Battery Opinion questions

[pasty63]

Has anyone used the Autolite Platinum 24F yet? At Schucks/Kragen/Checker they're going for $10 ($70 instead of $60)more than the non Platinum version, and have another year warranty(96 vs 84), more robust case structure, and another 100 or so CCA -at least from the advertising. It's produced by Exide, like the Napa - but a bit more for the money ($3 more than Napa's 7524F). I need to get a battery this week, but I don't want to go Optima large at this juncture.

[kid]

Even Ford does not use Autolite batteries. All my new Ford corporate work trucks had Delco from the Factory. No longer working for corporations anymore and I use Interstates.

[QC]

Delco batteries went bankrupt and was bought by Johnson Controls, which is the same company that builds Interstate.
Exide builds a lot of OE batteries for Ford but they are built to Ford specs and aren't the same as the aftermarket ones.
I think Ford sold the Autolite brand a long time ago.
A lot of parts at CSK stores are Autolite branded.

[Supermike]

A bit of history:

Autolite was founded in 1911 as a company making buggy lamps. They did not make plugs until the 30's. In the early days, they made parts and plugs for several major manufacturers (Chrysler, Studebaker, Packard and Willys). They operated as the "Electric Autolite Company" until the Autolite brand was purchased by Ford in 1961.

FRAM, incorporated in 1934, was already a well established company by then. They were purchased by the Bendix Corporation in 1967. Autolite was then purchased by Bendix from Ford in 1973.

In 1983, the "Allied Corporation" acquired Bendix. With this merger, the three brand names FRAM, Bendix, and Autolite became part of Allied Automotive, one of the five business sectors of Allied Corporation.

In 1985, Allied merged with the "Signal Companies" to become Allied-Signal. Renamed AlliedSignal in 1993, the company would acquire Honeywell in 1999 and adopt its name.

Autolite, FRAM, Prestone, and Bendix are now owned by the international Honeywell conglamerate, under their "Transportation Systems/Consumer Products Group" umbrella.

[kid]

Yes CSK does sell a lot of Autolite Parts but they sell Exide batteries. I shop there lot for one main reason, price match plus 5% off. I walk in with a printout of their own web page and I get that price plus 5% off.

[Mooosman]

I've only run Optima batteries for a few years now, and I love them. You can buy them at Autozone, also, so the warranty is good nationwide.

Nick,
Optima Red Top owner

[pasty63]

Well - I guess I'll go get the Exide/Autolite/Schucks 24F and give it a try for posterity. I stopped using Autolight plugs when the ceramic tips consistently fell down around the electrode after 5000 miles or so. (could have been a bad batch, I guess) CSK seems to be making a big push with the Autolite brand - hard to say why such things work on the parts buying public. The consolidation of borg warner and other brands has limited our access to quality parts. The worst for me was when Ohio piston went away - they made the best casting I ever saw.

The consolidation in the battery market is not good for us either (unless some of us work for East Penn or Johnson Controls). Exide/Johnson/East Penn and they're marketers (CSK and the like) are getting as much for a 24F as I pay for the batteries in the house bank on my boat. The house bank uses 75lb six volt deep cycles (made in Seattle by Dyno) that have a 245 amp hour rating - way more raw material then the skimpy 24F. I'd venture a guess that the gross distribution margin (money made from point of mfg to sale) is close to 75% on auto batteries now.

Anyway blah, blah, blah - this is great forum. Lots of interesting points of view - glad I found it.

[kid]

I never had that problem of the electrode ceramics dropping and I have run nothing but autolites for 37 years.

Sounds like severe detonation to me.

[pasty63]

Kid Says "Sounds like severe detonation to me".

That's what the feller that sold those Autolites to me said as well, and it's certainly within the realm of possibility. I bristle, however, at the implication that I wouldn't be ever diligent in the elimination of such a noxious state of tune.

[kid]

I went to Ford's first Electronic Ignition school in 1976 and at the end of the training they gave us a sharpening stone made from Autolite spark plug material that one end looked like a BF-42 (new number 45). I dropped mine on the concrete shop floor and it did not break.

A bit of Trivia: racers used Champions for one main reason. If your car or your helmet said Champion on it at the races where the Champion truck showed up you got your plugs for free. They had to give them away they fouled so often. They had a problem with burning off excess carbon build up and under full throttle it fused to the insulator and shorted out. Not every-time and every plug but often enough.

I will go on record as Autolite carbs, plugs and alternators are the only Autolite products I buy.

[kid]

They are not all sealed and they are designed to rotate from vibration to move a clean face under the contacts. So the gunk got moved away.

[briscoco]

I still have my life time warrenty on my diehard from sears i brought back in 79. They didn't think the old truck would last so long did they. I replace it ever two years or so. They seem to always have a fit when i bring it in and try to tell me they can't warrenty no long but all it take a a little chat with the manager. IT the best deal on a battery i ever bought.

[montana_hiboy]

a 'lil pricey but you can't go wrong with an Optima