battery life

Are you having problems with it?? If not, leave it be until you notice an issue.

------------------------------------ Mike Mangione

This is not the best practice. A battery can up and quite without warning, leaving you stranded.

You should be able to get 5 years from a good battery depending on the climate in your area. Replace it at five to be safe, or replace it when the warranty expires. I replace mine at five, but my current car (1995) that I purchased in 2002 had the original battery. Since just purchasing it, I didn't think much of the battery, until two weeks later the battery went and left me stranded on the side of the highway.

Steve

Barely started this afternoon. Drove the car about five miles and now it will not crank, like low battery. The green light shows inside the battery.I have it on a trikle charger now. what should a multimeter read if it needs to be replaced? ernie

Batteries in Texas last 3-5 years. The heat destroys them.

My 1997 Cavalier is on its original battery. Still starts OK at -20C

My 2000 Chev Venture is also on its original battery.

My experience has always been about 8 years on the original battery, 3 to 4 years per replacement battery after that. I find it hard to believe that manufacturers are installing higher quality batteries in the cars. Perhaps it has to do with newer engine versus older engine.

Only a fool would tinker with a battery given the facts you present. Does lightening need to strike you before you figure out your battery is DEAD? Get a battery and use that multimeter to verify that your charging system is putting out about 14V with the accessories turned on. Driving with a low battery does more than cost you for a tow or the inconvenience. It causes severe wear and tear on your alternator at a minimum.

Small cars with small engines are easier on batteries and myself I have seen no more batteries life with OEM batteries than with WalMart batteries. If I get 4 years out of one I am very happy and at 5 years I replace them regardless of function

I don't know about everyone else, but I don't like to "notice an issue" when it's 20 below zero and I'm in some parking lot somewhere. Problems or not, if it's 5 years old or more and winter is on or coming soon, the battery gets replaced with a fresh one.

Thanks for the positive responses. I changed the battery OEM. Four and a half years was a little less than I expected from GM, but I don't like being stranded ernie

Not distance, time. I average about 5 yrs, if the battery hasn't been damaged by a deep discharge due to lights left on. A few times I've had shorter life on a battery that had no charge when I bought the car. Many batteries are damaged when new due to cars sitting around.

If it shows signs of low low cranking speed watch out. Then usually a check of the cells shows at least one bad.

I usually replace with a CTC battery of the largest size I can install in the mount.

Get used to it..

I replace them on a 4-5 year schedule with what ever is on sale (cheap). I haven't been left stranded for battery reasons for at least 25 years since I started treating them as a scheduled maintenance replacement item. For not much more than a couple of oil changes, it's worth the peace of mind.

I might as well chime in too. I got a 100 month warranty Sears Rangehandler in the Bonneville. 1000 Cranking Amps / 900 Cold Cranking Amps. On sale for $89.00

Get the biggest & the best.

Harryface

Heat, vibration, and overall lower quality (in my opinion) than batteries of years past. I think you are fortunate to get 5 years out of a battery here.

OE Lead Calcium: 46 to 49 months average life. Personal observation working for a battery specialist upwards 8 to 10 years.

Aftermarket Hybrid Lead Calcium / Antimony: 36 to 39 months.

Batteries do fail at a higher rate in hot weather.

Take it to an autozone or checkers and have them test it. They do a load test and will be able to tell you. This is the only reliable way. Voltage doesn't say much about the condition. It can say 12 volts and drop as soon as it gets a load on it. I usually notice it when it gets bad. It COULD also be the terminals getting corroded. I'd check that first. Have some jumper cables with you just in case. When you jump it, do NOT disconnect the battery.

You have it right on. My OEM lasted 5 years. The aftermarket only 2. This is in Arizona so the heat reduces the life quite a bit.

Are there any aftermarket batteries that are OEM equivalent and yield that service life?