If you’re having second thoughts about swapping out your Toyota’s OEM 12-volt car battery with a 3rd party one—don’t.
Kobear (@mr_kobear) peeled off the sticker from an OEM Toyota car battery in a TikTok post that garnered a whopping 2.3 million views and over 2,000 comments.
He reveals that a brand called Interstate actually makes the car battery. Toyota appears to have simply slapped on its own branded sticker on top.
One viewer, upon seeing the video, wrote, “At least they rebranded a decent brand.”
Another seconded the endorsement, stating, “Interstate makes good batteries.”
A third echoed about Interstate, “I don’t care what anyone says. They are the best batteries hands down. Ran one in my van for 10 years without a problem.”
Someone else wrote that they weren’t surprised by the reveal. They claimed that all automobile batteries are made by a handful of manufacturers.
“There ain’t but like three or four companies that make everyone’s batteries anyways,” they explained.
One person who noticed the discrepancy in the warranty period joked, “Somehow the sticker increased the warranty from 36 to 84 months.”
Are all 12-volt car batteries the same?
According to a number of auto enthusiasts in this Mechanics Stack Exchange forum, they are. One person wrote, “There are no OEMs that make their own batteries, at least that I know of. They get somebody else to do it (Johnson Controls, Douglass, Exide) with their own colors and branding.”
The same person remarked that it’s also pointless to purchase premium batteries because, they claim, all customers are shilling out their money for is a fancier sticker.
Another user said, “It would make no difference with aftermarket or car dealer. Battery manufacturers make the exact same batteries for both. “
@mr_kobear #iykyk #foreman #mechanic #fypシ ♬ ACDC Beegees mashup – Kimmieahug
Toyota is a leader in the hybrid battery market
Arguably one of the biggest and most costly car repairs for a hybrid or electronic vehicle is the drivetrain battery, which powers the motor. This differs from the 12-volt units discussed in Kobear’s post, which are responsible for ancillary functions. Drivetrain batteries are larger units more common in Tesla vehicles.
However, the way these batteries are produced is a point of controversy. While the vehicles they power are classified as “zero emissions” cars, the considerable resources that go into producing the batteries makes their carbon footprint a lot larger than companies would have consumers believe. Consequently, pure EV’s are not the most eco-friendly cars.
Conversely, Toyota’s redesigned 2024 Prius Prime is a much more environmentally friendly car. A lot of this has to do with Toyota’s hybrid-battery technology.
The Daily Dot reached out to Toyota and Interstate via email and Kobear via TikTok comment for further information.
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