OEM Toyota Battery is a no brainer!

All these years of car ownership, I’ve avoided dealers like the plague for many things, including car batteries. Not anymore.

Toyota Truestart battery with 7 year warranty was $146. The parts guy says he’s seen many of these batteries last longer than 7 years, particularly if the vehicle is driven regularly.

Oreilly’s lists their 27F battery for $149 with 2 year warranty.

Walmart only had the smaller 24F battery and they wanted $129 and has a 3 year warranty.

Assuming that the quality is higher on the OEM battery (like most things OEM Toyota) this is a no brainer for me. From now on I’m checking with the dealer too!

 

Nice to know, I'll have to check with the dealer too.

 

Toyota batteries usually get a bad rap around here, but I don't see how you can go wrong with a 7 yr. warranty. Good luck with it.

 

My OEM battery took a shit after 18 months. Got it replaced under warranty with this TrueStart and the seepage around the caps since then doesn’t look promising. Hopefully you have good luck with it, but I wouldn’t count on it.

 

Subjective...... just speaking from experience.. lol.. I really hope they switched suppliers, otherwise your service department will know you by first name basis, will probably have your confi recliner with your drink of preference ready to go.. Toyota oem battery for me lasted 3 weeks.. on average

 

I hope you read the fine print...
I'd guess it is the same in the states.

Toyota Replacement Battery Warranty | Don Valley North Toyota

Premium 84

1-24 Months 100% replacement (includes parts, labor and sublets)
25-36 months 60% replacement cost of battery (No labor/sublets)
37-48 months 50% replacement cost of battery (No labor/sublets)
49-60 months 35% replacement cost of battery (No labor/sublets)
61-72 months 20% replacement cost of battery (No labor/sublets)
73-84 months 10% replacement cost of battery (No labor/sublets)

Year 7, that's $15..

In 3 new Toyotas I haven't gotten over 2.5 years out of an OEM battery.
Interstate batteries for me..

Good luck Bro

 

You beat me. I got 13 or 14 months out of mine, but Toyota replaced it for free. Been using the replacement now for almost 3 years. So far so good.

 

My 2015 with 100k miles still has the original battery. Needless to say, I don’t go anywhere without the noco. If it’s still going before my next long trip I’ll be replacing it with probably a Northstar from Costco.

 

This is typical of battery warranties longer than a couple of years.

 

Never thought about the pro-rating of a battery for that long. There should definitely be an asterisk and an explanation after the word WARRANTY.

 

Hmm, well I hope I have better luck than you guys did. The Truestart in my 06 Prius has been good for 7.5 years. Granted, it’s an AGM battery and it only starts the computer rather than the engine, but still.

I’ve been only getting 2-3 years out of my Oreilly’s batteries, so I haven’t been impressed there either. The parts guy recommended that if I don’t use the vehicle much, to use a trickle charger for maximum life. I do tend to let the Tundra sit idle for a few days, up to a week at a time so I might start doing that.

 

@Rph74 I have a Toyota battery in my 4Runner that is fine. It has been three years. It was $50 cheaper than oriellys and Costco didn’t have the correct size… similar to what you experienced. Long ago, when I worked at Sears auto center, I replaced many oem batteries that were about 7 years old (some more, some less). Good luck.

 

the true starts are rebranded interstates. they're not bad for the price

 

I've got other hobbies. Here's my 50 dollar Walmart 24f Battery. Currently in the truck.

 

Everyone has different needs it seems. Glad that battery works for you for where you live. Those cold cranking amps. would leave those of us here in the Northern parts of the Country, and our Canuck friends probably in less than a desirable situation, having a hobby or not.

 

Costco have really good battery warranty.

 

Costco sells Interstate here in Ga.

 

So all batteries are made by interstate except for optimum and die hard. I started buying mine at Costco the last two times. 100 bucks and warranty is about 3 or 4yrs.

 

Yeah 7 year warranty and no other needs besides normal service, no brainer!

 

We still have the OEM battery from our 2002 tundra. We use it for a trolling motor now, but it wouldn't turn the engine over anymore long ago...

 

"Which battery is best"?....... Ranks right up there with tire brands, motor oils, car wax and "mine is bigger than yours". For every battery sold by Costco, NAPA, Walmart, TrueStart, Auto Zone - ad nauseum, that lasts years and years for one driver, another has been disappointed. My experience with TrueStart batteries has been excellent (as has been my experience with Duralast, NAPA, EverStart and Die Hard). I've concluded over the years that a battery is a battery is a battery......and that length of warranty is almost less important than the availability of warranty locations, if you have a failure under warranty. Having a Costco battery failure in an area without a Costco store could be a little problematic....say, traveling through Wyoming.
(the second TrueStart 27F in my Tundra is still going strong after eight years)

 

It is for this reason that teh Spraynard will have no more unsealed batteries in his automotive applications.

I dug out the OEM battery from my truck after one year of service and replaced it with a sealed unit. I keep the OEM battery on a maintainer in the garage as a spare for anyone whom might need it. It still gets residue around the caps.

 

I've had good luck with oem. Last one lasted 6 years before I replaced, could have gone a little longer. I expect the same out of it's identical replacement.

Pretty sure there are only 2 maybe 3 battery manufacturers. Think they are all pretty close in quality.

 

Exactly.

I have been getting the True Starts for my Tacoma and Camry since 07 (haven't replaced the Tundra one yet). They may not last any longer than other brands, but I use them for a couple reasons. I have a Toyota dealer near my work and near my house I have relationships with, which makes it easy to get a replacement. Also the prorating warranty usually saves me about $50 per replacement.

 

I assume all Costcos are the same. Their current battery warranty is 3 years 100% replacement. If you do get a replacement, it is only covered for the remainder of the initial 3 years. I had a Costco in our Honda and after about 26 months it tested weak...but exhibited no symptoms. Hauled it in and they gave me a new one no questions asked and no load test performed. That new battery had 10 months of warranty.

 

I've had two wal mart batteries and both lasted 5 yrs. But since they are made by interstate I just went and bought a Costco this time.

 

Correct. Johnson Controls, Exide & I'm forgetting the others. Most all batteries are just re-brands.

 

Wow you guys have had some terrible luck with these batteries…. Quite the opposite experience for me.

2011 RAV4 (new) sold at 70k in 2017-original
2012 Tacoma (new) sold at 60k in 2017-original
2016 Highlander (new) 35k died in 2018 but only paid 50 or so bucks for another Truestart
2017 4RUNNER (new) sold at 60k in 2020-original
2016 Corolla (CPO) sold at 70k in 2021-original
2018 RAV4 (CPO) 19k -original

 

I replaced the stock battery on my 2014 last July, with another one from Toyota.

 

DeKa.