Dealership new battery cost

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AgFan85
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11:17p, 2/23/26
S
This is mainly just to rant.

My 2023 GMC Sierra AT4X is in the shop because it failed the recall picoscope test and I am getting a new engine. Got a text today from the dealership with other recommended services I need.
One of them was a new battery.

The quote for the battery and installation with tax is $597 dollars.
Does that not seem insane, or is that the going rate these days?
Battery cost was $344.02 and labor is $205

I found the exact same battery for for a $157 dollars cheaper on amazon with free next day delivery.
I have a scanner tool to program the new battery myself if that is even really necessary.


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TSW2012
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5:38a, 2/24/26
AG
No that's insane.
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OnlyForNow
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In reply to AgFan85 • 5:56a, 2/24/26
AG
Remind them that OReily installs it for free.
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Mookie
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7:04a, 2/24/26
AG
Dealership has a 20% parts markup and their flag time is probably an hour, which at dealer labor rates is $180-220. That sounds right.
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aTm2004
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7:21a, 2/24/26
AG
Quote:
Battery cost was $344.02 and labor is $205

I'm not saying it's a 30 second job, but it shouldn't take more than 5 minutes to change a battery in this thing given it's easily accessible.

You can go to O'Reilly or Auto Zone and get a battery for $250-350 depending on which one you want and how long of a warranty you want.

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Jock 07
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7:22a, 2/24/26
AG
I think I need a new one for my 21 f150. Debating on whether to go with Costco or auto zone/ oreillys. Costco is cheaper but the parts house batteries have a longer warranty.
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TSW2012
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In reply to Jock 07 • 7:41a, 2/24/26
AG
Jock 07 said:
I think I need a new one for my 21 f150. Debating on whether to go with Costco or auto zone/ oreillys. Costco is cheaper but the parts house batteries have a longer warranty.


How long do you keep your cars?

I do Costco because they save your receipts on your account so any warranty is super painless
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TonyD33
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In reply to TSW2012 • 7:50a, 2/24/26
TSW2012 said:
Jock 07 said:
I think I need a new one for my 21 f150. Debating on whether to go with Costco or auto zone/ oreillys. Costco is cheaper but the parts house batteries have a longer warranty.


How long do you keep your cars?

I do Costco because they save your receipts on your account so any warranty is super painless

Man, I never consider Costco automotive dept to be painless. So busy. Maybe it's just my Costco.

I do autozone because they are everywhere, easy in and out (although sometimes they are very busy too), and the hours are great.
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TSW2012
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In reply to TonyD33 • 8:10a, 2/24/26
AG
TonyD33 said:
TSW2012 said:
Jock 07 said:
I think I need a new one for my 21 f150. Debating on whether to go with Costco or auto zone/ oreillys. Costco is cheaper but the parts house batteries have a longer warranty.


How long do you keep your cars?

I do Costco because they save your receipts on your account so any warranty is super painless

Man, I never consider Costco automotive dept to be painless. So busy. Maybe it's just my Costco.

I do autozone because they are everywhere, easy in and out (although sometimes they are very busy too), and the hours are great.


Yeah they can be a pain but buying batteries at least at my store pretty easy.
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PMD03
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In reply to TSW2012 • 8:13a, 2/24/26
AG
TSW2012 said:
Jock 07 said:
I think I need a new one for my 21 f150. Debating on whether to go with Costco or auto zone/ oreillys. Costco is cheaper but the parts house batteries have a longer warranty.


How long do you keep your cars?

I do Costco because they save your receipts on your account so any warranty is super painless

Vatozone also keeps a record of when you bought the battery. At least they do for me. I bought a duralast platinum elite, so I am a very important account.
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1626
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In reply to TonyD33 • 9:08a, 2/24/26
TonyD33 said:
TSW2012 said:
Jock 07 said:
I think I need a new one for my 21 f150. Debating on whether to go with Costco or auto zone/ oreillys. Costco is cheaper but the parts house batteries have a longer warranty.


How long do you keep your cars?

I do Costco because they save your receipts on your account so any warranty is super painless

Man, I never consider Costco automotive dept to be painless. So busy. Maybe it's just my Costco.

I do autozone because they are everywhere, easy in and out (although sometimes they are very busy too), and the hours are great.

I get AGM batteries from Sam's Club for F150. They install for free.
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StockHorseAg
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9:30a, 2/24/26
AG
I paid $250 for two batteries for my F250 last year at Walmart. They offered free installation but the wait was 2hrs. I just did it myself in 10 min back at the house.

Walmart has good batteries if you get their higher end lines which is still cheaper than the basic at Autozone.
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YouBet
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9:42a, 2/24/26
AG
That's pretty maddening until you own a car (like me) where the battery is in the trunk which requires you to rip out all of the lining and plastic in your trunk just to get to it.

Had to do this week before last so I paid local mechanic to do it instead. I'm not f'ing with that.

