So your AutoZone Duralast Platinum 35-AGM battery costs $185.99 + tax and $18 core! I thought that's pretty expensive for a 3-year replacement warranty battery? (boom08)
Well, I DID have a $5 off coupon. (headbang) And it seems like all the AGM batteries available locally had just a 3 year warranty.
Anyway, a few factors in my decision making process. First off, AutoZone was the closest place that actually HAD
any Group 35 batteries in stock. Second, the AGM battery has higher output and more reserve than the regular batteries do. We were -22F here last week which is not all that unusual for Minnesota. Third, I'm at the point in my life (read that as old/retired/well enough off) that I don't want to have to worry about small things like my vehicle starting or not just to save a few bucks. So I went with top of the line. Besides, everyone else bought them out of the regular batteries last week when theirs failed in the cold weather! (boom01)
I am satisfied with my purchase.
I will add a couple of other items of note.
- My OEM battery had a sleeve around it; sort of a plasticized cardboard. It has some foam rubber cushioning inside of it too; a little extra battery protection I suppose. It slipped right off so no problem. I tried to put it back on after I put the new battery in but it seemed like it would not "seat" itself all the way down even though it looked like it was all the way down. That's when it dawned on me that the Group 35 battery is shorter than the OEM Panasonic battery! I was able to cut enough off the bottom of the sleeve to get it back even with the top of the battery (which is needed for clearance of the battery hold-down bracket).
- In addition to the Solar battery/system tester that I noted above, I also have this booster pac
http://www.cloreautomotive.com/sku.php?id=262 and this memory saver cord
http://www.cloreautomotive.com/sku.php?id=269. You just plug the the memory saver cord into the booster pack and then into the OBD connector and all of your vehicle's memory settings (like radio stations, for example) are saved while you swap out the battery. Works great!