[FC] <VV> 51R Batteries only three major sources

[hank kaczmarek]

When I visited the Johnson Controls Battery Plant in Winston Salem NC in 
1998--(name may have changed), they were making 3 brands of battery on the 
same line---only the cases were different.  Interstate, Autozone, and Parts 
America (formerly Western Auto).  Same guts, just different cases.  Advance 
(at the time) had a different manufacturer.  When I started with Advance in 
1994 as a part-timer, their batteries were the pits.  Western Auto offered 
AC Delco Batteries. which seemed to have far fewer issues.   My 65 Monza has 
an Autozone Gold, replaced recently but the first one I bought when we began 
the rebuild had only been out of the warranty for 2 months.  My F-150 and 99 
Mercury Grand Marquis has batteries from O'Reilly Auto parts---not having 
any troubles with all of them---Replaced the 05 F-150 battery last year. 8 
years was very good service for the original equipment battery.  Back in the 
90's  if a Ford OE battery had a 60 month warranty---at the end of the 60 
months they were Graveyard dead.


Just my observational .02

Hank