Diehard Auto Center By Sears

Post Reply
Alpha8472
Posts: 3929
Joined: February 24th, 2009, 8:55 pm
Been thanked: 79 times
Status: Offline

Diehard Auto Center By Sears

Post by Alpha8472 »

Sears has opened a new stand-alone Diehard Auto Center nowhere near a Sears. It was formerly another car repair shop.

They are testing this concept to see if it will do well. Auto centers are profitable. If they could create a chain of these, it could bring in some profits.

On the other hand, Sears would probably just try to sell this to someone else for a quick profit.

Is Diehard a trusted brand?
Last edited by Alpha8472 on February 21st, 2017, 10:30 pm, edited 1 time in total.
wnetmacman
Forum Moderator
Forum Moderator
Posts: 994
Joined: January 17th, 2010, 2:36 pm
Has thanked: 2 times
Been thanked: 44 times
Status: Offline

Re: Diehard Auto Center By Sears

Post by wnetmacman »

Alpha8472 wrote:Is Diehard a trusted brand?
From the 50's to the early 80's, yes. Now, not so much.

I think this is a desperation move in an attempt to build brand value to sell it.
storewanderer
Posts: 14379
Joined: February 23rd, 2009, 3:54 pm
Has thanked: 2 times
Been thanked: 298 times
Contact:
Status: Offline

Re: Diehard Auto Center By Sears

Post by storewanderer »

I thought they already spun off the auto centers. I guess not yet.
pseudo3d
Posts: 3851
Joined: November 12th, 2015, 7:01 pm
Has thanked: 5 times
Been thanked: 77 times
Status: Offline

Re: Diehard Auto Center By Sears

Post by pseudo3d »

DieHard batteries were involved in a scandal where pressed for profits they would die on customers, get returned (sometimes with a "service" charge to check that the battery was indeed dead), and then put back on the shelf. They were sued, not sure of the outcome.
Alpha8472
Posts: 3929
Joined: February 24th, 2009, 8:55 pm
Been thanked: 79 times
Status: Offline

Re: Diehard Auto Center By Sears

Post by Alpha8472 »

Sears paid money to Florida to bring the investigation to a close. They never admitted to anything. No charges were filed by the Florida Attorney General.
Super S
Posts: 2690
Joined: April 1st, 2009, 9:27 pm
Has thanked: 11 times
Been thanked: 61 times
Status: Offline

Re: Diehard Auto Center By Sears

Post by Super S »

Alpha8472 wrote:Sears has opened a new stand-alone Diehard Auto Center nowhere near a Sears. It was formerly another car repair shop.

They are testing this concept to see if it will do well. Auto centers are profitable. If they could create a chain of these, it could bring in some profits.

On the other hand, Sears would probably just try to sell this to someone else for a quick profit.

Is Diehard a trusted brand?
The problem with DieHard is that it is not known as a brand for a wide range of products like Craftsman and Kenmore. DieHard is mainly known for batteries.

DieHard did have a good reputation. I have personally bought several which have provided good service. But with the future of Sears/Kmart in doubt, a declining number of auto centers, and not knowing what will happen to the brand, will it be there to honor a warranty down the road? Or will warranties be handled by a chain such as Firestone, which still handles original owners warranty claims for "The JCPenney Battery" that had some sort of lifetime guarantee. Nobody knows, and I personally won't buy a DieHard when there are brands such as Exide that provide better geographic coverage. This is important when you take many trips.
Post Reply