Automotive

Costco battery exchange question

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  • Jan 11th, 2018 9:14 pm
Deal Fanatic
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Mar 20, 2004
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Mississauga

Costco battery exchange question

Over the Xmas holidays, I had to change the battery on one of our cars.
I got a 24F from Costco and the latest date code I found was Oct 2017. Also I couldn't see everything as they only had it on a skid above ground and the employee had to use a step ladder to get the closest one. When I measured it when I got home, it was at 12.4V, but I had little choice of picking something else.

I went home and charged it in room temperature overnight with Noco charger and I did it once more with the battery installed in the car.
Yesterday night being a hot day after many frigid days, I decided to take a voltage measurement and it was reading 12.51V.
It's a bit low to my liking being a new battery, is that justifiable to ask for an exchange at Costco though?

Want some thoughts from you all, thanks.
4 replies
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Feb 15, 2005
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YEG
What voltage were you expecting? It's a 12 v battery and most cars will start with 12.2v or so. I bought the same battery with the same date code and it started up my car fine at -34C outside. I didn't even charge it before installing it.

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Mar 20, 2004
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rf134a wrote: What voltage were you expecting? It's a 12 v battery and most cars will start with 12.2v or so. I bought the same battery with the same date code and it started up my car fine at -34C outside. I didn't even charge it before installing it.

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Thanks for the chart.
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Dec 23, 2003
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wing0

As mentioned in my FAQ:

A new Battery voltage fully charged at 21 Degrees is 12.7 volts. This number should be slightly lower in colder weather and slightly higher in warmer weather. Please note that the reading should be taken without any load and after enough time for the surface charge to dissipate otherwise it will give you a false indication of the state of charge.

I am pretty certain that the temp you checked the battery it was lower than 21 degrees. This would cause the voltage on the battery to drop. To figure out the technical value, you refer to this link:

http://all-about-lead-acid-batteries.ca ... orrection/

The values are listed in Imperial so you will have to convert it to Metric. Keep in mind that if the battery is connected to the vehicle, you will have to account for parasitic draw rates which will also impact your static voltage reading.

Although the Oct 17 date is not the most optimal, with a full charge, it should be just fine. Just be lucky you actually found a battery as in a cold snap, getting what you need could be a challenge.

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