Can anyone explain why the cost of 8D batteries at O'Reilly is roughly 75% of the cost of any other battery? I know they are made by East Penn and have the same 1 year warranty as most other batteries but I'm a firm believer of "if it's too good to be true, ---".
I like to save money but I don't like to make purchases that I regret down the road.
I can't explain why they are cheaper but we bought 4 approximately 2 years ago . We haven't had any issues with them thus far. Faith and Bob
O'Reillys also gives a 10% active and retired military discount as well
Parts Plus is even cheaper, and I've been using their batteries for several years without problems. :)
I assume you are speaking about the 8D AGM batteries at O'Reilly's... Was the best price around and I did a lot of research to try and be sure that these are made by East Penn also labeled as Deka/MK. I bought one to replace the two Optima Red Tops about three years ago, and four for the house about a year and a half ago. They are doing fine thus far.
Don
Links are nice, I couldn't find AGM batteries on the Parts Plus site. It may be the way the site handles the iPad browser request though.
O'Reilly's might lose money on each 8D AGM battery sold, but they make it up on volume. :dance:
PS: We have had 2 of them in our coach for 3 years, and they work great!
O'reillys has probably figured out the freight better than anyone else, or they have their own fleet of trucks to move stuff. My suspicions are they have a great price overall on all their batteries from the manufacturer, and somehow do not have the freight imputed into the selling price, most likely since they have that cost as a fixed cost with a fleet of delivery trucks.
Let's say Manufacturer pays freight to O'reilly's distribution center for a truckload of various size batteries. No freight so far. Then O'reilly's has a fleet of trucks that make regular delivery runs to all the stores. That cost is probably spread product based on the $$$ value of the product, not the weight. So, O'reillys would be "charging" the customer (the store cost and ultimately the end user cost) a fraction of what the freight would actually be if calculated on weight. Probalbly at other vendors stores, the freight is figured into the cost of the battery (vs. separately invoiced). If that is the case the seller would likely add gross margin to the entire cost, which puts margin on the battery and the freight.
Long answer, but my outsider looking in guess is that it is as a result of two factors, O'reilly's buying power might explain some of the difference, but I would bet that how O'reilllys handles freight costs and margin on freight cost explains most of it.
When I bought 3 of these batteries from O'Riellys, they signed me up to a points program. About a month later, I got a $30.00 gift card, so that was a nice bonus. Needed to get some fuel treatment and it worked out well. :)
Our coaches had gel batteries new. Double the cycle life.
Just saying.
I bought three AGM 8D batteries in 2015 November, from Top Quality Batteries. Discount Prices. UPS, Solar, Marine & More | Apex... (http://www.apexbattery.com) (search for APX12-260 and pick 8D from list).
Cost was $350 list plus $97 shipping per battery, and discounted to $420 each delivered to the Slabs in California.
Apex batteries also had Gel batteries which were $675 delivered but Apex claimed that their AGM batteries cycle as well as any Gel battery because of blah blah blah.
I am trying the Apex AGM batteries and hope that they last longer then the Lifeline AGM batteries which died at 5.5 years, while the thirteen year old Lifeline Gel I still had had greater measured amphour capacity (20AH and 40AH for AGMs but 65AH for Gel).
The latest version of the mk gels have a different plate attachment method internally and their(mk) engineer said while he had had many foretravel owners mention 10-12 years life with their gels he thought the newer version might have double the life again.
Plates pre charged now and tested BEFORE installation
Were I buying only three at once when I bought four O'Reilly AGM's, I would have considered getting Gels instead at the 50% or better cost premium that the GELs command. As I was upgrading from two GELS as installed originally to four 8D's batteries, even if the Gels had twice the cycles per the same depth of discharge, I believe I will come out ahead in the long run. Be that as it may, I was almost ready to build my own Lithium Iron Phosphate batteries out of the prismatic cells, but decided on the AGM's as a way to punt that project down the road a few years until the cost of the new battery technology comes down. At which point, I will have a use for four half used AGM's which will typically not be discharged to less than 80% or so with (very) occasional 50% discharges. With 980AH total and over 400 useable without exceeding 50% depth of discharge, I think that gamble will work out.
Don
Those "Lifeline GPL-8DL" house batteries are not cheap....$627.00 each (excluding installation). We'll see how the long term is, they were installed in late 2014, and so far, so good. I think a lot of battery life is in the type of charging when one is at the pier. We have the "Zantrex True Charger 40+ 3 stage with /remote voltage & amp readings". The starter batteries are "Optima 800 CCA spirals", installed in 2012. Watching the charger beats t.v. most of the time!
Boy, I must have really screwed up!! Five years ago, when we bought our coach, we went to our local Northern Battery outlet and bought a new 8D battery. I said to the manager that when one of these batteries goes the other one is "sucked down" by the bad battery. He told his worker to replace BOTH batteries. Cost us $180.