Thanks GM.
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El Gato Charro
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In reply to YouBet • 9:56a, 2/24/26
AG
YouBet said:
That's pretty maddening until you own a car (like me) where the battery is in the trunk which requires you to rip out all of the lining and plastic in your trunk just to get to it.

Had to do this week before last so I paid local mechanic to do it instead. I'm not f'ing with that.

Thanks GM.

I hope that the engineer who put the battery under the passenger seat in a Jeep Grand Cherokee gets and ingrown toenail and a rash.

I swapped one for my inlaws and had bloody knuckles by the end of the affair. I don't think that my inlaws appreciated my expanded vocabulary during the install.
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agracer
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In reply to AgFan85 • 10:20a, 2/24/26
AG
are they leaving the existing battery in the car to install the new engine?

I doubt it. They're already removing and putting back in the old one, no excuse for charging you for labor to do something they're already doing.
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agracer
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In reply to El Gato Charro • 10:22a, 2/24/26
AG
El Gato Charro said:
YouBet said:
That's pretty maddening until you own a car (like me) where the battery is in the trunk which requires you to rip out all of the lining and plastic in your trunk just to get to it.

Had to do this week before last so I paid local mechanic to do it instead. I'm not f'ing with that.

Thanks GM.

I hope that the engineer who put the battery under the passenger seat in a Jeep Grand Cherokee gets and ingrown toenail and a rash.

I swapped one for my inlaws and had bloody knuckles by the end of the affair. I don't think that my inlaws appreciated my expanded vocabulary during the install.

The engineer who put the oil filter for the 5.7V8 Ram 1500 right above the electronic steering rack also deserves the same fate.
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OnlyForNow
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10:25a, 2/24/26
AG
I had to change batteries out on a church van once and there were mounted on a lower rail under the van, basically at the step rail.

The only way to get to it was to detach the "box" from the frame then it fell unless you knew what you were doing and had a floor jack under it (I didn't know what I was doing) so the battery free fell onto my stomach…
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Buck Turgidson
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10:31a, 2/24/26
Maybe I didn't get screwed as badly as I thought. Just had my battery die in my Titan (at the 3 year mark, but only 6,500 miles) and AAA came to my house and swapped it out for $268. From call to new battery was about an hour. I took it to the dealer for a different issue and they said the battery was included in the 5 year warranty and they would have replaced it! I thought the battery would have been outside the general warranty just like tires. I guess the AAA deal was not bad if I hadn't used it while still under the overall warranty.

How long are car batteries supposed to last? I thought that about 3 years was typical in our climate.
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BlueSmoke
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11:08a, 2/24/26
Battery on the Tundra was north of $200 when I swapped it out. Sits right there when you open the hood. Had to find a screwdriver and remove the brace. I dropped one of the screws and it landed under the truck. I had to actually get down on my hands and knees and find it. I think I took a nap after.
Nobody cares. Work Harder
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mefoghorn
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In reply to Buck Turgidson • 11:30a, 2/24/26
AG
Yes, 3 years is what I keep hearing as the expected life. I too have had pretty good experience with AAA. They know which batteries they installed. They replaced one for free after only about a year.
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The Ex Officio Director
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4:22p, 2/24/26
Another reason I'm not giving up my 03 Dodge Ram. Only cost me the price of battery to change out when needed.

I'm too poor for these new trucks.
Can't decide if I want to be cute & cuddly, or go blow some sh*t up.
Decisions decisions.
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Hodor
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In reply to PMD03 • 7:09p, 2/24/26
AG
PMD03 said:
TSW2012 said:
Jock 07 said:
I think I need a new one for my 21 f150. Debating on whether to go with Costco or auto zone/ oreillys. Costco is cheaper but the parts house batteries have a longer warranty.


How long do you keep your cars?

I do Costco because they save your receipts on your account so any warranty is super painless

Vatozone also keeps a record of when you bought the battery. At least they do for me. I bought a duralast platinum elite, so I am a very important account.


O'Reily does as well.
And I'm just a peon!
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el_scorcho
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9:44p, 2/24/26
AG
Everstart Maxx from Wally World is a good buy given how you can usually find one nearby, even when traveling. Mine is 7 years old and still doing fine in my daily.
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Jock 07
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In reply to el_scorcho • 9:46p, 2/24/26
AG
I was looking a little closer today and I think this is the play. Only like 20 bucks more than Costco but a 4 year warranty vs 3.
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Naveronski
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In reply to AgFan85 • 10:13p, 2/24/26
AG
AgFan85 said:
I have a scanner tool to program the new battery myself if that is even really necessary.

What? Is the dealer saying you have to program the battery too?
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AgFan85
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12:38a, 2/25/26
S
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AgFan85
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In reply to Naveronski • 1:01a, 2/25/26
S
I haven't spoken with them about it yet but I could see them saying something like that when I tell them their price is outrageous and I will be swapping it myself.
I should of said reset the BMS not program the battery. Apparently its a thing with new vehicles. I have seen where some people say it is essential to prevent overcharging and some people say your vehicle will eventually register that it is a new battery and charge accordingly.

