Longest lived auto battery I've ever seen

[Number_35]

I went over to a friend's place to diagnose a no-start on a 2005 Honda Civic. The battery tested at 10.xx V (no load). We boosted the car with my portable jumpstarter. It started right up, and the alternator was putting out a healthy 14.xx V.

As it turned out, this was the original battery, 14 years old! Ironically enough, the parts fellow at Canadian Tire was quite dismissive of the old battery - said that the Honda factory batteries often fail within a year or so, and that Honda specs them too small for the demands on them in a misguided effort to save space under the hood. Perhaps so, but this one did very well. It might have helped that this Civic is pretty basic - manual transmission and crank windows.

The oldest battery I've had myself was the factory one in our '09 Mazda 5 which I replaced last fall after it tested marginal. I didn't want to have it fail on us at -35 C!

 

[JeffKeryk]

The original battery in my '93 Toyota 4WD lasted well over 10 years.

 

[daves87rs]

My Cavalier's first battery lasted 7 years (2004-2011)

The Advance Auto silver right now is working on 8 years this week....

 

[bubbatime]

2 years, 3 years max down here in the jungle. Envious of you northern folk that get 7-10 years.

When my wifes battery is 2.5 years old, I start planning on replacing it, as she drives all over the state and I dont want her to get stuck.

 

[Linctex]

I had two Walmart MAXX-1 Grp 75 in my Cummins diesel F250... lasted from 2007 to 2017.

I was amazed.

I replaced them with two $49 garbage batteries from Atwood's (on sale) and they are already toast.

 

[joegreen]

Originally Posted by bubbatime
2 years, 3 years max down here in the jungle. Envious of you northern folk that get 7-10 years.

When my wifes battery is 2.5 years old, I start planning on replacing it, as she drives all over the state and I dont want her to get stuck.

When your vehicle starts to rust starting from when you purchase it you would gladly replace a battery every few years in exchange for no road salt.

 

[caprice_2nv]

I have a 10 year old battery in my winter beater right now. The 5 year old battery in it through the winter died a month or so after I started driving my summer car and it sat for a couple of weeks. The 10 year old one my friend loaned me from one of his cars he's not driving this year, I'm replacing it before winter because I doubt it would make it through the winter.

 

[CharBaby]

I wish that I could find the receipt for the battery in the Firebird in my signature. I was putting a battery in the car every 5 years since new.

Then, in 2000, I bought a new WalMart EverStart DT battery(not the MAXX). And I also bought a Schumacher Battery Maintainer that has been mounted atop on the battery since. Gives me just enough room to check the acid level in which I check twice a year.

 

[Andrew1972]

My personal experience was a 1995 Honda Civic with a factory Delco battery. I replaced it in 2004 as I left lights on.

I doubt this possible anymore in modern cars with far greater loads of electrical system with the heavy electronics vs a basic 1990's car. My 2007 MDX Tech(key word) can only manage about 2.5 - 3 years.

 

[bullwinkle]

I had an Interstate Megatron Plus make it to 13 years+ in the GMC in my sig (secondary battery), but it was testing pretty weak at the end. I'm curious to see how long the JC EverStart Maxx ones in my F-450 last with the solar maintainer hooked up, they're 9 years old now & show no signs of slowing down, just added distilled a couple days ago.

 

[Kira]

The alternator rebuilder said I needed to change-out the 8 year old H6 in my Volvo stating that NO 8 year old battery is good.
I had no objection replacing it but I wish I had taken a few readings before outing the old one.

Does a charging system rely on a good battery to "energize the alternator"?

Also, if a weak battery starts an engine does the alternator then need to "work harder" to power the car's systems through the battery? Similarly, will an alternator in that kind of scenario run hotter?

Some guy here had a garage kept, cherrie Firebird (I think) with a 15 year old AC Delco.

 

[Hall]

Originally Posted by Number_35
...the parts fellow at Canadian Tire was quite dismissive of the old battery - said that the Honda factory batteries often fail within a year or so, and that Honda specs them too small for the demands on them in a misguided effort to save space under the hood.

That's an internet forum "myth" that gets repeated, repeated, and repeated until many state it as fact. I hear many times, including from posters at this website, that replace perfectly good working batteries every 2 years or every 3 years because it might fail the next day.

 

[ssamaroo01]

The longest lasting that I've seen was my uncle's Motorcraft battery in his '01 Focus. Basic car with manual windows and locks. The old one I pulled out had a date code from 2008. I replaced with another Motorcraft battery earlier this year. Motorcraft batteries have been performing really well in my family. My wife's 2012 Escape (manufactured 11/2011) had the original battery in it when I replaced it this past January. It wasn't even that bad when I replaced it, but she uses it to take our 1 year old and 2 year old to doctor visits and such so I wanted to have a reliable battery. My old Focus that is still in the family needed a new battery this year. I installed the old Motorcraft one back in April of 2012. Needed a need one this past April.

 

[WyrTwister]

I am getting 3 , maybe 4 years from a battery . Certainly not remarkable .

 

[JetStar]

I just replaced the OEM Delco battery in my Wife's 2008 Saturn Sky, 11 + years old.

 

[Burt]

My mom's 2003 Lesabre had original battery when she sold it in 2016. Two factors are cold weather climate (heat shortens battery life) and the battery was under the back seat so no engine heat. Seems like all cars should move the battery there.

Sam's club's battery warrantees are much longer in Iowa than in Texas.

 

[Randy_R]

The original battery in my 2008 Saturn didn't make it a year. The Delco dealer replacement under warranty lasted nine. I had another Delco last nine years in a car I only drove in summer. I kept a Schamacher maintainer on it. Both were professional dealer batteries, not big box store Delco.

 

[jagdriver727]

In 2017, we had a 1983 Isuzu I-mark diesel in our shop which had been sitting in a shed since 1995. It had a DieHard/Sears battery with a 1993 date stamped on it. We put it on a charger for a straight week, while fixing other stuff on the car. Unhooked the charger, car started on the first roll. Load tested it, looked good.

A relative drove the car for several months with no issues. We sold the car with the same battery in it. 24 years. I would not be surprised if it is still in service.

 

[bullwinkle]

Originally Posted by getawheel
In 2017, we had a 1983 Isuzu I-mark diesel in our shop which had been sitting in a shed since 1995. It had a DieHard/Sears battery with a 1993 date stamped on it. We put it on a charger for a straight week, while fixing other stuff on the car. Unhooked the charger, car started on the first roll. Load tested it, looked good.

A relative drove the car for several months with no issues. We sold the car with the same battery in it. 24 years. I would not be surprised if it is still in service.

24 years in FL?? So much for the theory that heat is an automatic killer of a battery! It does seem important to keep electrolyte levels up, and hot/dry weather would make battery water evaporate faster, I always find at least one low cell when I look every 3 months or so.

 

[gregk24]

Ours seem to last 3 to 4 years.