[D725U]

Back in January of 2017, I contacted CAA Roadside Assistance (Canadian equivalent of AAA) to replace the ailing Die Hard Gold battery that came with my 94 when I bought it (basically the battery wouldn't hold a charge anymore - the car had to be boosted in order for it to start). CAA graciously replaced the battery for about $200 and offered a 6-year warranty (first 3 years free replacement if found defective; afterwards the battery would be pro-rated).

Fast-forward to this week. I contact CAA by phone to inquire if a CAA Roadside tech could drive out to my house to inspect my battery to see if its still in optimal condition. The lady on the phone says yes, we can send a tech out, but don't expect a pro-rated replacement as your battery has been discontinued by CAA. Naturally, I was more than peeved to find out that the battery had been discontinued without any notice by CAA - after all, they always send out reminders when membership fees are due - they couldn't spend the extra postage to alert me that one of their products is no longer available? I even inquired as to how a battery could be discontinued - the lady simply answered that your car is too old for servicing by CAA.

Anyway, it's just another part that's been discontinued for the remaining 1st gens out there. I'm not sure if Mopar still carries batteries for the LH. Might have to go with NAPA when the time comes to replace the battery. For those interested, the part number for the CAA battery is 34-C.

 

[Daytrepper]

Probably just that brand of battery got discontinued; they still make tons of group 34 post-top batteries, any one will work, just match up the CCA's.

The other possibility is it was a specific type of battery made by whomever is manufacturing them for CAA that was discontinued. A "performance" battery or something. It is unusual for them to discontinue an entire group.

Deka, who makes batteries for numerous companies, recently consolidated several battery brands and types in to just a few, but they did not eliminate any groups. This has been common in recent years with the decline of flooded batteries and more and more OE's using AGM or EFB batteries.

 

[D725U]

Well I just double-checked CAA's website. If I type in my car, 94 Concorde 3.5L, it shows up as discontinued. However, if I type in 94 Vision 3.5L, the battery is still available. I'm going to have to call customer service again and find out what's going on.

The other possibility is it was a specific type of battery made by whomever is manufacturing them for CAA that was discontinued.

My understanding is these batteries are made by Johnson Controls, the same manufacturer that produces batteries for Mopar.

 

[Daytrepper]

Well I just double-checked CAA's website. If I type in my car, 94 Concorde 3.5L, it shows up as discontinued. However, if I type in 94 Vision 3.5L, the battery is still available. I'm going to have to call customer service again and find out what's going on.

My understanding is these batteries are made by Johnson Controls, the same manufacturer that produces batteries for Mopar.

Doesnt say discontinued -- and battery part number is the same -- website is screwed up, both those cars take the same battery -- I'd say the heck with CAA, and check the auto parts stores. Group 34 is a very common battery. I did a quick google search and all auto parts stores stock them. Even CAD they are charging you alot of money for a super common battery.

Group 75 also works in these cars. Mopar used them for years.

Check the Dodge dealers too; often times they are cheaper there -- but thats US....Autozone, CAA, AAA, and the like seem to want exorbitant amounts of money for batteries. Install it yourself, or some auto parts stores will do it for you; its not buried like the second gens so you should be OK there. Alot of them wont touch 2nd gen because the battery is down in the fender.

Its been 4-5 years but last time I needed a battery for my 98 Intrepid the auto parts stores wanted $150 plus, and I grabbed a Mopar one from the dealer for $85.

Doesnt matter who makes it, Johnson Controls, Exide, Deka all still make tons of group 34 and 75 batteries. Being both those cars list the same battery part number on CAA's website, they screwed up their listing most likely. All the people doing the work on these websites have probably never opened a hood in their life.......

 

[D725U]

Doesnt say discontinued -- and battery part number is the same -- website is screwed up, both those cars take the same battery -- I'd say the heck with CAA, and check the auto parts stores. Group 34 is a very common battery.

Funny thing is the same battery is also listed as "unavailable" for the Intrepid.

I'm not in need of a battery at the moment - my CAA battery from 2017 still works fine - I just called them to see if they could do an inspection on the battery before the warranty officially runs out in January 2023. That's when the rep on the phone said they couldn't offer a replacement if found defective as the Concorde shows unavailable on their end. Again, I'll call them and see what's up.

