Customers Charged Up About Their Long-Lived ACDelco Batteries

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.

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.

When Your Shop Is Worth Much More Than You Thought

Although every sale of a shop in which I am involved has its own unique set of circumstances, which makes my job both very interesting and very challenging, Cowden Automotive stands out as particularly memorable because I was able to demonstrate to the long-time owner, Paul Cowden, that his business was worth about three times what he had initially thought.

Case Study: Owner of San Francisco-based Import Service Shop Delighted to Discover Just How Valuable His Business is to Qualified Buyers
I sometimes share case studies of the clients I have been able to assist in my role as an aftermarket business broker and provider of intermediary and advisory services. I do that when I think the story will provide a reader in similar circumstances with new insights or helpful information.
In the case of Cowden Automotive, Inc., I acted in a consulting capacity assisting the owner and his broker in valuing the business, creating a marketing plan, finding a qualified buyer, and arranging financing for the sale.
Although every sale of a shop in which I am involved has its own unique set of circumstances, which makes my job both very interesting and very challenging, Cowden Automotive stands out as particularly memorable because I was able to demonstrate to the long-time owner, Paul Cowden, that his business was worth about three times what he had initially thought.
Needless to say, delivering that kind of good news to a shop owner is a rewarding experience. Discovering that the sale of his business would result in his retirement nest-egg being substantially larger than he had ever thought was a fitting tribute to someone who had spent his entire working career as a busy automotive service shop owner.

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