battery life question

atkinsonair said:
For me personally, if its got 5 years on it or more i will replace it. Even if its still good.
Click to expand...
Interesting.
Any reason for that time frame?
I replaced the original Delco in the Astro Van I owned a few years back after 12 years just for the peace of mind. It didn't owe me anything and probably wasn't going to last forever. :)
Five years would seem like a realistic expectation.

I'm no authority, but I have heard that only about 5 companies actually manufacture batteries.
 
I feel like the cost of a battery is miniscule spread out over 5 years, they will and do last longer than that. But i just want that peace of mind. I know Johnson controls makes Interstate batteries,they made the sears die-hard for awhile also.
 
Welcome to the site from Sonoma County CA

I'm with the 5 years change, however you can have a load test run for free in most shops. This will give you a good idea of your batteries health.

Lastly that is an interesting first post for a detail site, your not spamming the site with that link are you?:huh:
 
It has a great deal to do with where you live. In my neck of the woods three years is about the best you can expect due to the heat.
 
For some reason factory brand batteries seem to last longer than aftermarket brands. I agree with the others that itn should be replaced at five years though. Pick up some permatex battery sealer for the terminals at your local parts store.
 
9D4E420 said:
For some reason factory brand batteries seem to last longer than aftermarket brands. I agree with the others that itn should be replaced at five years though. Pick up some permatex battery sealer for the terminals at your local parts store.
Click to expand...


I have found exactly the opposite as far as factory vs aftermarket.
 
This thread got me thinking about the battery in my Explorer it looks good starts right up every time.
I just checked my warranty and I bought this battery at Auto zone for $49.00 8 years ago.
It had a 7 year warranty so I think before winter gets here I will replace it i feel like while it still is good it has served it's time.
 
Battery seems to very. My Dakota has a battery from Walmart at least to 8 years ago and it still works. On our daily drivers, I usually never get more than 5 years or so.
 
I recently had a Suburban with a 9 year old battery in it and it tested "good" at AutoZone whereas the 1 year old battery in my Torino tested "marginal".

The Suburban is sold, but I never had a problem with it.

The Torino is sitting out here and it starts up just fine after sitting for up to 6 weeks at a time. Marginal? If that's marginal, I'll be happy with adequate, mediocre, and milquetoast as well.
 
Having worked for a retailer that sold a lot of batteries I offer a thought. Sears maker of the Die Hard had a philosophy. Most of the product they sold would come back for warranty within one year of the warranty being totally exhausted. You know, pay for the use you get out of the battery. They figured the prorated cost into getting the customer back into the store. If you had a five year warrantied battery you would be coming back after about 4 years to collect on the remaining warranty. If you had an 8 year warrantied battery you would likely becoming back after 7 years or so. Of course there were many customers that got 10 years out of a 5 year battery but by and large they had a pretty good idea how long the average battery would last. Most new cars needed the battery replaced somewhere between 3 and 5 years.
 
GearHead_1 said:
Having worked for a retailer that sold a lot of batteries I offer a thought. Sears maker of the Die Hard had a philosophy. Most of the product they sold would come back for warranty within one year of the warranty being totally exhausted. You know, pay for the use you get out of the battery. They figured the prorated cost into getting the customer back into the store. If you had a five year warrantied battery you would be coming back after about 4 years to collect on the remaining warranty. If you had an 8 year warrantied battery you would likely becoming back after 7 years or so. Of course there were many customers that got 10 years out of a 5 year battery but by and large they had a pretty good idea how long the average battery would last. Most new cars needed the battery replaced somewhere between 3 and 5 years.
Click to expand...

And this is absolutely why you can see batteries these days with six to eight years of warranty. The battery will last four to seven years. They miscalculated on the one I had, but I do things people don't normally do to batteries.

I wipe them off.

I CHECK the fluid level.

I grease the terminals and posts.

I actually USE the stupid green and red washers.

I put the rubber covers in place. Even on my Torino where it never had red or black covers on the cables, I "borrowed" some from a couple junkyard Nissans and put them in there.

I disconnect BOTH the cables if I'm not going to use the vehicle for more than a week.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top