I guess it's been awhile but I wanted to get the AAA battery out of my 2014 GT since I bought the car in Aug '22. I always get Motorcraft for my Mustangs and I finally got my butt to the dealer today. A $186.00 battery plus tax/labor came to $230.00 out the door.. I certainly can live with that but my eyes did widen at that price. I swear my last two batteries, a Motorcraft in my 2007 GT and a GM Delco in my T/A were in the $135 area. Like everything else, prices are headed north, and not just a little.

 

That's a good Price! The Local Parts Chains Around Here are Asking $249.95 For Motorcraft Batteries Regardless of Lead Acid or Glass Mat. We Had a $20.00 Mark Up At the Dealership For Years on The Top of The Line Max Batteries. Not Sure What They are Doing these Days!

I Still get Employee Cost From One of The Dealers Where I have A Buddy I Started in Parts in the 80'S Can't Remember What I Paid For The Last Battery I Got For the Shelby! I Will See if I can Find Out What Dealer Cost & Retail is on the Stang Batteries! Most Dealers Set Their List on Batteries! They All Try to Match Each Other in a Local Area! So You Can Wheel & Deal Sometimes!

Of Course Everything Has Some Kind of Extra Tax in California! The Core Value is $22.00

KC

 

how many years is it guaranteed for?

 

The Max is what I Always Got!

https://www.motorcraft.com/us/en_us/...batteries.html

The Plus The Value Line!

https://www.motorcraft.com/us/en_us/...batteries.html

Depending on Where You Look The Plus Series Shows 18 or 24 Month Free Replacement. I Believe Newer Ones Have Gone to 24 Month! I Would Believe Sticker on Battery Vs Text in Link.

KC

 

Wow!! That actually makes me feel better. Thank you! I guess I did not overpay which was bothering me all the way home.

 

It's 3 years w/ free replacement. Works for me as i rarely keep any battery over 4 years. Peace of mind thing for us.

 

hmmmmm ..... I'm thinking I will stick with Walmart batteries; they cost a lot less and last about as long .... when they die, I just go get a new one .... sounds like the total cost over time is probably about the same or less

 

Agree I go to Napa or AutoZone and I've never had a battery last less than 6-7 years for me.

 

You guys are crazy. Walmart batteries are $119 and I guarantee they'll last just as long. They are the only ones I buy these days. I'd be willing to bet that there are two or three companies making all the brands of batteries you see in stores.

 

Ya, I Checked Walmart & They Do Have good Pricing! Too Bad I Don't Buy From Anything From Them These Days! I Used Sears Diehards Back in the Day & Had Good Luck But That was a Lifetime Ago!

30+ Years at Ford Dealers & 90% of My Battery Purchases Were Motorcraft. I Always Had Good Results With The Group 65 Batteries I Use In the P-71 Police Car & 02 Harley F-150. They Hold Up Far Better Than The S-197 Mustang Batteries I Must Say. Work Well in My Old 440 Powered Mopars as Well! To Each His Own.

As Far As Crazy. Personally With All the Life Challenges I Been Through! You Bet I'm Crazy!

KC

 

A different viewpoint to consider.
Does anyone think it's embarrassing to attend car shows or cruise-ins with a Walmart battery staring back at you?? Since I am a 'stock' type owner for all my rides, this would bother me to no end. I would be embarrassed That's me. That's my opinion. A sweet Mustang with a Walmart battery? No thanks.
When I see the efforts of owners at car shows with their original style batteries, I know and understand what they are feeling. My late car collector neighbor who had a dozen cars in his garages, always had the correct Motorcraft, Mopar, AC/Delco under the hood. It was extremely important to him and he would never dream of a parts store replacement. NAPA? Autozone? Walmart?? Not a chance in hell even if it's the exact same battery made by the same battery company.
Please allow each owner to make that decision without thinking they are 'crazy'. In this current world where everyone is supposed to 'think alike', let's keep the car forums open to alternative thinking and different thoughts. If you want a Walmart battery, great!! Allow the same considerations for others. Did I pipe in when other alternatives were offered? If you want brand X Y Z in your ride, fine by me. it's your ride.

 

Interesting opinion and IMHO I'm not very observant and would never even think about that. I'm just happy to see nice cars still around.

 

I guess it's a "good" thing I don't care about that ... I guess if I was showing my car, I might spend the extra dough for a Motorcraft battery .... but there are a lot of other things I'd need to fix on my car before it was ready for competitive showing too .... I guess the judges would take off some points for a Walmart battery

 

You are definitely in the majority with your thinking. Most folks wouldn't even notice or care.. Many judges at local general shows would never notice either.
Yes, at 'points' shows, you would get a deduction. Been there done that in the past with my old 1995 911 in the major Atlanta shows. Man, that was fun as they dinged you on everything! Quite a challenge. Some of the cars there were 'showroom' perfect even when 20+ years old. I'm not that fanatical any longer and it's now a personal preference that lingers, just like my late neighbor had with his rides,

 

The battery pricing reflects inflation drag too.

When the economy is booming, interest rates are down, and when the Fed increases the money supply, inflation stays low - for a while. But it eventually begins to creep up. The economy suffers, interest rates go up, and the Fed tightens the money supply. Like it lags at the start, it takes a while for inflation to turn that corner and decrease. That's about where we are now.

The Fed will hold the reins on the money supply, interest rates will continue to creep down, and then price inflation will follow it down, somewhat delayed. Same old pattern.