Even CAD they are charging you alot of money for a super common battery.

That's likely due to their warranty - 6 years vs. 2 years for a Mopar battery. Plus they'll drive to your location to inspect and replace. Chrysler and the other parts stores won't do that.

 

[D725U]

So I called CAA roadside assistance to get someone to test out the battery at my house. Unfortunately they've now got this stupid automated system that doesn't do jack-s**t to help out the customer. After finally getting hold of a human, they sent someone out, and my battery read 11.3 volts on initial startup according to their tester. I said that seems a bit low. CAA dick said he couldn't do anything. The engine starts perfectly fine - no hesitation.

I guess I'll live with it and go with Mopar when the time comes for a new battery. Don't really feel like arguing with CAA.

 

[pt500]

Late to the party, but Interstate Batteries (carried by many auto repair shops and some farm supply/hardware stores) also makes good quality batteries for the Intrepid/LH cars. Don't know if they are in Canada.
ttps://www.interstatebatteries.com/
My local independed farm supply/hardware store has them and can order fresh ones in only a few days (date code sticker is on the battery). They may be just a bit more expensive than places like Autozone, but quality seems to be up to the old Sears DieHard brand. And the warranty is decent, especially if you do a warranty return at the repair shop where you bought it. Usually they have paper catalogs at the shops and stores, which still had all the LH car batteries lilsted last time I checked. As other posters have written, most of the battery brands in the US and Canada are probably made by just a few actual manufacturers like Exide and then brand labeled, but the quality that each brand orders from the makers varies from economy to high quality. And the quality it isn't just the cold cranking amp rating (has to do with the internal plate design). Consumer Reports magazine covers this periodically in their annual auto magazine issue with battery ratings (most libraries have the magazine or on-line paid access to the CR site).

Can't remember which Group number was for my 1994 3.3L, but the nice thing about the Interstate was that, unlike others in that group it exactly matched the OEM battery with two easy to remove water fill caps, (just pry up with screwdriver) and is not sealed so you can add distilled water in a dry climate. Some of the fill caps in the same battery group are odd-ball one piece caps that are harder to remove and reinstall. As I recall, when I got mine a couple of years ago, there were two styles/options from Interstate in the Group, one with the two OEM-style caps and one with the one-piece cap.

 

[D725U]

Might as well provide an update (since this was bumped) - I ended up replacing both the battery and the alternator on my 94 just after New Year's. The alternator (a Bosch aftermarket unit) decided to crap itself around 1:30 in the morning after 9 years and over 100,000 kilometers of use about a half-kilometer near my house. Everything in the car went dim - dashboard lights, headlights, turn signal stopped working, radio display faded in and out, ABS light kept flickering, etc.) Fortunately I had enough power to limp home. When I checked the battery with my voltmeter, it was at 9.7 volts. Alternator was reading 11 volts - junk.

Of course the bolt for the stupid positive battery terminal cable wouldn't come off (it had somehow seized/welded itself to the terminal post - even my battery terminal puller tool couldn't get that bolt to pop off) so something that normally takes five minutes to replace resulted in a tow to my mechanic. I purchased a Mopar Performance Pro battery from my local Chrysler dealership for around $179 after core charge and my mechanic put in a rebuilt Denso alternator (I still have my factory Denso alternator but it would have taken three extra days to get that one rebuilt). Now I've got plenty of juice (the new battery now reads 13.8-14.1 volts with the engine running and around 13 volts with the engine off).

Interstate does provide batteries for the LH series (they even have their own store to purchase their batteries from directly) but they are pricey. Here's a link to their site in Canadian dollars. Mopar currently offers a 28 month warranty on batteries. Not bad for the price I paid I guess. Certainly better than Crappy Tire.

Oh and CAA can go feck themselves. The 1st gens no longer qualify for battery purchase and replacement through CAA. The bastards wanted me to take the car to some "certified CAA mechanic shop" and have some certified CAA douchebag replace my worn out CAA battery with some generic crap (although CAA would still have offered a 6-year warranty for that new battery).

Here's what the old CAA battery looked like after 6 years:

The Mopar replacement (w. fresh alternator):