Car batteries, how long does your last?

[Jerry1]

I don't recall if this was mentioned, but battery maintenance is an actual thing. Periodically checking cell water level is smart as well as making sure there isn't any corrosion on the battery posts. Petroleum jelly works well to keep corrosion at bay.

Wow, your battery must have lasted a long time. I haven’t seen a open battery in decades. Typical batteries sold today are sealed and cannot be checked for water level.

 

[SumDay]

We just got 4.5 years out of our 2014 GM SUV. It was cranking slower, and windows were dragging.

Our mechanic showed me it was swollen, which is due to heat. I'm in the midwest, and our garage gets hotter than Hades. We try to leave the garage door cracked until it gets dark, but when it's 98+ out, it's not going to do much to cool off the garage. Haven't figured out an economical way to keep the garage a little more temperate.

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

Wow, your battery must have lasted a long time. I haven’t seen a open battery in decades. Typical batteries sold today are sealed and cannot be checked for water level.

Good point. There are still batteries out there that need to be checked...these are still pretty common in the little airplane world and some golf cart/riding mowers.

 

[Lakewood90712]

These days if I get more than 4 years I consider it a bonus.

 

[travelover]

Wow, your battery must have lasted a long time. I haven’t seen a open battery in decades. Typical batteries sold today are sealed and cannot be checked for water level.

My 2017 Toyota came with battery caps. They snap off in a row unlike the old screw in caps of old.

 

[Idnar7]

I have often wondered why they carmakers can't have something that monitors battery. A couple winters ago we had both batteries die away from home that required towing. It would be nice to know a battery was aging so you could replace in advance. Right now I replace at 4 years, need it or not. Cheaper than tows.

 

[Cassius King]

That's the puzzling part, at least for me. I have a 2015 Accord with a push button start. Drove it on Sunday, no hesitation starting up. Drove to work Monday morning, no signs at all. Came out after work Monday and would click and go dark. Nothing was left on to drain it. AAA guy tested it and said bad cell.
This is the first push start car I've owned. In the past, when cranking the ignition with a key, you got better feedback. This one just stopped working, no notice.

 

[easysurfer]

As a precaution, I bring along one of those battery jump boxes (better safe than sorry) in case the battery decides to go out on me. The battery in my car still tests okay (I have an external tester that shows about 75% state of life).

But I got the car used about 5 years ago, and have never changed the battery.

 

[travelover]

I have often wondered why they carmakers can't have something that monitors battery. A couple winters ago we had both batteries die away from home that required towing. It would be nice to know a battery was aging so you could replace in advance. Right now I replace at 4 years, need it or not. Cheaper than tows.

You can plug a voltmeter in the "cigarette lighter" socket. A fully charged battery is about 12.9 volts. Dead is about 11.5 volts. https://www.amazon.com/INNOVA-3721-...olt+meter&qid=1570726978&s=automotive&sr=1-91

 

[dtbach]

When replacing the factory battery (which usually goes about 3 years) I always buy the best battery there is as it usually only about $30 more than the meduim priced. More cranking power is a must in Wisconsin winters. I tend to get about 5 years out of them.

 

[11522914]

I found that heat kills. A few posters above from AZ and FL confirm my experience. When I lived in FL, it was 2-3 years. Here in NC, 5+.

Extreme cold can put a stress during cranking which might shorten life. But the constant heat of the extreme south is murder.

+1. I too lived in Florida and experienced the reduction in battery life. I also live in NC now and they last 4 to 5 years but they always die on me in the dead of winter.

 

[kgtest]

I have often wondered why they carmakers can't have something that monitors battery. A couple winters ago we had both batteries die away from home that required towing. It would be nice to know a battery was aging so you could replace in advance. Right now I replace at 4 years, need it or not. Cheaper than tows.

My mechanic checks the battery and tests it for how many CCA and amperage remains. He warned me my Camry battery is close to end of life. The car is going on 7 years old so he is probably right. I didn't check the date of the cars battery but we bought it in 2014 so it's at least 5 years old. I plan to replace it as soon as we hit freezing temps.

 

[Walt34]

It would be nice to know a battery was aging so you could replace in advance.

Here in WV there's an annual inspection for cars so when it goes in for that I also ask them to do a load test on the battery and replace if needed. He runs an honest shop so I don't worry about being sold an unneeded battery. They last about four or five years here.

