When should I change my car battery?

[Kuato]

Originally Posted By: Chris142
Do it now. Unless you want to do it in a walmart parking lot in the rain. they never fail at a good time.


My experience also. On my wife's Jeep, the battery will reliably fail, no matter the brand, every 4 1/2 years or so. I replace at just under 4 years and don't worry.

 

[Kiwi_ME]

Myself, I would replace a battery every five years as preventative maintenance. However, my mother's BMW diesel OEM battery is still working at 11 years.

 

[howie2092]

Changed out the original battery in my 2007 Volvo today. It was still working properly - but it's the wife's kid-hauler and the battery was 9+ years old.

The Volvo battery is mounted in the trunk under the floor - I think that helped longevity since it didn't see any heat cycling from the engine compartment.

Replaced with an AAP premium AGM size 48/H6 battery with 760cca (old was 600cca). Perfect fit. Had a $50 coupon code plus $20 core plus a $20 rebate from AMEX for using their card at AAP. Total cost $120 with tax. Seems like a good deal for their top-of-the-line battery w/3-year free replacement.

 

[OneEyeJack]

Originally Posted By: Toaster_Jer
How does one desulphate a batt?


Purchase a new one.

The battery is kind of important in these modern cars with all their electronic stuff. Trying to stretch a less than $100 investment in a battery is a process called feeding the tow truck drivers. I recommend it you really believe in sharing the wealth and want to experience being stranded in some random location every now and then. This would be especially exciting for the women that drive your vehicle.

 

[cat843]

Originally Posted By: 4wheeldog
Originally Posted By: vintageant
Batteries last longer if regularly kept on a Battery Tender.


That is only really true, if the vehicle sits unused for substantial periods. Daily drivers do not benefit from being "Tended".


It depends. Many alternators do not charge the battery to 100%. The quality battery maintainers do a better job of keeping the battery exactly fully charged.

 

[cat843]

Originally Posted By: Toaster_Jer
How does one desulphate a batt?


You need a battery charger that has a desulfate function.

I am not convinced how effective the desulfatevfunction is. It probably works in a limited set of scenarios.

 

[Sequoiasoon]

Find a shop that has a newer battery tester.

My local dealer tested mine when in for service using one.

How to tell if your car battery is bad

Some of the C-tek chargers have a desulfate mode. Not all chargers are good for AGM either. Optima has video's showing the C-tek to restore them as well as how to use a regular charger.

I also have in both cars old school jumper cables. I think I needed them 1-2 times in 30 years to help myself. Many uses to help others. I also now added one of the small lithium ion battery packs with jumpers (anti gravity micro start, powerall). I used that on a couple friends cars and worked well. Good insurance in case I leave something on.

 

[Wolf359]

Originally Posted By: Rolla07
I am still on my OEM battery, and test it every year before winter to make sure its testing good. In colder climates batteries last longer. Im still on my original battery on my 2007. Starts with no problem when not plugged in all night -20 to -30 celsius. I have CAA and dont go far, so I am going to use it til it fails. Worst case I call CAA and they replace on the spot for pretty much same as local store if not less. I dont plan to replace it unless it fails a test or dies on me.. otherwise I could of replaced a perfectly good battery twice now without need to do so..


For us in the states, it's cheaper with a coupon code at a local store. Plus you never know what kind of battery you're going to get from those services. People here seem to like Johnson control, but hate Exide.

 

[howie2092]

Originally Posted By: Toaster_Jer
How does one desulphate a batt?


My EE friend who worked at a battery company explained it like this: They use a high-frequency DC charge to slowly break up lead dendrites that cause shorts between plates, and they use an overcharge process to shrink the sulphate crystals that form on the surface of the plates.

There is good info on BatteryUniversity (like BITOG for batteries).

 

[artificialist]

It is easy to get 7 years or more from a battery that isn't under the hood.

However, in Florida, most batteries are a huge risk after 3 years.

There is only exception I see. Sometimes a car that gets built in Japan will have some unique Panasonic battery. They often go 5 years easily.

It makes me wonder what Panasonic does that other companies don't.

 

[The Critic]

I am curious if mileage/usage has an effect on the battery's lifespan.

The auxiliary 12v battery (which does not start the vehicle) in my 2011 Prius had 15% less CCA and 15% more impedance than a new one. The car had almost 120,000 miles, which is about double the amount of mileage that most batteries see during the same amount of time.