# Battery replacement



## showtz (Mar 29, 2011)

Our battery was slowly turning over the engine on cold mornings. We bought our 2010 van new in 2011 so I am not sure of the exact age of the original. It was surprisingly difficult to find a replacement. 

Costco now carries Interstate with free for replacement for any failure within 42 months. (Not prorated). $89


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## showtz (Mar 29, 2011)

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## juvefan20 (Mar 24, 2001)

This is good information, I will keep this in mind. My 2011 just rolled 40k. Battery is still ok but I am not sure for how much longer.


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## cscsc (Jun 14, 2009)

I found the replacement battery easy to find. If you're a Sam's Club member, they have the Duracell with a 3-yr replacement and 8-yr warranty, 650CCA for less than $100. That's where I'd go if I needed one now. 

I replaced mine last winter with a Duralast gold from Auto Zone. Same specs as the Duracell, but I got a great deal because I had accumulated credits for buying my oil change kits there. 

There's always Sears [or K-Mart]


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## dacman61 (Nov 25, 2009)

I just replaced my 2009 original battery with the Duralast Gold from Autozone. I could tell the battery was original from the VW part number sticker located on it. This VW Routan was also a Florida vehichle for all of it's life, and I knew it wouldn't survive an Ohio winter. Sure enough, as soon as it dropped below 15F, it was dead as hell. I even charged it a few times but it wouldn't hold a charge for too long in those cold temps.


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## Zambee500 (Jun 23, 2011)

If you can find your local interstate distributor, they sell 'blemished' batteries for $35-$50. These are batteries that have sat on shelves at local area shops for too long, and they pick 'em back up and refurb the cells to new. Actually fresher than what you can find on store shelves after they're done with them. Drawback is they only come with 90-day warranty, but either a battery works or doesn't work within the first 3 months. I've had very good luck with these. I just picked up a 94R/H7 (for other car) which usually sell $175 and up and it was just $50 to replace the one I put in 4 years ago this February, which was also an Interstate blemished. It was cranking slow at 9* the other day and even though it's been fine ever since, after 4 years I thought it better to go ahead and replace preemptively rather than push my luck another year or two.

Also, other than the glass (AGM) batteries, all the different lines of Interstate batteries are the exact same thing, and presumably the other brands do this as well. Only difference is warranty and price - and the sticker they slap on it. Last time I was there (for the Routan) the guy at Interstate gave me 2 or 3 prices and told me which warranty came with each price, and the only difference was the sticker he was going to slap on the battery sitting in front of me once I told him what I wanted to do.


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