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I replaced my car battery for my Corolla in mid March. Last week it was completely fried. I went to start it and it had zero juice. AAA came and jump started it with their battery pack starter. I left it running for 45 minutes to “charge it.” AAA said the alternator was pushing through 18v when they jumped it. Next day came back and completely dead again. Took it to store where I got the battery and they said it was completely dead and gave me a warranty replacement. They said 18v from the alternator was likely what fried it.

Yesterday I took the car to the mechanic and he tested it and there was no issue with the alternator. Mechanic said he often sees issues with “silver class” batteries and suggested I upgrade to Gold. I went back to the store and paid the upgrade to good class. The mechanic said AAA saw 18v from the alternator because that battery was fully dead and they can do that, but on a good charged battery the alternator was fine.

Does it sound like there’s an actual issue here or did I likely get a battery with a defect and that caused it to die in less than 3 months?

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  • Welcome to Motor Vehicle Maintenance & Repair!
    – Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2 ♦
    May 31 at 21:25
  • Why would the store give you a warranty replacement when they say it was fried by the alternator? Was it to save face? I'm also puzzled as to why the Gold replacement battery "was fully dead" as the AAA said. They usually come fully charged (minus shelf life).
    – Weather Vane
    May 31 at 22:40
  • The silver died after 2.5 months. Mechanic said alternator was fine but said he often sees problems with silver so recommended I go w gold. So I paid the $30 upgrade for gold. Trying to figure out if it was really a bad a silver battery or really an issue w my car.
    – J Dilly
    May 31 at 23:20
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    They gave me the replacement bc I am entitled to a replacement if I bring in a dead battery. It had ZERO amps and was claimed dead. If I caused it it doesn’t matter to them, they told me they needed to honor the replacement. The store is called Advance Auto Parts.
    – J Dilly
    May 31 at 23:21
  • It would be my "opinion" you probably got a defective battery. Usually the difference between the "silver" and "gold" battery (as far as it pertains to the user) is the warranty period. I'm sure the gold is built better, but seriously, the manufacturer isn't going to make them so cheaply they are going to get a ton of them back under warranty. They will want it to last at least through the warranty period, so will build them accordingly.
    – Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2 ♦
    Jun 1 at 17:18

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