"Resetting the battery management system (BMS) after installing a new battery is essential to prevent overcharging and ensure the new battery lasts.
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robertcope
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6:15a, 2/25/26
It does seem expensive, but a good battery can be $300 these days. And to do the job _right_ is at least an hour of time. All of you saying "it takes five minutes", well, maybe, if you don't do any of the things you should be doing... running an alternator/charging/starting test before changing the battery, taking the battery out, checking the battery cables for damage, corrosion, cleaning them up, installing the battery, resetting the computer (many cars cars need this so that their battery management works correctly), re-testing alternator/charging/starting.

Maybe you can skip all that when you do it yourself, because you can "eat the come back", but a dealer can't and shouldn't.
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agracer
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In reply to robertcope • 10:20a, 2/25/26
AG
robertcope said:
It does seem expensive, but a good battery can be $300 these days. And to do the job _right_ is at least an hour of time. All of you saying "it takes five minutes", well, maybe, if you don't do any of the things you should be doing... running an alternator/charging/starting test before changing the battery, taking the battery out, checking the battery cables for damage, corrosion, cleaning them up, installing the battery, resetting the computer (many cars cars need this so that their battery management works correctly), re-testing alternator/charging/starting.

Maybe you can skip all that when you do it yourself, because you can "eat the come back", but a dealer can't and shouldn't.

so 10-minutes instead of 5....which is way less than an hour.

Not to mention, the battery is already out of the truck while they do the engine swap. They have to put the old one back in.

Are you from Keating Group btw? Is FLATOUT posting under a new username?
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TXAG 05
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11:05a, 2/25/26
AG
Its never occurred to me to have someone swap out my battery for me.
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Benny the Jet Rodriguez
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In reply to robertcope • 12:23p, 2/25/26
AG
robertcope said:
It does seem expensive, but a good battery can be $300 these days. And to do the job _right_ is at least an hour of time. All of you saying "it takes five minutes", well, maybe, if you don't do any of the things you should be doing... running an alternator/charging/starting test before changing the battery, taking the battery out, checking the battery cables for damage, corrosion, cleaning them up, installing the battery, resetting the computer (many cars cars need this so that their battery management works correctly), re-testing alternator/charging/starting.

Maybe you can skip all that when you do it yourself, because you can "eat the come back", but a dealer can't and shouldn't.

Dealerships aren't doing all of that either. They're doing the same thing the college kid at Autozone is doing.
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normalhorn
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1:27p, 2/25/26

Two years, two batteries, both at Costco - Interstate AGM battery, big sucker for a BMW X5 M, out the door for cost ($189) less warranty on each (appx $150 discounted each of two purchases). Even on a busy Sunday afternoon in D/FW, it only takes me 5 minutes to buy one at Costco.
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92_Ag
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In reply to El Gato Charro • 2:42p, 2/25/26
AG
El Gato Charro said:
YouBet said:
That's pretty maddening until you own a car (like me) where the battery is in the trunk which requires you to rip out all of the lining and plastic in your trunk just to get to it.

Had to do this week before last so I paid local mechanic to do it instead. I'm not f'ing with that.

Thanks GM.

I hope that the engineer who put the battery under the passenger seat in a Jeep Grand Cherokee gets and ingrown toenail and a rash.

I swapped one for my inlaws and had bloody knuckles by the end of the affair. I don't think that my inlaws appreciated my expanded vocabulary during the install.

BOTH freaking batteries are there (start/stop and main battery) and the vent tubing is going to break almost regardless of how you try to extract them. Total cluster. I agree whole heartedly.
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The Ex Officio Director
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In reply to El Gato Charro • 3:00p, 2/25/26
El Gato Charro said:
YouBet said:
That's pretty maddening until you own a car (like me) where the battery is in the trunk which requires you to rip out all of the lining and plastic in your trunk just to get to it.

Had to do this week before last so I paid local mechanic to do it instead. I'm not f'ing with that.

Thanks GM.

I hope that the engineer who put the battery under the passenger seat in a Jeep Grand Cherokee gets and ingrown toenail and a rash.

I swapped one for my inlaws and had bloody knuckles by the end of the affair. I don't think that my inlaws appreciated my expanded vocabulary during the install.

Reminds me of my ex-wife's 2002 Dodge Stratus. Her driving that car was the red flag I ignored. Stupid F***ing battery is located behind the driver's side front wheel, tucked inside the fender well, behind a plastic splash guard. Back in 2006 I paid Christian Brothers nearly 500 dollars for them to replace the battery. Whomever the engineer or engineers that designed that car, I hope they step on legos barefoot every night.

Can't decide if I want to be cute & cuddly, or go blow some sh*t up.
Decisions decisions.
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mefoghorn
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3:26p, 2/25/26
AG
Shouldn't a so-called battery management system be able to detect the new battery and it's full charge and adjust accordingly? But that sounds like just the sort of "expertise" a dealership would try to push on you at inflated cost.
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