 year 100% replacement warranty. When I bought my 97 328 vert it had a small Walmart battery in it. Probably 30% smaller than the correct one. That thing lasted 5 years through 5 winters of -25F temps. Never failed to start the car until I parked it for 2 months. That finally killed it. I never understood the reasoning behind the requirement for a special battery for verts. I've owned 5 and never had an issue while using a normal battery.

No, not that kind of shock.

$185 + tax for a Group 92 battery from AutoZone. Holy cow! It's not even a vibration resistant battery that the 'verts need.

[gc325is]

"I've never paid more than $125 for any of the batteries for my e36s."

Interesting, this price increase must be a CA thing because I haven't seen a battery for the E36 below $140. Walmart price is $149 now, Pep boys wants $200 for a Bosch. I was checking prices for the last 4years since my Walmart special @ $69 would a temp (Battery went dead on a Holiday weekend and only a few stores were open so I picked up the smallest battery since I had to carry it home, it lasted 7 and I replaced it only because it was old) Prices went up about the time Exude lost the Walmart business to Johnson Controls. Competition was good for low battery cost.

Two former Exide recycling plants in Frisco, Texas and Vernon, California have been closed in 2012 and 2013 due to regulatory inspections that found toxic emissions and/or leakages of lead and cadmium.^[1] The plants in Reading, Pennsylvania and Baton Rouge, Louisiana have also been closed.
In June 2013 Exide again filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
Following public outcry, Gov. Jerry Brown last year signed a law requiring regulators to either issue Exide a full permit by the end of 2015 or force the facility to close.

[Eric93se]

Lead is super bad for humans, the US removed lead from gasoline and Europe continued using lead for another 15 years.

"
Lead in Gasoline

The addition of lead to gasoline is one of the greatest public health failures of the 20th century. Tetraethyl lead (TEL) was discovered in 1854 by a German chemist and in 1921, Thomas Midgley of the US found that it reduces engine knock. This was a period of tremendous competition in the automobile industry and of growth in the oil, gas, and chemical industries in the United States. A year later the US Public Health Service issued a warning about the potential hazards associated with lead. In 1923 the Du Pont Corporation began the first large-scale production of TEL and the first workers died from lead exposure. The same year, leaded gasoline went on sale in selected regions of the country. During this period Du Pont acquired a 35% ownership of General Motors, and General Motors and Standard Oil formed a joint company, Ethyl Corporation, to produce TEL. In 1924 five workers died from lead poisoning at the Ethyl facility in New Jersey, although the total number of workers affected by lead exposure is unknown.
In 1925 sales of TEL were suspended while the U.S. Surgeon General reviewed the safety of TEL. The next year, a committee approved the use of TEL in gasoline and sales were immediately resumed. By 1936, 90% of the gasoline sold in the U.S. contained lead, and the Ethyl Corporation was expanding sales in Europe. In the early 1950s the U.S. Justice Department investigated anticompetitive activities associated with Du Pont, General Motors, Standard Oil, and Ethyl Corporation. Environmental concerns were highlighted in a 1965 report documenting that high levels of lead in the environment were caused by human use of lead. In 1972 the U.S. EPA gave notice of an intended phase-out of lead in gasoline and was promptly sued by the Ethyl Corporation. Four years later the EPA standards were upheld in court and in 1980 the National Academy of Sciences reported that leaded gasoline was the greatest source of environmental lead contamination. In 1979, the effects of lead on the intellectual development of children were documented in a seminal paper written by Herbert Needleman and others. (Photo: Sign on an antique gasoline gasoline pump advertising tetraethyl lead by the Ethyl Corporation.)
The fight over phasing out leaded gasoline was far from over when, in 1981, then Vice President George Bush's task force proposed to relax or eliminate the lead phase-out program. The relationship between leaded gasoline and blood lead levels was demonstrated when the EPA reported that blood lead levels declined by 37% in association with a 50% drop in the use of leaded gasoline between 1976 and 1980. Subsequent studies showed a correlation between the increase in gasoline use during the summer and a rise in blood lead levels. By 1986 the primary phase-out of lead from gasoline was completed but in some areas of the country, such as Washington State, leaded gasoline was available until 1991. The World Bank called for a ban on leaded gasoline in 1996 and the European Union banned leaded gasoline in 2000.
It is estimated that 7 million tons of lead were released into the atmosphere from gasoline in the United States alone."

http://www.toxipedia.org/display/tox...ry+of+Lead+Use

[scooper]

I bought one over the weekend for $135 at pep boys (bosch). I had been buying interstate ones size 91 for around $120 but got a size 92 this time (bigger). Will see if it's a better deal or not.