I do keep a tender on the pickup truck battery since it can go for two weeks at a time without being run. Last year he said the battery was low but the charging system was fine so that's when I started keeping the tender on it.

 

[harley]

I just had to replace a battery this past weekend in my 2004 Highlander. It was 6 years old. The car has got about 200K miles on it, and for the past couple of years I've been leaving it with DD while I'm in FL. She drives it occasionally through the winter, usually when it's snowy or rainy. It's a great car.

This is my 3rd battery, so that's about a 5 year average. I'm pretty rough on the car and the battery, and I've run it down a number of times. I'm pretty satisfied with how long they last.

My recent battery death was in the parking lot of a Ruby Tuesday, and while I was looking up the nearest auto parts store with my hood up, someone knocked on my window and held up some jumper cables. Pretty sweet. I was back on the road in less than 15 minutes after the failure. I told the guy at Autozone I didn't need a really long life battery. Both the car and I are on borrowed time.

 

[badatmath]

2 years since I moved to a hot climate. 5 years ish when I lived elsewhere.

 

[Z3Dreamer]

2 comments.

I tend to wait until they fail. Something about not wasting any life in the battery. OTOH, I have said that I would only keep my 2003 Subaru for 20 years. If I replaced my 5 year old battery now, while it still has some life left, I would/may never have to replace again.

On the Z3, it has an exhaust hose attached to it. Replacing the battery was not hard, getting parts that connected the existing exhaust hose to the new battery was not so easy. Anyone got an exhaust hose for their battery? And the battery is in the trunk.

 

[wolf]

I replace the DWs car batt every 4 years whether it needs it or not, hasn't failed prematurely yet. I replace mine when it dies or after about 6 years if it makes it. If I'm stranded it's a nuisance, if DW is stranded it's a catastrophe...

+1. In my case, I change mine and wife's car. Every 4 years. Just use Costco.
Good prices. The inconvenience of a no start, not worth it. Just to save
a few dollars.

 

[pb4uski]

The OEM battery in our Outback needed replacement after 3 years... the OEM battery in my truck is still going strong after 3+ years.

 

[Sunset]

When replacing the factory battery (which usually goes about 3 years) I always buy the best battery there is as it usually only about $30 more than the meduim priced. More cranking power is a must in Wisconsin winters. I tend to get about 5 years out of them.

I also measure the physical size of the battery compartment, and buy the biggest , largest cranking power battery that will fit into the vehicle.

Sometimes that is not the size recommended, but size matters

 

[ncbill]

3-4 years for the minivan...battery above the engine/transmission...heat rising?

Double the above for our sedans/SUVs.

All using Interstate batteries from our local independent mechanic's shop.

 

[Andre1969]

I have a 2012 Ram that's still on its original battery. I bought it at the end of the model year, so I've only had it 7 years. But considering it's now the 2020 model year, it could be 8 years by now. I don't know what my truck's build date was.

I have had batteries last as long as 7-8 years in other cars though.

I had a 2000 Intrepid, where I replaced its battery in 2005, around the 5.5 year mark. It was still running fine, but I was about to take it on a trip to Florida, and replaced it as a precautionary measure. Probably money thrown away, in retrospect, but, who knows?

 

[steelyman]

I’m driving a 2003 SUV (bought new) that’s on its 3rd battery including the original. That’s about 7 years per battery.

 

[Hillbilly]

I changed them at 5 years regardless.
Also, I now have a tester that I use every month or so to check the battery condition/health and go from that info too looking for "early" failure conditions.

 

[GrayHare]

Usually I can tell when the battery is nearing its end because the engine turns over more sluggishly than air temperature alone would explain. For me they last their rated period, usually 5 or 6 years.

 

[steelyman]

The first time I replaced the battery in my car, the signal was that the windows didn’t roll down all the way when using a “hard press”, that is, pushing the button all the way down.

It stumped the service people at the Honda dealer until one of them found some reference about the issue buried in their online resource. When the new battery was installed, the window behavior went back to normal.

There were no other signs like poor starting/turnover. Who knows?

[ADDED] I now have a little dongle primarily for Bluetooth but has the added benefit of showing voltage when first plugged in. There are no other like indicators on the car.