What I see as preventive maintenance, you see as throwing money away
We simply have different approaches
you know you’re right, and I’m wrong
I know I’m right, and you’re wrong
:naughty:
@TwinTurbo–
Suffice it to say that we don’t agree on this issue, and…c’est la vie.
Please note that I did not resort to the use of pejoratives, as you did.
@TwinTurbo
@db4690.
Buying a $90 battery every 4.5 years. In this day and age, $90 gets you a cheap battery that is less dependable after three then a higher quality. I would replace it after four years too.
I have no problem when shop owners advise customers on the risks of not proactively replacing their batteries.
But in a forum like this, many base their battery replacement time-frames on experience and/or valid data. It’s OK to share your style, but trying to convince others they’re wrong is crossing the line.
I understand all the risks, yet I only replace my batteries when they die. It’s always worked out fine.
I tend to keep my vehicles a long time. I’ve yet to replace a battery more then once. When the OEM battery goes…I buy what-ever DieHard that’s on sale. They always have one on sale. And that battery usually lasts me til I sell/give away the vehicle…usually well past 300k miles.
I don’t replace until the battery is showing signs of trouble. In cold weather you can tell when a battery is getting old. Still have the OEM battery on wife’s 07 Lexus. Didn’t show any signs of problems this past winter… and we had the coldest Feb EVER in NH.
If I am going away for more than a weekend, I shut off the water and the hot water tank and if more than a week,pour RV antifreeze in the drains to prevent sewer gas from entering the house.
I typically use them until they die, but then I usually drive MT vehicles, and live in a hilly area. Unlikely a battery goes SO dead that it can’t allow a bump-start.
Besides, how big of a deal is asking for a jump? Not much more of one than asking for a spot at the gym. Carry cables and don’t worry. Most “big box” stores have maintenance to help you out.
There are some bad areas, where I would not ask a stranger for a jump start
That’s where the auto club comes in, I suppose
My batteries last the warranty period + 1 month. :neutral:
The Record in the family is for the OEM battery in the 1988 Plymouth Grand Voyager which lasted about 10yrs, close behind was the 72month exide battery purchased for mom’s Mazda that made it 26mo past the warranty. We got 7-8yrs out of a battery with most of our cars but about a month after the Honda dealer advised dad to get a new battery for the CRV he had to send mom out to where he was with the jump pack and after getting it started went down the road to Costco for a new battery. The CRV’s original batter lasted 6yrs.
I logged into this site just to post this. I have a small compact tractor and the Sear Die Hard battery is 16 years old. The original Massey Ferguson battery lasted 13 years. The battery is a sealed maintenance free type.
Hawk
Since this thread has been resurrected…last week we replaced an original battery in a 2002 Ranger. 15 years, that’s definitely the oldest battery I’ve seen in a working car. Well, maybe not completely working. The truck was towed in. Sure the battery may have lasted 15 years, but perhaps the alternator might not have failed and maybe the wiring would not have melted from working overtime to keep that terminal battery halfway charged.
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It’s very simple. I have my battery fully tested before each winter. When it shows signs of losing significant CCA’s I replace it. I don’t want to get stuck somewhere in a snow storm in our cold, snowy winters.
One thing I learned is that nursing an old, dying battery to the end puts a TON of stress on the alternator as it continues to try and charge a battery that won’t take a full charge. I burned up three alternators in a 1983 Tercel trying to nurse a 7 year old battery a little longer. As soon as I changed the battery I stopped replacing alternators.
My neighbor drives a $45,000 Acura bought new that is now 11 years old,. I boosted her battery a while back and suggested she needed a new one as she works in health care and needs a very reliable vehicle.
She simply won’t spring the $100 or so for a new battery until she’s stuck somewhere and has no choice. We currently have a -20F cold snap and her garage is not heated.
The AAA here has a battery service as well, since they often encounter drivers whose batteries are beyond help/.
I’ll elaborate on my post about battery failure in AZ.
Wife and I went on a 3800 mile road trip summer of 2001.
Visited a friend in Tuscon.
We went out in the desert in his pickup to look at some property he bought to build a house on.
After walking around for 30 min or so we got back in the truck and the battery was nearly dead.
Dash lit but not enough to light the headlights.
Had a manual trans and tried to bump start: nothing doing.
Nearest house or major road was several miles away, AZ in August = sunny and HOT, we brought no water = DUMB.
Luckily after about 30 minutes a nice young lady drove by, went to her house and came back with cables and water to save us.
We drove back into town, pulled into his driveway; and when he turned the AC off the engine died.
Went in my car to get a fresh battery.
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What tends to amaze me sometimes is a situation where somebody plans to keep his car for–let’s say–8, or 9, or 10 years, and then tries to wring every last bit of life out of the battery. On more than one occasion, I have seen people replace their battery only a few months before selling or trading-in the car, thus giving the next owner the security/assurance/comfort of a nearly-new battery.
After learning the hard way about alternator damage, I replace my battery ~every 5 years at this point, thus giving me the maximum benefit from the money that I spent on the battery, rather than passing that benefit mostly to the next person who owns the car.
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Longest I have seen was in a company truck- 2000 Ford Ranger. The original battery went just short of 6 years. Never seen anything that close out here in the desert of AZ
@db4690- This helps validate your earlier theory of factory batteries being better quality. 
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I’m amazed at the number of respondents who have experienced battery life of eight years and more. Congratulations. My own experience is more modest. I once had a Sears battery last seven years. It wasn’t even a Diehard. It was a Sears 36; three year warranty. The current average battery life among my three cars is 44 months. Once I preemptively replaced a battery after four years. The replacement lasted only 31 months. Go figure. Recently I had to replace the four year old battery on my Lexus. It was an Interstate battery. It lasted one week, bad cell. Of course Interstate replaced it for free. I’m sure all manufacturers suffer a small percent of early failures. This one failure won’t stop me from buying Interstate in the future.
This month my Toyota Corolla is 12 years old and still on its original battery. The car is parked in an insulated garage where only during the coldest weather does the temperature drop below freezing.
Tested the battery yesterday and it still holds full load and reads over 14 volts at the terminals.
I’ll replace it next fall before the winter weather sets in.
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It depends a lot on where you live. Heat is the killer of batteries. I live in the North east…and my average is 7-10 years.