[mslevin]

I buy all my batteries at O'Reilly Auto Parts. They're a little cheaper than some other stores, and I have a commercial account with them which makes it even better New battery for my E36 was under $100. I highly recommend trying to talk your local shop into letting you set one up.

[samy01]

the thing with forums is that people without enough knowledge can post too.

[DotBeta]

All of my batteries have lasted 8+ years in Michigan. Chalk the price to oh well

Move down here where car battery life is generally 2-3 years tops thanks for the 115+ degree summer days straight murdering batteries lol.

I buy all my batteries at O'Reilly Auto Parts. They're a little cheaper than some other stores, and I have a commercial account with them which makes it even better New battery for my E36 was under $100. I highly recommend trying to talk your local shop into letting you set one up.

I'm a store manager for O'reilly auto parts, having a commercial account will net you a discount and even make you tax exempt IF you generate money for the store, the more you buy the better the discount gets. Anyone can have a commercial account but it won't net you any deals if you're not spending money on the regular monthly. Commercial accounts are for small and large businesses.

With that said my discount allows me to purchase anything at cost before the mark up which is usually a 35-50%+ discount. Yes I can get a battery for my car for under 100 bucks because of that reason, but I'm not sure how the hell you got one for under 100 unless you know the commercial manager and he hooked you up or you spend bookoo bucks there.



UPDATE: I just looked up a battery for my 96 328i, while I don't carry a group 92 I can get a group 91 extreme 3 yr. warranty for 80.59, that's my cost. Couldn't see a group 92 being anymore.

Final summation, find someone that works for O'reilly and have them buy a battery for you lol.

[mslevin]

I'm a store manager for O'reilly auto parts, having a commercial account will net you a discount and even remove taxes IF you generate money for the store, the more you buy the better the discount gets. Anyone can have a commercial account but it won't net you any deals if your not spending money on the regular monthly. Commercial accounts are for small and large businesses.

With that said my discount allows me to purchase anything at cost before the mark up which is usually a 35-50% discount. Yes I can get a battery for my car for under 100 bucks because of that reason, but I'm not sure how the hell you got one for under 100 unless you know the commercial manager and he hooked you up or you spend bookoo bucks there.

I've bought 4 batteries there within the last 3 months, all ended up being $80-150 (most expensive was a Ford Motorcraft battery for my Bronco). I know the guys at my local store really well, and they let me set up the account as I was "purchasing at the same volume as some small shops". They said the point of commercial accounts to get back some of the revenue lost to people buying parts online. I always make a point to at least check with them first now whenever I need something The best part so far is being able to get brake cleaner for $2.40/can.

[DotBeta]

I've bought 4 batteries there within the last 3 months, all ended up being $80-150 (most expensive was a Ford Motorcraft battery for my Bronco). I know the guys at my local store really well, and they let me set up the account as I was "purchasing at the same volume as some small shops". They said the point of commercial accounts to get back some of the revenue lost to people buying parts online. I always make a point to at least check with them first now whenever I need something The best part so far is being able to get brake cleaner for $2.40/can.

We just started a commercial sale for brake cleaner @ 1.99 a can, I picked up a box of 12 . I see, that's cool man it sounds like they're hooking you up. Be aware of retail sales not applying on a commercial account. If something goes on sale on the retail customer side and you try to purchase it under your commercial account the sale price will not apply, you will have to buy it off of the CA to get the sale price, same for commercial sales not being available to retail customers. You're probably aware of this but I figured I'd mention it.

I had a customer try to buy a gallon of Lucas injector cleaner, when I told him the price he scoffed and said "look here it's on sale..." He somehow got his hands on a commercial flyer, I told him that sale price was for commercial customers only and he flipped out lol.

Lead is super bad for humans, the US removed lead from gasoline and Europe continued using lead for another 15 years.

*snip*

This was a very interesting read btw thanks for sharing .

[Auto Parts Guy]

I've been running a Group 92 (for e39) AGM in my e36 M3 for years. Go to advance auto parts and use coupon code UD30BX for 30% off. Good til end of August i think. Next battery will probably be the same or a Group 34/78 Yellow top Optima dual purpose. This one pretty much interchanges in all my vehicles except the M5.

[RandomHero27]

I buy all my batteries at O'Reilly Auto Parts. They're a little cheaper than some other stores, and I have a commercial account with them which makes it even better New battery for my E36 was under $100. I highly recommend trying to talk your local shop into letting you set one up.

what? i just bought a batttery from them and it was $180. i needed it too as i was in the middle of a drift event and the battery straight died. wouldnt charge. and i drove it to the track too.