I had a "new" (less than 6 months old) battery from AutoZone but it kept dying. I replaced with an Interstate battery and wow. I really think this car needs lot of high quality power. My dashboard lights and airbag light don't flicker when I turn the ballasts on anymore, the MPG is up over 3MPG, the car turns on more smoothly as well. Perhaps others could have similar issues with inferior quality batteries that a good, new one might alleviate.

 

I can agree that a battery from a quality vendor has it's advantages - mostly consistent performance.

I will offer my experience with auto parts store experience - I've been buying batteries for years (for all my autos) from O'Reilly (high end house battery) with zero outage. The main reason I buy from them is there's a store within reach almost anywhere (US, that is). And they have a no quibble return policy. And they have a history of my purchases - no need to keep receipts.

Weather in your area has a lot to do with battery life. Here in south Texas, our extreme heat and humidity kills batteries. For me, the average is about 3-3.5 years.

The one thing I noticed with the x300 is the battery bay - you can opt to buy 2-3 different size batteries - the larger capacity is the way to go.

One last comment - I've had a habit to keep a battery tender on my motorcycles on a weekly basis for years - this habit has carried over to my autos. I've installed a quick connector to all my vehicles, and I simply plug in the battery tender to each vehicle on the weekends.

 

I think group 49 is the big one. Came standard on Canadian cars. Great to have the capacity in the winter for cold starts. Heavy thing though, it's 60 lbs!

 

You may have been a victim of a battery that aged on the shelf.

The batteries at walmart are usually pretty fresh.

 

Same goes for tires. I've bought tires that were stamped as two years old. Most manufacturers don't recommend installing after five years old.

 

I think plums' explanation makes sense, especially when you consider that most Interstate and AutoZone batteries are made by the same company, Johnson Controls, who also make Walmart batteries.

In fact, essentially all the major brand batteries in North America are made by either Johnson Controls, Exide or East Penn. That includes Interstate, AutoZone, Sears Diehard, NAPA, O'Reilly, Advance Auto, Walmart, Costco, ACDelco, Dependable Deka, etc.

Cheers,

Don