I haven’t replaced the original battery yet – how do I know when it is time to do this? the car has been running fine, except for one electric window that recently stopped working.
If going to colder temperatures – 20s to 30s – does one need to get a new battery, when it is getting older to be sure one’s car will start?
I would take it to an auto parts store that test batterys for free and have them put a load test on it after it is fully charged. That should tell if it’s weak or not. 7 years is pretty goog life out of a battery. If your that worried about it I would just replace it.
One cannot predict when a battery will no longer be able to do its job. One cold morning you will try to start your car and hear that dismaying weak r-r-rr r-r-rr sound. Then you know you should have replaced the battery last week.
That method of determining battery replacement works fine for me. I’d simply take one of my other cars to work and come home with a new battery. If you don’t have such an option, try the load test suggested by Skypilot above. It’s not a sure thing but you may get a clue.
A load test is an excellent idea, and you can have this test done at Sears for a lot less money than a dealership or most garages would charge you. Above all, I would avoid allowing the battery to get to the dead or almost dead stage, as that is an excellent way to kill your alternator, and that would be a very good example of being penny-wise and dollar-foolish. (Imagine trying to get a few extra months out of a $60. battery and winding up with a $400. alternator job in exchange.)
Get that battery tested a.s.a.p., as it is probably living on borrowed time.
A load test will give you a good idea. I would suggest replacing it at the first sign of a problem rather than waiting for it to fail. It is old enough that the likelyhood of failing is moderately high and going up fast. If you plan to hold onto it for say five more years, I would likely just replace the batter as it is not likely to last another five years and a new one likely will. That could save you being stranded.
My personal experience this year the original battery in my 2002 VW started to feel a little weak at late summer early fall, so I replaced it. I did not want to get stuck somewhere.
you MAY get another year out of the battery. BUT, is it worth it, to possibly be stranded out in timbuck too with a dead battery, some dark and stormy night?
i have had really good luck with the sears diehard battery. get the middle of the road battery. they are as good as the really expensive ones. (you aren’t starting a mack truck with it, just a honda!)
My oem battery(Delco made is USA) on my 95 Civic lasted 8 years/190,000 miles. It did get a little slow in the cold. I could care less about the car however it really was not smart if I was going to keep it.
I believe it damaged or weakened the alternator as just after I noticed the batter(alternator) light would flicker on occasion. I never addressed it just motored on till 225k and then sold it to an odd buyer who did not want to have the vehicle checked out by mechanic at my suggestion.
You are way overdue for a new battery. It’s not worth the aggravation to have it fail unexpectedly and get stuck. (unless it fails in an auto store parking lot.) Buy a new one ASAP.
I agree with the others, it’s probably about due. I would probably just replace it to avoid the potential hassle of having it go dead some cold morning. If you don’t want to replace it, at least have it tested.
Another question you might ask yourself is how long am I going to keep the car? If you have no plan then I have no further advice. If, on the other hand, you plan on keeping the car for another 3-5 years, replace the battery now because the one you have in there will not last that long. If you plan to try and get another year out of it, I would just drive if it tests O.K. Keeping it another 10 years, like me? Well, get it tested.
BTW, does this battery have cells that are opened and refilled with water or is it sealed? If the former you can tell a lot by checking the specific gravity of each cell with a hydrometer.
Agree 7 years is about the limit for a Japanese OEM battery. The odds of it failing before the end of winter are very high, so I would PROACTIVELY replace it.