In 1986, Ronald Reagan was president; oil prices dipped below $10 a barrel; an upstart software company named Microsoft issued an Initial Public Offering for stock; Bobby Ewing was brought back to life on the TV soap “Dallas”; and Jeff Becker bought an ACDelco Freedom 60 battery in suburban Los Angeles.
The “60” stood for 60 months or five years, the length of the battery’s warranty. Twenty-six years later, Becker and his battery are both older and still cranking out a living – the ACDelco battery is under the hood of Becker’s 1974 pickup truck, and Becker works at an automotive service center in Brookings, S.D.
“That battery has been in about six vehicles,” said Becker, who recalls paying less than $50 for the battery from a store no longer in business. “Eventually, I moved back to South Dakota and put it my mother’s 1979 Chevrolet Caprice Classic.
“Then I took it out five or six years ago because I figured it was reaching the end of its life and I didn’t want her to get stranded. I put it in my pickup, and it’s been going ever since.”
Chuck Gerson has logged 413,000 miles on the ACDelco battery that came with his 1999 Chevrolet Suburban. Gerson, of Cedar City, Utah, bought his SUV with 67,000 miles on it and was told that the battery was original.
“On a truck with 480,000 miles, that’s a lot of starts,” Gerson said.
While theirs are not typical of the life expectancy of most automotive batteries, stories from customers like Becker and Gerson underscore why batteries continue to be a cornerstone of ACDelco’s global business, said Jeff Quigley, general director, ACDelco product development.
“Batteries are the unsung heroes under the hood, and they are expected to perform in all weather and under all kinds of conditions,” said Quigley. “To have a battery that is still performing after more than 25 years says a lot about our commitment to quality and durability.”
ACDelco offers a comprehensive lineup of car and truck batteries for all needs and budgets, and they are backed by some of the best and easiest-to-understand warranties in the industry. From motorcycles to boats and RVs, if it runs, chances are ACDelco sells a battery for it.
To learn more about ACDelco batteries see your ACDelco distributor, field representative or visit http://www.acdelco.com/parts/batteries.
