Is it time to start shopping for a new battery around 4 or 5 years? I've always had good luck with the original equipment battery that comes with the car, more so than aftermarket batteries. Johnson controls or excide?
Average car battery life?
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Jhonson Controls, I have had thier batteries last usually over 5 years. Current one is a AcDelco that is 7 years old. Kirkland signature sells thier house battery that is made by Johnson at a good price and decent warranty.
Johnson Controls hands down. Just changed a 2 year old Exide in grandma's Camry. Completely dead, Wouldn't take a charge, and not the first Exide i've seen fail prematurely.
I've had several JCI's, that have lasted WAY longer than they should have. I got 9 years out of the one that was in my Camry. (According to the manufactured date sticker on it)
It was a Sears Diehard, I currently have a Toyota Factory OEM JCI battery in my Camry now. Not a True Start, but a Factory one from an '08 Camry. My dad works at the dealership, and it is cheaper for them to replace a dead battery from a new car that has been sitting for 6 months, then to pay the labor to charge the old one. So the Tech's get to take them home free.
Charge them up, and they're perfect.
I've had several JCI's, that have lasted WAY longer than they should have. I got 9 years out of the one that was in my Camry. (According to the manufactured date sticker on it)
It was a Sears Diehard, I currently have a Toyota Factory OEM JCI battery in my Camry now. Not a True Start, but a Factory one from an '08 Camry. My dad works at the dealership, and it is cheaper for them to replace a dead battery from a new car that has been sitting for 6 months, then to pay the labor to charge the old one. So the Tech's get to take them home free.
Charge them up, and they're perfect.
Yup JC I personally use interstates and they are made by johnson controls. They have a 200,000 dealers that can warranty them also nationwide.
Originally Posted By: H2GURU
Heat is the enemy of batteries so they tend to last a little longer up north. I draw the line at 7 years or 100,000 miles. If I lived in a warmer climate I'd reduce the interval by 1/3.
+1, We did TONS of Batteries, and Alternators in the summer when I worked for a Saturn Dealer. Heat kills the batteries, Alternators work extra hard, heat kills alternator also.
Heat is the enemy of batteries so they tend to last a little longer up north. I draw the line at 7 years or 100,000 miles. If I lived in a warmer climate I'd reduce the interval by 1/3.
+1, We did TONS of Batteries, and Alternators in the summer when I worked for a Saturn Dealer. Heat kills the batteries, Alternators work extra hard, heat kills alternator also.
3-6 years is the ball park some last longer. I normaly get 5-7 years out of a battery. I had best luck living in the Southern USA and living in Europe. Michigan has too wide a spread it seems. It is normaly 90-95 F most of the summer then winter comes and it is super cold. It is just too much. Germany had much milder Winters and Summers and Georgia had fairly consistent temps most of the year and seldom did it get bellow 32°F and even when it did by noon it was 68°F outside. I recall one year it was -20°F when I left michigan for winter break and a day latter I was cahnging my Mother's oil inthe drive way 2 days before Christmas and it was 70°F outside and I was in shorts. So the more extreme the temp changes are dureing the year I think the shorter the life span. It is fairly easy to desgin for extreme heat or extreme cold but how do you do both?
My ACDelco batteries have lasted at least 7 years. One lasted 8 b4 it started slowly. I replace with either ACDelco or Deka. I had a Deka battery last almost 8 years too. I had an interstate battery that was good, but I sold the car when the battery was 4 years old.
My Die Hard Gold celebrated its 11th birthday earlier this month. According to AAP it still tested fine, but I'm thinking its way past due. Since I've been working locally I sort of put it on the back burner. Maybe when I drop my oil in December I'll put in a battery, but I said that last year too.
I have been wondering this myself. My original car battery is going on 5 years. I have never let the battery run dead and it seems to be performing fine. Debating whether to replace it as part of maintenance or wait till it start's showing signs. What do you think?
I've wondered the same thing and the battery tested fine. Based on time I should have replaced it twice already. As I said I'm working locally so if it should die it poses a slight problem vs a major disaster. If I were working further away I think I'd change it this December.
Kestas
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20 years ago it seems that batteries on average lasted 4-5 years. Now it seems that they last 6-8 years.
In the last 20 yrs my batteries seem to fail in their 7th year (in the middle of winter.... not at home but in a parking lot..... not in my home town but when shopping in the city....... at night).
I change my battery at the end of it's 6th year on a nice summer day in my driveway at MY convenience.
I change my battery at the end of it's 6th year on a nice summer day in my driveway at MY convenience.
I just bought a couple batteries.
A regular GM group 75 battery is 47 dollars at the walmart here. Its not worth trying to get an extra year out of them.
I changed them both out at 6 years.
My saturn took a vented battery, and the dealer stuck me for a 94 dollar battery, but oh well.
Both are much easier to change when its nice and warm in the fall in my driveway. Versus at the side of the road on a freeway at night.
A regular GM group 75 battery is 47 dollars at the walmart here. Its not worth trying to get an extra year out of them.
I changed them both out at 6 years.
My saturn took a vented battery, and the dealer stuck me for a 94 dollar battery, but oh well.
Both are much easier to change when its nice and warm in the fall in my driveway. Versus at the side of the road on a freeway at night.
Had an OEM Hyundai battery fail at 5.5 years. Replaced it with DieHard Gold so I wouldn't have to worry about it for a long while.
My Preulde has a DieHard silver in it. I'm on year 6. I'm trying to get it replaced before December.
My Preulde has a DieHard silver in it. I'm on year 6. I'm trying to get it replaced before December.
+2 on H2guru about heat and Northern/Southern batteries.
You can make a pre- emtive strike by getting your battery a bit early, when it is convenient for you.
BTW, vibration is a sure killer. Motorcycle batteries and car batteries that are bungie corded instead of mounted fail quickly.
You can make a pre- emtive strike by getting your battery a bit early, when it is convenient for you.
BTW, vibration is a sure killer. Motorcycle batteries and car batteries that are bungie corded instead of mounted fail quickly.
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Originally Posted By: Neil_A
I have been wondering this myself. My original car battery is going on 5 years. I have never let the battery run dead and it seems to be performing fine. Debating whether to replace it as part of maintenance or wait till it start's showing signs. What do you think?
if it gives you too much trouble: slow starting, needing a jump, its time to go before it takes your alternator with it.
I have been wondering this myself. My original car battery is going on 5 years. I have never let the battery run dead and it seems to be performing fine. Debating whether to replace it as part of maintenance or wait till it start's showing signs. What do you think?
if it gives you too much trouble: slow starting, needing a jump, its time to go before it takes your alternator with it.
Living in Houston, I change batteries every four years. Lessons learned from past battery failures. I've had three go from good starts to zero, not even a dome light, from one start to the next. I don't know what failed in the battery, but the cars couldn't even be jumped.
My more recent batteries have done that too. It used to be they slowly seemed to get weaker and weaker. A jump start or 2 and charging overnight bought you a few days to make an orderly replacement.
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