I installed this battery this week. 4yr replacement warranty for $155.01 out the door (no core charge.) Optima battery with three year replacement would have been $240. It was only $160 the last two times I bought it. First lasted six years. Second lasted three years. The internet says that Optima battery quality has declined. 50% higher price with half the performance period. Toyota dealer battery would have been around $240 as well with an eight-year pro-rated warranty. The internet says that they fail in three or four years and that little of the warranty value applied to another $240 battery purchase. With this Bosch battery I'm guaranteed to get four years for $155.
All this praise seems a bit premature. My OEM Toyota lasted six years. The replacement Toyota OEM is at five years and probably has at least another couple of years.. I can get another one for $190 right now from the dealer. The batteries have a solid warranty, they fit. But most importantly, I really do not care what others put in. I am good with aftermarket for most parts, but for the 12v the OEM makes most sense. kris
Pep Boys Pep Boys is having a sale on them right now. In-store pickup only, so I hope there's one near you. It says "size 51" so I expected it to have the normal battery terminals. The pictures have the normal battery terminals. It is really the S46B24R with the skinny terminals.
I believe the aftermarket makes more sense. Interstate manufactures Toyota batteries and their warranty isn't that impressive when pro-rated past the 1.5-2yr replacement period. Everybody is buying batteries from the same short list of manufacturers. Yuasa, Penn, Exide, Johnson, Interstate, etc. There isn't much concern about them fitting because they're standardized - you either get a group 51 with SAE terminals or a S46B24R with the JIS terminals. Toyota markup doesn't provide a better battery, fit, warranty, or peace of mind. Shop Genuine OEM Car Batteries for Your Toyota shows an expected life span of 2-6 years and their free-replacement period stops at two years. Batteries Plus provides installation and warranty support on par with a Toyota dealer and they're likely more convenient. With a $205 Toyota battery there is a two-year window to lose >$100 and a one-year window to save $15. A $150 Bosch with 4yr free-replacement warranty is obviously better until the warranty expires. Toyota pays only 50-60% in years 3 and 4. A year 5 failure is a $150 Bosch replacement or a 35% discount on a $205 Toyota replacement ($135.) Year 5 is $164. Toyota battery longevity issues and poor warranty payout reported in another thread here. I couldn't find a $190 Toyota battery. I'm finding conflicting information about TrueStart vs. True-2. My dealer pricing was $240 for part 2880021171 5-year pro-rated warranty with 18-month replacement on a "True-2" battery. I clicked through to a local dealer and it was still $240. I found a non-local dealer at $205. https://www.toyota.com/toyota-owners-theme/pdf/03_Batteries2015_final%5B1%5D.pdf This shows a "TrueStart" battery for the Prius "325-21171-00544" which doesn't get any google hits. No google hits for "truestart prius" I assume that the TrueStart with the superior warranty and features will cost more than the True-2.
How many distinct battery producers are there? Johnson Controls is the largest I think with brands like Bosch, Varta, Optima and others. Interstate is another large one.
Except that Toyota doesn't actually make batteries....they may or may not supply the labels that get stuck on them to the manufacturer(s).
True, but Yuasa does, and their batteries are what Toy supplies and they are awesome. Never seen any other than Yuasa come from the dealer -- at least on the West Coast. To get a discount price, you have to sweet talk the counterperson.. My husband can also haggle down the price at the Toyota counter, but I suspect it is more that they get tired of him and just want him to leave. Parts counter prices, whether it is NAPA or Toyota, or Bart and Homer's Auto Parts, are never set in stone. kris
