Free battery charging at autozone

[Kenny P]

Anyone ever charge a deep cycle battery at autozone?
On their website it says they do free overnight charging for 6 or 12 volt marine batteries.
I wonder if they would charge two 235 ah 6 volt golf cart batteries?
That's probably pushing it... but what if one were to upgrade their 12 volt starter battery to handle running some 12 volt led lights and cell phone chargers overnight?
You think they would be more inclined to charge one of those batteries?

 

[John61CT]

I'm sure as long as it was only once in a while, the actual electricity cost is negligible.

Your work dis/connecting and lugging back and forth is more relevant.

 

[AuricTech]

I haven't checked, but they probably do the free overnight charging inside the store.  That would make charging a house battery bank a bit problematic....

;-)

 

[John61CT]

Yes of course you have to bring your battery inside.

 

[Wabbit]

This is after you spend some money at their "business" right Kenny P? If not, what happens if everyone does this for a week? Do you think they would stop offering this service to their paying customers? I do. They are a business. That means they are trying to support their families with a trade. What is your trade? Can you do it for free for me and all my friends?

Sorry if this sounds grumpy, but hopefully you get my point. If I spend some bucks anywhere, I don't mind taking advantage of services for free, but spend some money there. Ya know? OK, I'm gonna go grump at the weeds for growing to fast, and you're gonna be a decent human and not hold my rant against me.

 

[GotSmart]

Foot traffic creates potential customers.  Offer a free service that brings in someone that might obviously need to spent money on batteries creates the likelyhood that they will spend some money at your location.  

It is not like you are offering a free tune up.  

10 people bring in 60 lb batteries to be charged.  4 of them find out the battery just needed to be charged, and there is a seperate problem that will require a tester they do not have.  2 buy that tester, as well as the repair part.  5 find that the battery is bad, and two of them would rather cary out a new battery than a 60 lb hunk of led and acid that is useless to them.  

One person is just taking advantage of the free charging.  The next time they need something in a hurry, they will more than likely use that chain for the purchase.  So it still works. 

Any great salesman knows that you need to get someones attention.  FREE = GOOD

That is why WalMart moves things around, and has the milk and eggs at the back of the store.  The longer someone is in the store, and the more they see ~~~ The more they will buy. 

That is also why Pilot has free clean bathrooms.  

 

[highdesertranger]

Auto Zone battery prices are crazy high. highdesertranger

 

[GotSmart]

That is why they are happy with 20% free charging ending up as sales.  

Most quality battery shops will test and a lot will throw you a free charge. O'Rileys also does the free charge.  Both match prices.

 

[Every Road Leads Home]

I'd just go in and ask, I'm betting they say sure.

 

[user 37446]

Foot traffic creates potential customers.  Offer a free service that brings in someone that might obviously need to spent money on batteries creates the likelyhood that they will spend some money at your location.  


Any great salesman knows that you need to get someones attention.  FREE = GOOD

That is why WalMart moves things around, and has the milk and eggs at the back of the store.  The longer someone is in the store, and the more they see ~~~ The more they will buy. 

That is also why Pilot has free clean bathrooms.  

Exactly. Anytime a business offers something for "free", it's to attract potential customers.  McD's offers (slow) free wifi, and hopes that the aroma (stink for some) of their products will entice you to purchase as you sit there.  It's worked on me...

Now if you are depending on a single house battery and you don't have access to ac power for a battery charger and no solar, then maybe  once a week or every 10 days a top-off forced recharge might help you maintain battery life (preventing chronic undercharging), but what are you doing the entire 12 hours that they have your battery? 

I think SW said years ago that batteries exist to serve us, not the other way around. Don't go to so much effort to save a less expensive battery that you pay for it in other ways...  Example - I was considering staying a night in an rv park to charge a (potential) house battery bank using their power (that I paid $25 a night to rent).  Doing that once a month.  Then I realized that I could just buy a new marine battery every year from the "rent".   :huh:   Just a thought.

 

[SternWake]

I have an acquaintenance who lives in a van, yet has a different vehicle he drives around in, and has no dedicated house battery, only a starting battery. He brings it to Autozone for them to charge. He is friends with the manager.

The other day i saw him with his '5 year' group 27 starting battery on the floor of his truck, said he just got it fully charged by Autozone and it tested at 100%, bla bla bla.

I bust out my voltmeter, 12.54v. I bust out my hydrometer and test one cell, 1.115.

This battery should be around 12.8v and 1.275 specific gravity when fully chargedand rested, and still well over 13 volts hot off the charger. I took the battery, put it on my meanwell adjustable voltage power supply at 14.8v and it accepted 27 more AH over 10 hours before specific gravity rose to 1.265, and I returned battery to him still less than fully charged, but way way more charged than it was when he picked it up from Autrozone and their tester said it tested great.

My point being, Autozone did not even come close to fully charging the battery. Very few people with any car knowledge who work in repair shops or AP stores have any idea what a battery requires to reach full charge, and the charger that Autozone uses is likely incapable of achieving full charge on a regularly deeply cycled battery even if left on for a week.

 

[user 37446]

My point being, Autozone did not even come close to fully charging the battery.  Very few people with any car knowledge  who work in repair shops or AP stores have any idea what a battery requires to reach full charge, and the charger that Autozone uses is likely incapable of achieving full charge on a regularly deeply cycled battery even if left on for a week.

"But the flashing light was green!"   

 

[ArmorAbby]

I just went to AutoZone to get my WindyNation battery charged... They charged it to 13.5v and told me it was no good because it had no CCA

 

[ArmorAbby]

I also went to PepBoys, they kept it for the day and returned it to me saying they couldnt charge it without knowing the CCA

Sent from my SM-N920T using Tapatalk

 

[RVTravel]

Unfortunately, I'd imagine those car shops will lie at the drop of a hat to sell you a battery you do not need.

 

[Scott7022]

Probably more ignorance that actual deception. People just don't understand batteries. Car shops see batteries rarely discharged past 90%. Start drive good.

 

[Weight]

Limited instructions for the store clerks mean they have to key in the CCA to determine the charging amps of the battery. They do not want the liability of causing harm to your stuff. They are doing a favor to charge any battery for a non-customer. You are the deceiver if you want them to charge your house battery. They sell starter batteries.

 

[John61CT]

Give your deep-cycle bank mfg tech support a call, they may have a CCA to give you.

Putting that in the specs would make some think it's not true deep cycling.

If you can't get through to talk to someone knowledgeable, next time make that part of your selection criteria.