Costco Interstate Batteries - Standard or AGM?

[yrwei52]

Neighbor claims Interstate batteries end up leaking battery acid everywhere with time.

I'm sure there are cases of this happening but it's not common.

Interstate batteries are made by one of the 3 major auto battery manufactures in the US. The quality among these 3 should be similar. I don’t believe all Interstate batteries end up leaking battery acid everywhere with time. It should be rare.

 

[cz5gt]

I don’t believe you’ll lose ALL radio and infotainment settings. In my case I lost almost nothing on radio settings. All favorites are still there. I don’t use anything fancy other than the simple AM / FM radio. I did lose 2 trip odometers. And I did the simple reset on front driver auto up / down power window according to owner’s manual.

thats the right answer

and for newer years/ models
+ folding mirrors (newer cx5s) setting is reset to default. i.e auto open and auto close
+ on my 2022 at least, the seat memory saved on the buttons is gone. had to press the mem again to save it. may be I lost it on my 2018 too but it was some time ago.

 

[potownrob]

Remember buying the Interstate battery at Costco you have to install it by yourself where some people may not feel comfortable with, and make a second trip taking the old battery in to get $15 core charge back; whereas other auto stores including WalMart they’ll do installation for free, one trip and done.

i usually end up changing the battery myself anyway, then bring the core back in. one of the last ones i changed in the advance auto parking lot - they lent me their tool cart and then i rolled it back in with the old battery (and their tools) on it. their batteries aren't cheap though.

 

[SBMongoos]

Been getting my batteries at Costco. Take a wrench with me. Swap it out while I'm there and deal with the core right away.

 

[Tchman2016]

Costco all the way.

 

[yrwei52]

Been getting my batteries at Costco. Take a wrench with me. Swap it out while I'm there and deal with the core right away.

Even that, you have to go to the regular merchant return line which is always long when you want to get the core charge back. 🙄

 

[meow_man]

Even that, you have to go to the regular merchant return line which is always long when you want to get the core charge back. 🙄

At my local Costco I just took the old core back to the automotive service desk where I purchased the new battery, not the regular merchandise return line.

 

[SBMongoos]

Even that, you have to go to the regular merchant return line which is always long when you want to get the core charge back. 🙄

Got me thinking as it's been a couple of years. The one near me I was able to go to the tire center (outside entrance) and buy the battery and take the old one back. So almost no waiting. Not the same at every Costco though I know.

 

[yrwei52]

At my local Costco I just took the old core back to the automotive service desk where I purchased the new battery, not the regular merchandise return line.

I had bought 2 Interstate batteries at the Costco in San Jose, and 2 at the Costco in Plano (Dallas area). Each time I‘d to go to the regular merchandise return line to get core charge back although I did try to go to automotive service desk first.

 

[sm1ke]

I had bought 2 Interstate batteries at the Costco in San Jose, and 2 at the Costco in Plano (Dallas area). Each time I‘d to go to the regular merchandise return line although I did try to go to automotive service desk first.

At my local Costco, battery exchanges/refunds are done at the regular merchandise return desk. But if I just need to return a used battery and get the core charge, I have to go to the auto desk.