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WalMart discontinuing the Vanagon size battery - $75 alert.
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jackbombay
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PostPosted: Wed Feb 21, 2018 7:52 pm    Post subject: Re: WalMart discontinuing the Vanagon size battery - $75 alert. Reply with quote

Timwhy wrote:
My Walmart...


...Warranty is simple, they scan your battery and tell you when you purchased it and go from there if they can do anything for you.


I have warrantied several walmart batteries over the years, and I have always had to have the receipt, without the receipt that will use the date the battery was manufactured to determine the date of purchase. I keep the receipt with my registration and insurance paper work. The last one I bought was produced that same month, so there was no reason to keep the receipt.
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 22, 2018 8:18 am    Post subject: Re: WalMart discontinuing the Vanagon size battery - $75 alert. Reply with quote

If you cannot find a group 41, a group 40R is a pretty close second, I think it is 10ccr less in capacity.
I have 2 on 2 of our vans, when a group 41 was not available, but a group 40r was.
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E1
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 22, 2018 11:35 am    Post subject: Re: WalMart discontinuing the Vanagon size battery - $75 alert. Reply with quote

kamzcab86 wrote:
danfromsyr wrote:
taking names and kicking batteries... the world needs more women like Kam Embarassed

What the world really needs is more respectful, more considerate, and less morally-bankrupt people. But I digress... Neutral

Back on topic...

^^^ the most-important topic of the day.

But now I digress... Very Happy
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IdahoDoug
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 22, 2018 11:52 am    Post subject: Re: WalMart discontinuing the Vanagon size battery - $75 alert. Reply with quote

Jack,

My brother gave me a great idea. He takes battery receipts and puts them in a sandwich bag and tapes them to the battery. That way when it gives out, he is not cussing and looking around in the attic for 3 year old receipts. I just did that on my latest Group 41 in the Van for the first time. It's taped to the back side of the battery.

Doug
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 22, 2018 11:54 am    Post subject: Re: WalMart discontinuing the Vanagon size battery - $75 alert. Reply with quote

This topic (not the walmart end of inventory) about functional equivalent batteries should be a sticky note! My next go-to battery will definitely be a T5! Tired of bloodying my knuckles wresting the group 41 into and out of it's very tight compartment, and worrying about grounding the + terminal on the top cover (yes, I have the protective plastic cover on the terminal... but I still worry about it).
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 22, 2018 1:28 pm    Post subject: Re: WalMart discontinuing the Vanagon size battery - $75 alert. Reply with quote

I have purchased batteries from Walmart in the past however when I went shopping last fall for a Group 41 battery I did not buy it from my local Walmart even though they had two in stock and they were the best price ($97) I could find locally. Why?

Because the dates on the Walmart Group 41 batteries were two or more years old and had just been sitting on the shelf at Walmart for that long. The clerk advised that the battery warranty was from the date of purchase/installation and not from the date on the battery but I was hesitant to buy it. Instead I went to my local NAPA and paid $2 more than Walmart for a "fresher" Group 41 battery that happened to be on sale for 20% off if it would fit inside one of their reusable shopping bags (it just did but almost tore the handles off of it).
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theadventureneverends
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PostPosted: Fri Feb 23, 2018 9:23 am    Post subject: Re: WalMart discontinuing the Vanagon size battery - $75 alert. Reply with quote

I was not able to locate a group 41 a while back. I went just about everywhere in the Puget Sound region. I ended up with a 40r. It has a CCA of 700 and a CA of 840 making it slightly more powerful than the group 41 it replaced. It has a reserve of 110 don't know what the group 41 reserve is. List price was $120 but I had a nice coupon or rebate I can't remember. It also has a 40 month free replacement and fits in the spot a little easier.
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PostPosted: Fri Feb 23, 2018 7:06 pm    Post subject: Re: WalMart discontinuing the Vanagon size battery - $75 alert. Reply with quote

Will the 41-4 battery fit a '90 westy? My local Wally World has a couple of them and I've been thinking about getting an extra one.
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PostPosted: Fri Feb 23, 2018 7:13 pm    Post subject: Re: WalMart discontinuing the Vanagon size battery - $75 alert. Reply with quote

Hmm. I have a tintop and if I sense what you're asking you may have the swivel seats. I'm 99% the battery box is unchanged for Westies but someone should chime in.

While that's on the table, does a 41 also fit in the driver's side for tintops? This may be the time to snag a 2nd battery for me.
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theadventureneverends
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PostPosted: Sat Feb 24, 2018 9:36 am    Post subject: Re: WalMart discontinuing the Vanagon size battery - $75 alert. Reply with quote

I had a type 41 in my 91 Westfalia under the unmodified passenger swivel seat it's a tight fit and fits perfectly. I think 41s are the recommended battery. On my westy the area under the driver seat is quite different than the passenger side.
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kamzcab86
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PostPosted: Sat Feb 24, 2018 1:22 pm    Post subject: Re: WalMart discontinuing the Vanagon size battery - $75 alert. Reply with quote

Because of my quick swap the other day, I had to open the lid back up to reattach the charger connector and clean up the ground cable. Thus, I took the opportunity to take a photo of the T5 in place:

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Edit: Pipe spacers since replaced with proper battery clamp.

cmayna wrote:
Will the 41-4 battery fit a '90 westy? My local Wally World has a couple of them and I've been thinking about getting an extra one.


