My old car battery died, and I bought new one. I looked for production date, and I found two rows of numbers between posts:
Old battery - BOSCH S3 45Ah, bought January 2010:
C0C9893010860
59?796C0C3082320768
536196
The shelf life of a lead acid is pretty good - especially if stored dry charged.
You've been unlucky - the Bosch on my car lasted 11 years.
The Citroen-branded one on 'erselfs 2cv has a "If not fitted before... then recharge before use" sticker on it. Which says March 2002. It's sat on the car unused for six months ever winter, and missed a couple of summers, too. I think I got it fitted to another car (definitely never bought a battery from a dealer!), and it may even have sat on a concrete garage floor for a while unused, too.
I'm astonished at how well it's lasting.
MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.