Nothing beats auto parts when it comes to O’Reilly. The most trusted auto parts retailer in the United States, with some very nice salespeople. Not only that, O’Reilly, being the company that it is, has a pretty nice reputation for precision, accuracy, and trustworthiness amongst people. Now if you are wondering: does O’Reilly Auto Parts test batteries for free? the answer is Yes! Keep reading to find out why it’s a good idea to visit an O’Reilly store for a battery checkup.
Table of Contents
- 1 Does O'Reilly Auto Parts Test Car Batteries For Free?
- 2 What Type Of Batteries Does O'Reilly Auto Parts Test?
- 3 How Long Does It Take To Test A Battery?
- 4 How Is A Battery Tested?
- 5 Why Should You Test Batteries By O'Reilly Auto Part?
- 6 Benefits Of Testing Batteries By O'Reilly Auto Parts
- 7 Frequently Asked Questions About O'Reilly Auto Parts
- 8 Conclusion
Does O'Reilly Auto Parts Test Car Batteries For Free?
Getting your battery to O’Reilly for a quick test is as easy as driving your car, consulting any O’Reilly representative you see firsthand, and asking him to test a battery for you.
So yes, O’Reilly Auto parts do test batteries for free. They might even suggest to you some things that could improve your battery life or even educate you about the science of batteries. Sometimes almost to the point, you’d consider buying a battery from O’Reilly auto parts and throwing away your existing one.
Nevertheless, O’Reilly auto parts do a great job testing batteries. Not just testing them, they also provide detailed diagnostics for your battery, recharge the battery for you if all it needs is recharging, or help you recycle or dispose of it should the need call for it. 99% of the time, the guys at the O’Reilly will also Install the battery for you. All for free! What could be better than that?
But that is not just it, though; O’Reilly auto parts do a fantastic job in testing both the alternator and the starter system of your batteries. Thus letting you know what the core problem is and how it needs to be addressed.
You have also the option to use their Loaner tool program and deposit some cash in return for the tool of your choice to do whatever you want to do with it. Then, return the tool and get refunded on your deposit instantly. We’re big fans of the loaner tool program, not going to lie.
Finally, if you have a battery that needs disposal or recycling, you can just take it to O’Reilly auto parts. They also collect used motor oil, gear oil, transmission fluid, and filters for free. They’ll give you a $10 gift card in return. How convenient!
What Type Of Batteries Does O'Reilly Auto Parts Test?
Frankly speaking, they will test any batteries you present them with. O’Reilly auto parts stores are well equipped and filled with professionals who can test almost any battery thrown at them.
But for your convenience, here are the eight most common types of car batteries tested at O’Reilly auto parts stores all year round:
- Lead-Acid battery (the most common one and the one that’s most frequently tested)
- Silver Calcium battery
- Lithium-Ion battery (another one of the most commonly tested)
- Absorbent Glass Mat battery (AGM; most commonly tested in modern vehicles)
- Enhanced Flooded battery
- Deep cycle battery
- Gel cell battery (also known as Dry cell); not as commonly used anymore, nonetheless, tested vigorously.
- Nickel Metal hydride battery (most commonly used in hybrid vehicles)
That being said, if you don’t find your battery type on this list, don’t feel down. Instead, take your battery to your local O’Reilly auto parts store, and we’re pretty sure they’ll have the equipment and the professionals to test it out for you. They’re pretty versatile, and that is a plus point about them.
How Long Does It Take To Test A Battery?
The modern techniques to test a battery utilize the bosch testing equipment, which takes 10 minutes at most. This means you can even stop by at your local O’Reilly auto parts store on your way to work. Just make sure you get out of the house 10 minutes earlier.
The whole battery testing protocol involves testing for the battery’s charging capacity, its voltage and current output, the total power output, testing for corrosion and deterioration, electrolyte and individual cell health, and finally, the charging rate of the battery.
Related Read: How To Rejuvenate a Car Battery With Vinegar?
If the numbers do not match up somehow, the guys will then move on to testing for more specifics with all their cool-looking tools. But generally, it should only take 5-10 minutes and no more than that.
How Is A Battery Tested?
The primary goal of testing a battery is to know if the battery is fully charged or not, and if not, how much charge is left in the battery. Moreover, looking for signs of deterioration and looking for signals of interference and electrical noise are crucial parts of testing a battery, amongst many other things.
There are several different tests performed based on your chief complaints, and while enumerating them all is going to be very long, we’ll try to be as to the point as possible:
- Abuse testing verifies that the battery is not a danger to the user.
- Cycle testing, where the cells are made to go through multiple cycles of charge and discharge to make sure they meet the manufacturer’s claimed cycle life.
- Load testing is used to verify that the battery can deliver its acclaimed power on demand.
- Calorimetry outputs the data about the heat generated by the battery and thus is cellular health and electrolyte stability.
- Performance monitoring is used to verify that the cell is performing as required once used in an application intended for.
- Internal resistance testing for getting an idea about electrolyte health.
- State of charge and state of health define how much charge is left in the battery and how much current it can give as an output at a given charge, respectively.
Here’s a video explaining how to test a battery.
Why Should You Test Batteries By O'Reilly Auto Part?
You should test your batteries at your local O’Reilly auto parts frequently. Somewhere around once or twice every year at least. This ensures that you do not encounter an unforeseen technical problem with your batteries right on the day when you want the batteries just to work.
It also helps you save a couple of bucks because, as they say, care is better than cure. So knowing about the health of your battery and following the suggestions given by the professionals at O’Reilly can help you navigate around what’s best for your batteries, thus making sure you do not spend hundreds of bucks on getting a new one because you were too lousy to take care of the existing one.
Benefits Of Testing Batteries By O'Reilly Auto Parts
Besides making sure you don’t spend hundreds of dollars on battery repairs or new batteries, the significant benefit is education.
As you test your battery frequently at O’Reilly auto parts, you get to listen to all the things professionals have to say about your batteries. This ensures that next time, or each time you work around your car’s battery, you subconsciously allow yourself to focus on all the things guys back in the O’Reilly were talking about.
Frequently Asked Questions About O'Reilly Auto Parts
How long does it take to charge a battery at O'Reilly?
It depends on the battery’s overall condition and the kind of charger your local O’Reilly store uses. But if your battery needs a full recharge, it shouldn’t take more than a day after a successful diagnosis.
Also Read: What Charges The Car Battery?
Can I get my car battery tested?
Yes, you can get your car battery tested for free at your local O’Reilly auto parts store.
Does O'Reilly pay for old batteries?
Yes, for each battery you turn into O’Reilly, the O’Reilly auto parts pay you a $10 O’Reilly gift card.
Does O’Reilly Recycle Batteries?
Yes, O’Reilly has a very sophisticated system of recycling batteries. Not just batteries, used motor oils, gear oils, and transmission oils as well.
Conclusion
Not many people know about it, but O’Reilly provides one of the best battery services in the states. Not only will they test your battery for free and give you free professional advice, but they will also make sure your battery stays in perfect health by doing all that they can, and all for free.
James is an engineer and a professional blogger. He has gained extensive experience over the years, handling all types of power projects. He loves to share his experiences with all things related to batteries, generators, and other power-related topics.