Group 41 is the OEM size for all Vanagons. A Group 41 in my '90 Westy takes up 97% of the battery box and is a bitch to deal with, hence me going with a smaller size.*


*Don't confuse physical size with CCA rating. Wink
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Last edited by kamzcab86 on Sat May 29, 2021 8:39 am; edited 1 time in total
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dobryan
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PostPosted: Sat Feb 24, 2018 4:59 pm    Post subject: Re: WalMart discontinuing the Vanagon size battery - $75 alert. Reply with quote

FWIW I just picked up a 100 ah trolling motor battery 29D at Walmart for $86. Much lower than last time I bought one. I use two of them as house batteries. Way too big to fit in regular battery spots though.
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dhaavers
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PostPosted: Sat Feb 24, 2018 6:38 pm    Post subject: Re: WalMart discontinuing the Vanagon size battery - $75 alert. Reply with quote

^^^ I could use one...thanks for the tip!

(Just sprung for new Dometic portable fridge) Cool

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cmayna
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PostPosted: Sun Feb 25, 2018 8:47 am    Post subject: Re: WalMart discontinuing the Vanagon size battery - $75 alert. Reply with quote

Well my local Walmarts are out of the 41-4 battery and after reading the various replies, I might consider going for a T5 just for the ease of install and removal. Think I'll see if the T5 will fit my '50 chebbie truck. Would be nice if I could find a battery for both rigs.
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jackbombay
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PostPosted: Sun Feb 25, 2018 11:43 am    Post subject: Re: WalMart discontinuing the Vanagon size battery - $75 alert. Reply with quote

IdahoDoug wrote:
Jack,

My brother gave me a great idea. He takes battery receipts and puts them in a sandwich bag and tapes them to the battery. That way when it gives out, he is not cussing and looking around in the attic for 3 year old receipts. I just did that on my latest Group 41 in the Van for the first time. It's taped to the back side of the battery.

Doug


Good way to do it for sure.


I'll say that although I have had to warranty a few of the walmart batteries, I do consider them to be decent quality, the ones I returned were due to owner error/mechanical issues draining them dead repeatedly. I had an intermittently bad glow plug relay that would leave the glow plugs on even after the key was switched off, a 40+ amp load will kill your battery dead pretty quick, but as the problem was intermittent it was tough to track down, I thought the battery had a bad cell at one point based on my symptoms...

Then there was the one I replaced for a friend, as I was leaving town, I told them there was a key off draw on the battery, they didn't get it checked out, and a month later I get home and that battery was at 1.8 volts, right back to walmart with it for a new one, they swapped it right out.
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PostPosted: Sun Feb 25, 2018 1:28 pm    Post subject: Re: WalMart discontinuing the Vanagon size battery - $75 alert. Reply with quote

SOT (slightly off-topic) comment:

A tip to those using a group 41 which is an incredibly tight fit in the battery box: Put some kind of a thin strap (I use 1/2 inch flat climbing webbing) underneath the battery before you put it into the box.
This makes a very handy strap to use to pull the battery straight out next time you remove it.

-CJ
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PostPosted: Sun Feb 25, 2018 2:19 pm    Post subject: Re: WalMart discontinuing the Vanagon size battery - $75 alert. Reply with quote

climberjohn wrote:
A tip to those using a group 41 which is an incredibly tight fit in the battery box: Put some kind of a thin strap (I use 1/2 inch flat climbing webbing) underneath the battery before you put it into the box.
This makes a very handy strap to use to pull the battery straight out next time you remove it.


I, fortunately, managed to fit a strap under, then around mine last week while still in the battery box, but it was still a chore to lift out because of the cables (namely the fat positive) and ground bolt being in the way, and that's after finagling it out from under the rear lid flange (the Westy box is a PITA). But, yes, I do echo the tip for Group 41's: If no handle, put a strap around before putting the battery in!
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cmayna
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PostPosted: Wed Mar 07, 2018 9:54 am    Post subject: Re: WalMart discontinuing the Vanagon size battery - $75 alert. Reply with quote

In case one ends up like me, needing to remove their 41H battery that has no strap installed. They do sell very simple battery lifting straps such as the Pico Lift strap #0867PT which grabs the battery terminal.

I also happened to be viewing a youtube which had a guy fasten two large vice grips on the battery terminals and lifted it right out. Dang!
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PostPosted: Thu Mar 08, 2018 7:56 am    Post subject: Re: WalMart discontinuing the Vanagon size battery - $75 alert. Reply with quote

Just picked up 2 at $49 dollars each in upstate NY from Walmart Razz

Thanks for the link - will use this again https://brickseek.com/walmart-inventory-checker/?sku=16782701

2 vans get new juice!
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PostPosted: Thu Mar 08, 2018 8:05 am    Post subject: Re: WalMart discontinuing the Vanagon size battery - $75 alert. Reply with quote

westofcenter wrote:

Thanks for the link - will use this again https://brickseek.com/walmart-inventory-checker/?sku=16782701


Just FYI brickseek is sometimes not accurate due to theft and inventory management. I've had good luck with it, I scored me a 75$ battery.

Also, where do you get the Pico lift straps at?

I found this on Amazon. Made in USA, made by Trojan. According to the reviews many people stand by their rubber Laughing
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