Battery 13 years old and still going strong

[callbay]

My friend has an inboard ski boat that has the original 13 year old battery and it still works fine. It's a AC-Delco Voyager. He does not take it out of the boat for the winter to charge it or keep it on a maintainer. He said he has only had it become completely discharged one time about seven years ago. He does not use the boat in the winter. It stays on a lift in the water, not in the garage. He lives in North West Arkansas.

Is not this very unusual? My record is about seven years for a battery to last.

 

[demarpaint]

My E-150 battery will be 13 in October, no problems with it yet.

 

[46Harry]

I just replaced the battery in one of my old Studebakers that was over 11 years old. It would still start the car, but I was concerned that it would leave me stuck somewhere when it failed. The battery was a NAPA Legend 75 built in Febuary 2002. I replaced it with another NAPA Legend battery, hopefully the new one will last as long as the old one.

 

[eljefino]

I saw an OE Mazda battery from 1998 still start a miata in December, 2011. Midtronics said it had 170 CCA to its name and it was slow going.

 

[The motor guy]

I guess at one point batteries were really well made, then they got smart and realized that if they make them too good they don't sell any, so now getting 5 years out of a battery is extraordinary. I got 4.5 years out of the batteries in my truck before I started having random lights come on due to voltage drop.

 

[5sfe91]

Newer cars demanding more from batteries cutting their life span?

 

[morepwr]

Wow. And here I thought I was doing good getting 7 years out of a 5 year rated battery!

 

[Virtuoso]

My father bought a Lund fishing boat back in '87 or '88.. it came equipped with an Interstate battery for starting the ol Mercury (oh I love that sound). I believe it had the same battery until the mid 2000's. The long life probably happens more often on the toys than it does on the daily use cars and stuffs (just a guess.)

 

[GMBoy]

All these old batteries do lead me to believe they were made better back in the day because I can't get more than 3-4 yrs out of a battery now and that is taking care of it too.

 

[Silverado12]

It would be interesting to see how much, if any longer a trunk battery lasts (the one in my Challenger is in the trunk of the car where it doesn't get the high heat). Best battery I ever had was an ACDelco, which lasted 8 years (1988 to 1996).

 

[simple_gifts]

Quote:

Newer cars demanding more from batteries cutting their life span?


No IMO, Its just a race to the bottom.

 

[Doog]

Originally Posted By: 5sfe91
Newer cars demanding more from batteries cutting their life span?


Definitely. Automakers were going to go to 42V systems. 12V batteries get consumed much faster with all of the electronics that run 24/7/365 that never existed 20 years ago. You car is using your battery while parked. The proof is in using a battery tender in off use times.

 

[volk06]

98 f250 with the 5.4 had its original motorcraft battery replaced last spring. That one lasted 14 years.

 

[SLCraig]

Originally Posted By: volk06
98 f250 with the 5.4 had its original motorcraft battery replaced last spring. That one lasted 14 years.


That is just exceptional. I would say average life is somewhere around 5-7 years... At least around here. (climates are a big factor)

 

[KrisZ]

The battery in my Mazda 3 is just a bit over 7 years old, but I can already tell that it is cranking much slower than it used to, even in warm weather.
It’s time to change it, especially since my wife’s drives the car now.

 

[exranger06]

I still have the original Motorcraft battery in my 06 Ranger. A few months ago I replaced a Napa Legend 75 in my Accord that was exactly 7 years old. I had a Napa 65 month battery last over 6 years in my Explorer; I replaced it about 3 years ago. My mom still has the original battery in her 05 BMW 330ci. Granted, that car has only 16k miles on it, and it's starting to get weak.

 

[zzyzzx]

I changed out one that was 9, and only because if it's age.

 

[901Memphis]

My father in law just replaced an 11 year old oem battery in his lesabre. It's stored in the cabin under the back seat. It looked brand new except for the performance.

 

[TFB1]

Originally Posted By: SLCraig
Originally Posted By: volk06
98 f250 with the 5.4 had its original motorcraft battery replaced last spring. That one lasted 14 years.


That is just exceptional. I would say average life is somewhere around 5-7 years... At least around here. (climates are a big factor)


Agreed... My '98 Grand Marquis had the orig battery when I bought the car in Apr 10, repl it because I wasn't going to trust it... It lived another year in a T-Bird that was out back and finally died summer of '11 when a interior light was left on, wouldn't recharge...

As far as batteries of old being better, I'll never believe it, there are exceptions to every rule... Most I've ever gotten is around seven years and I've been buying cars since 1966...

 

[Trav]

Originally Posted By: Silverado12
It would be interesting to see how much, if any longer a trunk battery lasts (the one in my Challenger is in the trunk of the car where it doesn't get the high heat). Best battery I ever had was an ACDelco, which lasted 8 years (1988 to 1996).

One of my Grand Prix still has the original AC Delco and its from 2000. I thought i lost it about 4 years ago when the alarm drew it down over the whole winter.
It took a 200 amp booster a few min to bring it back to life, but its been fine. After sitting for 5 months it fired right up.
Now i want to see just how long this thing will go even though i am tempted to replace it.

Its a maintenance free (totally sealed) and i don't use a maintainer, its a short trip car but i don't charge it ever.
In short i do nothing at all to help it live longer. I have had this car since 05 from the original owner and he never changed it, in fact he said its probably going to need a battery soon.

I think i know the reason for this long life. The Charging system in this car is super stable, the lights never dim at idle or get too bright.
I am willing to bet that if the alternator or regulator ever dies the battery life will not be half as long.