JCPenney Lifetime battery in my 72 FJ40 (1 Viewer)

[Kayaker]

Anybody else out there still have one of these wonderful batteries in their Cruiser? In case you don't remember this great deal, I've attached a link to the 1974 JCPenney ad on YouTube. True to their word, they are still honoring my warranty, though I'm sure they didn't imagine that well into the next century, I'd still be driving my "personal car or truck."

I've just installed my 8th replacement battery and in the 40 years I've owned my Cruiser, I've only bought one battery - the JCPenny Lifetime Battery, purchased for $85 in 1975. What a deal!

Not many folks out there that can say they actually look forward to having their battery fail every 5 or 6 years.

Here's a link to the ad:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZrNsRextok

 

[TLC76]

$85 was pricey back then... Good investment in the long run apparently.

 

[KLF]

Very cool deal.

Kinda similar, I remember my dad getting a muffler from Sears that had a "lifetime warranty", on the family car, a '63 Pontiac Catalina. We would get about 2-3 years out of one, and the top seam would split open. We'd take it off and carry it in the store, drop it on the counter with the original receipt. They would hand us a brand new one. I think we went thru 5 or 6 of them until we finally had to sell the car for just about scrap in the early 80s.

In the late 60's my dad inherited a bench from my Granddad when he passed. It had a vise on it that had a Montgomery Wards logo on it (remember them?). Fast forward to the mid-70's when I was in high school, I was working on a bike and I actually broke the jaw off the vise. My dad was kinda pissed but when I showed him how I did it (getting a freewheel off a rear wheel), he said it shouldn't have broken. We unbolted the vise from the bench, and son-of-a-gun if the original receipt for the damned thing wasn't under it! From the 40's! So, we put it in a bag and drove it over to the closest store. The salesman was aghast, but he had no choice but to let us pick out a brand new vise for free. That vise is now bolted to the bench in my garage!

 

[Cdaniel]

I worked at Penny's auto in like 1982 or so and installed a lot of those batteries. I still have an empty demo model of that battery. Makes a great gag when you lumber along with it and accidently drop it on someone.

 

[Michael Hanson]

I had one in high school. it gave out after they quit making it.They didn't even give me any replacement. I heard of a lady suing them and the court awarding her from them a battery for life, penny's had to buy her a new battery from an outside source. Mike

 

[atazman]

J.CPenny Lifetime Battery

I had one in a 1969 Datsun 2000 roadster. Installed the first battery in the mid 70s and when I sold the Datsun in 2007, it still had one of the replacement batteries in it. Don't know how many I went through in that car, but Penney's always came through for me.

I have a lifetime Midas exhaust system on a 1967 Mercedes 250 SL roadster that is going to be replaced before long. Hope this transaction goes as smoothly.

 

[Kayaker]

After my second replacement battery, JC Penney sent me to Firestone for replacement batteries. Firestone made the process as cumbersome as possible, probably to deter any future replacements - at least I hope that wasn't their typical level of service. After going through their process several times, despite the prolonged wait time and battery of tests they put my FJ40 charging system through, I got fed up and went back to my local JCPenney store. The manager set me up with a file with all my records and now the process is totally painless. I've actually started going back to Toyota for my replacements now and JCP reimburses me the cost. My JCPenney manager actually smiles when she sees me coming back for a replacement and asks how my Crusier is running. Sweet.

 

[Cdaniel]

I wonder if the lifetime battery had anything to do with the vanishing of JC Penny auto centers?

 

[Kayaker]

I wonder if the lifetime battery had anything to do with the vanishing of JC Penny auto centers?

It's my understanding that it was this battery that caused them to abandon their automotive centers. That's what the Firestone guys told me back when I had to use them for the replacements.

 

[firestopper]

Man, good for you! Did you happen to buy any gold ounces back then too

 

[Kayaker]

Man, good for you! Did you happen to buy any gold ounces back then too

Actually I did; but my best investment was my Cruiser - $3,651.89. Should have bought a dozen of them!

 

[Kayaker]

Well, it's that time again. The old battery was starting to struggle to start the old F engine so it was time for a replacement.

I had to return to Firestone this time since my local JC Penny store recently closed and I lost my contacts there. I did my homework first by contacting the Firestone corporate headquarters first with an email through customer service then with a live chat to confirm that the warranty would be honored. I must say I was delighted with the result. The staff were knowledgeable and the response was quick and accurate. I was directed to the nearest corporate store (only a few miles away) and instructed to speak with the manager who would be familiar with the warranty and replacement process. I was told to bring my proof of purchase in the form of the original receipt, which I did. I made an appointment in hopes of expediting the process. All told it took 45 minutes (that's 35 minutes longer than "usual") but was done in one trip and one stop instead of two so that's not bad.

The bottom line was that the manager knew about the JC Penny Battery and quickly and efficiently replaced the old battery. Instead of the all black Toyota batteries I've been using for the last 10 years, I got an Interstate which is green and white and clashes with the blue of my engine compartment; bummer. The sale price on the Interstate, had I actually paid for it, was a whopping $124.99! The Toyota was $95.95 in February 2013.

One thing new this time, I was assessed a $1.50 fee; never had that before. Oh well, I guess it was still a pretty good deal for a new battery. I'm now on number 9 and haven't paid for a new battery for my FJ40 since 1975!

 

[Ghostrider I]

Dean, you are such a fashionista with your batteries. I am sure you can compliment the green and white with your blue engine, with yellow spark plug wires!!

 

[ginmtb]

Maybe you need to invent a battery cover that can have custom colors and graphics...

Love this thread it’s cool seeing the old references to JCPenny and Monkey Ward. I had no idea JCPenny even had auto centers! Ours didn’t that’s for sure. Great deal and neat to see they still honor it! I wonder if I can use my Circuit City gift certificate somewhere...

 

[tls3601]

Service. Nice to see there is still that out there. And, that JCP still honors their word. We have lost so much of that over time. I still remember the day my Dad bought his Remington 870 pump action shotgun at JCP. Hard to believe you could buy one there then, but you could. I know, I was there. Lifetime warranty on batteries, man those were the days............

 

[mtquivr]

I had one in Hawaii about '75. Didn't last long, they gave me another, then gave me a standard battery. That was the last time I dealt with them.

 

[Kayaker]

Dean, you are such a fashionista with your batteries. I am sure you can compliment the green and white with your blue engine, with yellow spark plug wires!!

I guess if you consider the color scheme on the original Toyota sales brochures for the 1972 Land Cruiser, a green battery may be just the ticket!

 

[bikersmurf]

In my other rig I'm running 4 Costco Batteries... Every 15 months 2 of them need to be replaced, and the other 2 last about 20 months.

With 36 month warranties, they'll be the last batteries I'll ever need to buy. 2 of them came in the rig and were replaced under warranty. The other 2 I bought. Aparently 7.3s, 215 A alternators, house batteries, and 1000 W of halogen headlights.

 

[Landpimp]

That is just awesome!

I now(and have for 10 year get Costco batteries. Forget what the deal was but last year I had a battery issue, not sure what or why(its been a year) but Costco cut me a check for over $300 to cover something and said if I wanted I could bring in every battery I had from them and they would give me new ones....even if they were still good.

 

[1969FJ]

They probably started this lifetime warranty thing because in reality, very few models of vehicles really survive all that long. The FJ40 happens to be one of them. You are the first person I really have seen make use of "lifetime" on a product. Good Job.