One battery has since died (the coach battery) so I moved the five year old engine battery over to the coach connection and then proceeded to put in a large 1000CCA truck battery with a 7 year warranty.
The old 8D wet cell battery is still going so I guess $180 wasn't a bad deal.
We need to pester O'Reilly's into selling the gels............ maybe at a great price.
O'reilly's is a great price. How about a low price?
I wasn't aware you were talking about AGM or gel type 8D batteries. The batteries I've been using from Parts Plus are ordinary 8D batteries. They're really good batteries for a little over a hundred dollars if I remember correctly. I posted the dates and prices I paid on here several times if you wanna look it up. If your coach has the batteries located in a place where you can check / add water to them you really should take this into consideration. I only have to check / add water once a month, which is really easy on my coach.
Wet cell is the most tolerant of abuse and overcharging. I agree, if easy to fill, wet cells will probably give you the best service for the price.
Cable corrosion and hydrogen gas are drawback to flooded cells
Wyatt, I have 3 AGM lifelines I put in March 2011 so hope they last ,me longer than 5 1/2 yrs.
They have been charged solely by solar since day 1 and when we are boondocking we seem to be able to use them just like when new.
JohnH
My wet cell batteries are under the entry steps. When I had two 8D wet cell batteries it was almost impossible to check fluid level in the cells back under the steps. I removed one 8D, rotated the other 90 degrees so it is oriented front to back axis of the coach, and then put the 1000 CCA maintenance free truck battery inboard of the 8D. Don't need to check that one. Rewired the batteries so orientation was possible. Added battery/alternator monitors just above the steps and on the low wall.
Now easy to check and easy to remove both batteries.
I don't have any corrosion issues with my wet cell 8D batteries. I'm a full timer so my batteries get used, checked, and replaced with new batteries regularly. I doubt I'll ever own an 8D battery long enough to get any corrosion. My current batteries are three years old and I'll probably replace them at the very first sign of trouble. The Parts Plus 8D batteries are so affordable that I can replace them often and still be far ahead financially over AGM or gel batteries. I believe the cost difference was over three times as much for an AGM the last time I checked. The battery box is vented to get the hydrogen gas out of the coach so that's not a factor either. The limiting factor is whether or not you can get to the batteries easily to add / check the water. Many of the older coaches are set up for easy battery access.
Apparently the price difference now is about four times as much for an AGM... the price difference may have gotten wider? According to one of the major manufacturers that makes both AGM and ordinary wet cell batteries the AGM is usually slightly inferior in performance, which sorta shocked me, both that an AGM could be inferior and that an AGM manufacturer would admit that. I found the information in a lengthy discussion on another forum where a member researched it and found a page on a major battery manufacturer's website and he linked to it. This will freak out a lot of people, that something with newer technology that they paid a huge amount more for usually isn't as good as the older technology. In reality it's a general rule of thumb to live by but whatever.
I found these on sale: $595 each. I'm replacing mine in the spring.
Deka/MK Battery 8A8DLTP-DEKA Sealed AGM Battery, 12v 245 AH (https://thesolarstore.com/dekamk-battery-8a8dltp-deka-sealed-agm-battery-12v-245-ah-p-570.html?gclid=CJm9-5KE3s8CFQMoaQodCgABhg)
I believe that deka makes the o'reilly agm battery, about $440 with no discount.http://www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/detail/SSBL/AGM8D/N2493.oap?ck=Search_N2493_-1_-1&pt=N2493&ppt=C2428
Cheaper with o'rilley card or military discount.
Plus, there is no shipping charge, and you can usually sweet-talk the O'Reilly's guys into swapping out the batteries for you. Back saver!
I have been looking at L16 sized AGM batteries. 6 volts so you need two in series to get 12 volts. These are 415 amp hrs each. Still 415 at 12 volts too. They look to be mid $400's and up for FullRiver batteries with a 7 yr warranty. They are 11-5/8"x7-1/8"x16-3/4" high. You can get four of these in the space 2 8D's use. Lifeline makes these too. About $550. Four of these replacing three 8Ds, about the same price at the higher end, 830 amp hrs compared to 730 amp hrs . Interesting to consider. There are lower priced ones too with less warranty. Worth a look.
I've decided to go with Gel Cells manufactured by East Penn. I have ordered them from Mullet Battery Inc. in Goshen IN. Cost is $649.00 with core exchange. And they will install the batteries. Thanks to everyone for their comments and information.
Be sure to adjust your charger for the gels if not already done.
I undercharge ours a bit on the non stepped charge alternator. 13.6 volts at the battery.
And use a fairly conservative charge from the charger of 1/5th C C being capacity.
So 675 amp hours is 130 amps which is what foretravel speced new in our heart freedom 2500 or what a new magna sin 2812 puta out.
