When should I replace my battery if I want to do so before it fails and won't start the car?
The car is an 04 Impreza 2.5 TS automatic, purchased new in March 04. I live in southern New Hampshire and do not have a garage, thus the car is kept outside at night. It currently has approx 80,000 miles.
I know I'll get a variety of opinions, but perhaps I can draw a general consensus out of them.
Thanks for your help.
Buy a good set of jumper cables and learn the simple steps to using them safely.
Once the battery is over 3 years old, start paying attention. THen, the first time you hear the battery struggle on a cold day to start your car, head to the store.
My 2001 is still on its original battery. I'm in Chicago and my car is generally garaged, FWIW. I'm thinking I'm due to get one here soon.
Best Regards,
-- Todd H.
2001 Legacy Outback Wagon, 2.5L H-4 Chicago, Illinois USA
If it aint broke why fix it !
However having said that it would be prudent to carry 'round a set of jumper cables as one day in the next 5..6..7...8 years one of the cells is going to collapse and leave you stranded.
4 years seems to be the tipping point that a lot of people/mechanics look at for battery age. With the 80k miles you have on the battery in the car you're driving now, I am guessing you are doing a lot of highway mileage, which means you're recharging that battery often. I'm sure you've got a couple more years out of your current battery, but start watching how the car starts this winter, its third.
I replaced my car's OEM battery at about 4.5 years in its life, not because it was failing, but because in December in western New York, I noticed the car wasn't firing up as vigorously as it should, and at that time I was making a biweekly commute 140 miles round trip, returning home late at night, often as late as 11 pm. So, since I had the car in for other work that month, I went ahead and changed out the battery, feeling that the $95 expense was cheap insurance (and I didn't want to get stranded in the parking lot of the University at Buffalo at 10 pm). That battery (an Interstate) is still running great almost 4 years later, but the car is firing up just fine, so I'll see how it goes. Besides, I'm not doing that long commute, so if I get stranded somewhere, I'll be in my home town. I anticipate replacing the battery next year, definitely by the next presidential election.
Just a product plug but when you do decide to replace, Optima batteries are well worth the few extra dollars. I currently have 2 in a diesel tractor and all 3 Subarus have them. Won't consider another brand.
My OEM battery on a '97 Legacy was good for 4 years. My Sears Die Hard Gold replacement just passed its 6th birthday. Keeping the jumpers handy is a good idea.
When you try to get the last 10% out of a battery you are putting your charging system to allot of extra work. I believe it's better to just change at the very first sign of sluggeness. Alternators are much more expensive that batteries. My Forester original was changed at 4 + years when it first showed some sign of aging.
2000 OBW Ltd. - purchased in july 1999, currently @ 128 K miles, still on orig. battery ( johnson controls ) and running /starting strong kd
I'm on year 4 of an el-chepo Wal-Mart 2 year battery. And I keep the jumpers handy. Truck is starting to crank a bit slugishly in the morning, I think my truck is going to get a new battery for christmas - before it strands me somewhere :(
I like to think that a battery is worth 5 years minus a year for every time it got drained down to zero. That reminds me of how damaging it is to leave the lights on...
YMMV depending on the brand and quality of the battery. My mechanic-shop owner-friend swears by Interstate.
Not in the south or south west. I'v only ever had a batt. last 5 years once. Average is about 2.5 - 3.
Carl
I've already mentioned that I have 4 years on my Interstate battery in my Audi A4 (not sure what we have in the Subaru; I should go look!), and the thing is still cranking just fine, giving me confidence that we'll get through at least one more winter with it. I've never drained down this battery.
Why would a hot climate be harder on a battery than a cold one? I find this to be counter-intuitive to my experience living in western New York, where starting engines in sub-20F temps can be quite a workout for batteries.
Don't be like me because I am a bad car parent, but I replaced what I am almost certain to be the orginal battery in my 6 year old car this year after I left one of the interior lights on for about a week and the battery wouldn't even take a jump. What makes me think this was the original battery is that I have never seen a Johnson Controls battery for sale anywhere.
This may be a shot in the dark because I'm not a chemist and not really scientifically inclined, my guess is that the heat more greatly contributes to chemical changes in the compounds that make up a battery than the cold would and that the cold just makes stuff not want to start, but doesn't irreversibly alter the fundamental make up of the battery.
Yep, I've yet to have a battery last more than 4 years. 2-3 years is pretty typical. Where I live in AZ we see 110+'s in the summer and 10's in the winter...
FWIW: Before you replace it, check the electrolyte levels: my OEM WRX battery needed to be topped off every other month.
Brent.
You're both right. :-) Temperature extremes in either direction are hard on batteries.
It's harder to produce current at low temps due to the themochemical dynamics and how cold slows reaction rates. So age related degredation tends to show itself in the cold and cause batteries to fail to start the car at -30F when they might perform just fine at
+30F.On the other end, heat, while friendly to the chemical processes that get current flowing during starting, kills batteries prematurely because of accellerated rate of reaction also hastens deterioration of metal parts inside the battery and consumption of the ions that make the reactions happen. I believe gassing and water loss are also issues in hot climates.
Best Regards,
-- Todd H.
2001 Legacy Outback Wagon, 2.5L H-4 Chicago, Illinois USA
Carl
Nice!
-- Todd H.
2001 Legacy Outback Wagon, 2.5L H-4 Chicago, Illinois USA
There are only a handful of companies in the country that makes automotive batteries and Johnson Controls is one of the largest. They have a factory close to me and almost every battery you find for sale around here you will find somewhere on the battery a statement that is was made by Johnson Controls (made by Johnson Controls for xxx). It is very possible and likely that for any specific national brand, it could be made by a different Co in different locations around the country. It's not very cost affective to transport lead vary far.
Check out the Johnson Control web site as there used to be a list of all the companies they made batteries for. You might be surprised.
Mickey
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