I have a '97 Prelude that is 9 1/2 years old now and is still running on the original battery. I heard of a '97 CRX today that is also on the original battery.
Are these now typical lifetimes?
I am more used to 2-4 year lifetimes for batteries.
Depends on the climate where you live. I never had a battery last more than
2 summers in Phoenix, but I haven't bought one in the 5 years I've been in Flagstaff.Mike
For the archives, about whereabouts do you live?
My first two or three 91 Civic batteries lasted about 4 to
4.5 years each, driven in northern U.S.But through carelessness I ran each battery down to "dead" several times. That's a big factor in battery life.
From rough memory here, seems 4 years is the least one should expect, assuming the battery isn't allowed to be run down very often.
IIRC we've seen folks post getting ten years or so once in awhile.
"George" wrote
"George" wrote in news:gjxzg.12924$ snipped-for-privacy@tornado.southeast.rr.com:
See my response to this identical post in rec.autos.makers.honda.
havea 97 civic that I just replaced the orig battery too! I think this was a rare thing. Your 2-4 year lifetime for a battery is my typical experience. But if you live in a mild climate you may have extended the batteries life.
I think you might be ready for the record books at 9.5 years. Of course operating conditions make a big difference. Perhaps you live in a very mild climate and/or always garage your car???
John
Hi George,
You are definitely above average at 9.5 years. In fact, one might say that you are on "borrowed time". When I thought I might have a charging problem the local Honda dealer did a battery and charging system check for free. I am not sure if they can tell how long your battery will last but if you have a low tolerence for break-downs you might want to have your battery tested. I have had batteries that I thought were fine die with very little warning. I believe many auto parts stores (if you trust them) will also load test your battery for free. Otherwise you might just want to go for the record! Good luck!
Mike
George wrote:
I live in Ohio and the bat for my 96 Civic 2dr EX was over 9 years old..I replaced it by choice not because it was dead.
Elle wrote:
We live in the Houston area, and have our Honda and Nissan service departments replace the OEM batteries in our '88 Accord and '95 Maxima every two years as a matter of owner-mandated 'routine' maintenance. What I lose on pro-rated battery replacement under warranty I recover by avoiding road (or, more usually, garage) service expenses. The optimum (minimum cost) replacement interval for both cars worked out to be two years.
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