Being as we do not have a battery monitor system I took the lowest charge voltage that works regardless of the temp of 13.7 volts.
You can go higher depending on the temp if your system is adjustable but would need to adjust the voltage differently in warm versus cool weather.
The mk engineer told me their older gels had a lot of 10-12 year users and the new plate charging/testing setup before installation and the new plate mounting system could double that.
After using and selling countless used rv's for many years in the biz I learned to put the best batteries possible in any coach.
Less problems. More fun.
By the cycle life your new set will probably turn out to be the least expensive over their life.
Good available power as the temps drop also
Be certain that your charging system (both from the engine alternator and from your inverter/charger) are set properly for gel batteries. They can be damaged if the charging system is set up for wet-cell and/or AGM batteries.
Yesterday I replaced our 9 year old MK gels with O'Reilly AGM's after their capacity had declined to the point where they couldn't make it thru the night at our level of electric usage.
Did you replace them by yourself Brett ?
How do you set the alternator for agm?
$449.99
Super Start Fleet & Heavy Duty - Battery
http://www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/detail/SSBL/AGM8D/N2493.oap?ck=Search_N2493_-1_-1&pt=N2493&ppt=C2389
doesnt list the AH of the battery ..anyone know what the AH is on this one?
$191.99
Super Start Fleet & Heavy Duty - Battery (might not be AGM) not sure
http://www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/detail/SSB5/8D2/N0369.oap?ck=Search_N0369_-1_-1&pt=N0369&ppt=C0327
says its 325ah
Standard wet-cell and AGM batteries have the same charging-voltage requirements and so no special setting is required for AGM batteries.
If you will just scroll down the page you linked, you will see all the AH ratings for the battery.
The other battery you linked is a conventional flooded wet cell.
I did and is shows min
Reserve Capacity (min): 480 Minute
same as AH?
The standard Amp Hour rating that you will find published for deep cycle batteries is given at the 20 hour rate. The O'reilly page actually gives several including the the 20 hour rate.
20 Amp Hour Rate (Ah): 245Ah
Don
David,
Perhaps the device you are using to view the page does not display the same thing I am seeing. Here is what I see at the bottom of your linked AGM8D page:
ADDITIONAL DETAILS
Reserve Capacity At 25 Amps (min): 517 Minute
Reserve Capacity At 75 Amps (min): 138 Minute
10 Amp Hour Rate (Ah): 250Ah
20 Amp Hour Rate (Ah): 245Ah
5 Amp Hour Rate (Ah): 197Ah
6 Amp Hour Rate (Ah): 202.8Ah
1 Amp Hour Rate (Ah): 151Ah
100 Amp Hour Rate (Ah): 250Ah
3 Amp Hour Rate (Ah): 182Ah
8 Amp Hour Rate (Ah): 212Ah
Reserve Capacity At 15 Amps (min): 953 Minute
Reserve Capacity At 5 Amps (min): 3040 Minute
Reserve Capacity At 50 Amps (min): 230 Minute
Reserve Capacity At 8 Amps (min): 1874 Minute
Electrolyte Composition: Glass Mat
Terminal Style: SAE
No it was not.. couldnt see any of that.. makes sense now lol.. Thank you very much
Why is the 100 AH rate the same as the 10 AH rate? And other numbers look peculiar too.
Don't know... Perhaps Don can tell us - he is smart!
Those numbers look fishy. Higher current loads should produce fewer total Amp hours.
Not that smart! Obviously a mistake on the O'Reilly website. I don't find the 100AH rate quoted anywhere on the East Penn/Deka web pages... Anyway, since the AH rate is the amount of current that can be drawn from a battery for a given time until discharged, there is no way that both of those figures are correct. However, as the 20AH rate and the other specs on the East Penn websites line up with the the O'Reilly page (CCA, MCA, reserve capacity, etc.), I think I can trust the 20AH rate of 245AH to be correct.
Don
Agm's are 245.
Mk Gels are 225. After some cycling most test higher.
Gels have more available power as the temps drop. Plus double the cycle life.
If memory serves me the flooded cell and agm's can be bulk charged at 14.5 volts.
The mk gels max bulk charge volts is 14.15
Both are dependent on temps at the battery.
My solar and alternator are set for our gels at 13.6.
Inverter is at the 14.15 as it is a three step design. Bulk, acceptance and float.
Fully charged resting battery disconnected for 24 hours is 12.85 volts as far as I have seen
O'Reilly's was so good. I parked on a side street behind the store and loosened all the terminals. They then brought out the three batteries with a hand truck. Two young guys pulled out the top battery after I insulated the terminals, followed by the two lower ones. They were replaced in reverse order. I wish I had had an opportunity to clean and paint the racks, but no chance. It was surprising that there was white corrosion product on the steel, even though the racks have only ever seen gels. I tipped the guys for efforts.
I had to re-set the inverter for the battery type and capacity.