Time for OEM battery change?

[DBMaster]

There are many factors that affect battery life - all things being equal with the battery itself. Everything Tegger states is valid. The mounting location, vehicle, and type of roads in your area are also factors. My last vehicle had the battery mounted in the hottest part of the engine bay and had no insulating box or blanket around it. MY current vehicle has a cooler engine bay and includes a battery box that further isolates the battery from heat.

I would imagine that batteries that are located in the trunk or under the back seat last the longest of all.

Vibration is also a battery killer. If the roads in your area are not very smooth I would imagine that has an impact as well.

This all makes it harder to ask for anecdotal evidence for use deciding which battery to buy. Success for one does not mean success for another.

 

[Lolvoguy]

For the OP, I'd say at least 5 years before replacing an OEM battery, esp for a Toyota.

 

[Donald]

Originally Posted By: Tegger
Originally Posted By: chiefsfan1
I am thinking it may be wise to change it just to be sure. What you say?

I say: rather than throw money at parts you may not need, check the battery's state-of-charge first. It's easy, and requires no more than an inexpensive digital multimeter.

Key OUT, engine OFF,
1) turn headlights on and wait 10 minutes
2) turn headlights off again, and wait another 10 minutes
3) touch DVOM to the battery terminals and read the DC voltage.

Now go to: Bill Darden's famous Battery FAQ and locate this link: Temperature Compensated Battery State-of-Charge (SoC) Tables .

Go read the thermometer outside your kitchen window, then use the table to find out if your battery is reading the voltage that it should. If it is, then just leave the battery alone; it will survive the winter just fine.


This is not a good way to test a battery and determine if it will last the winter. Either a conductive test (Midtronics) or a load test using carbon pile load tester.

 

[Whimsey]

From my 1980 F-100 through my wife's 2005 Explorer we've always gotten 8 years at least from the Ford factory batteries. They were usually changed for the "comfort" level, not because they needed to be. Only my 2002 F-150 needed to be changed. It didn't strand me in the winter but I needed to leave the trickle charger on over night, not a promising end

. Turned out the factory put an underrated/smaller battery in the truck. But it was over 9 years old at the time. But northern NJ being a temperate climate vehicle batteries tend to last longer than in hot climates.

Whimsey

 

[chiefsfan1]

THink I will go this winter with it. Come to think of it my Taurus battery lasted 8 years.

 

[hattaresguy]

Originally Posted By: splinter
Got a solid ~8 years from our OE (Spanish!) M-B battery.

Little economic rationale to replace a 'good' battery before its service life has ended imho.

Flip side is Murphy's Law dictates that it will leave you and yours stranded at the most inopportune and inconvenient time possible.
In the dead of winter. At night. When your passenger needs to pee.

AAA and a cell phone to the rescue!

Those Mercedes batteries are very good, I have seen them go a decade in lightly used cars!

 

[Bud_One]

Originally Posted By: Tegger
Originally Posted By: Bud_One

Wow !! How in the world have you managed that...? I've been lucky to get 5-6 yrs max. Regardless of brands.

Because simple_gifts is in CT, while you are in TX. Heat kills batteries. CT is colder than TX.

I have also got 11 years out of a battery -- an OEM Panasonic -- and about 9 years out of an Interstate MT25.
That's due to two things:
1) I never cracked the case/post seal through overtightening, and
2) Canada is even colder than CT.


Makes sense now... color me green with envy

 

[circuitsmith]

Still rockin' the original battery in my Matrix, 8 y.o & 50k miles.
Since I drive infrequently I recharge it every 3 months unless I take a trip of several hours.
Overnight on a bench power supply set to 14V.
Current bottomed out to 300mA when it was younger.
Last week it only fell to 560mA.
I was going to replace it for this winter, but I'm gonna let it ride.

 

[maximus]

Originally Posted By: Kestas
4 years is for old technology. Modern batteries seem to last 5 to 7 years. My record is 8 and 12 years for batteries.


New technology? Flooded lead acid batteries haven't really changed in over 100 years. If its AGM youre talking about, its just a different spin on how they're constructed, still lead and electrolyte, though.

Have auto parts store load test battery for free. Its impossible to test a battery with a DMM alone.

80% of batteries are made by JCI. Doesnt matter what brand.