After 7 years on any battery you’re living on borrowed time. It’s easier to replace at regular intervals. Like a Transmission fluid or differential change. Just needs to happen.
9 years out of a battery
- Thread starter KevinMalone
- Start date
How is the rat doing?
f355spider
$50 Site Donor 2025
Worth investing $25 on an Ancel BA101 off Amazon and simply check the condition of your battery periodically. I got almost 15 years out of the battery in my Tundra...I just checked it every time I changed the oil and during a check it was showing some weakness...would never have known without the tester.
I was changing the oil on a friends car last month and their battery was showing decline on the Ancel tester, but they said they had not noticed any issues. I replaced it for them, and surprise, it was the original battery, just over 9 years old. They probably could have got another 6 months or more out of it, but not worth the risk.
I have 6 years on one BMW and 7 years on another. Both cars batteries test fine (exceeding their CCA rating) so no need to replace them. If or when they start showing decline, then I will dump them for new.
My 2012 xB sat for about three weeks because it was walled in by an ice mound and the battery had lost enough of a charge it wouldn’t start. It’s a Duralast Gold dated 9-21. I’m going to run a couple of reconditioning cycles and see what happens.
I’m in the “use a charger” camp for sure. Even if you only hook it up every few weeks it’ll help. I’ve been using mine, if not daily, at least a few times a week. Prior to replacing all my batteries back in December, I only did it a few times a year. I still had functional batteries 4 yrs later.
I only replaced them out of fear. I do have the ancel tester, but that didn’t help me when a brand new battery went from 97% state of health to completely shot at the airport.
I only replaced them out of fear. I do have the ancel tester, but that didn’t help me when a brand new battery went from 97% state of health to completely shot at the airport.
Patman
Staff member
What if someone is always doing very long drives? Wouldn’t that fully charge up the battery quite often and negate the need for periodic charging?
I have a battery tender for my 2018 Corvette (it was a factory option actually) and I use it during the cold months during times when I know I won’t be driving it for at least a week. But once I start driving it on a regular basis again I don’t use it because I take it on very long drives (150+ miles) on a regular basis. It’s still on it’s original battery.
I have never hooked up a battery tender to my Civic, as mentioned earlier it is still on the original battery (now 9 years old and with 165,000 miles on it) That car also sees a lot of very long highway drives.
f355spider
$50 Site Donor 2025
It can also be for "maintenance".
One advantage to using a battery tender regularly is if it has an automatic, continuous desulfation during the float mode. Battery Minder, Granite Digital "Save a Battery" and some other brands have this feature (sends a pulse during float), and can help reduce or prevent sulfation, which is claimed to be a big reason for battery decline and eventual failure. Most of the ones with the continuous desulfation during float do mention it can take a few weeks of regular daily use to see an improvement.
Not on my Nissans. I charged my battery before a trip to Lexington from northern Ohio where I spent a week for work. After my 300 mile drive home, the agm was registering 63% charged. These new smart charge systems just don’t keep a battery charged. I use my scanguage to track the alternator and it’s downright pathetic. It’ll kick out 14.5 for the 1st 20 miles then throttles back to 12.9 to 13.2 and lives there. Essentially making sure you can start your car, but never topping off the battery, or even keeping up with the electronics. Precisely why when my 21 needed a new battery I just went with a flooded. That same trip would have yielded better charging of the battery. Even my tech (who I trust) went with a traditional battery.
9 years is excellent for those tiny little batteries Honda puts in their cars
Patman
Staff member
It’s only 550cca as well so I’m amazed that it starts so easily even on the multiple days we’ve had here at -10C and colder
Just had to swap the battery on my BMW F750 GS, it was getting to the point where it would drop voltage quite a lot of I started it, moved slightly, switched off, and then started again (Do sometimes when moving it)
It was about 5 years old, which seems about standard
It was about 5 years old, which seems about standard
2007 Ford Focus, 237,143 miles. My NAPA battery just gave out after 9 years and 2 months. Original Motorcraft lasted almost 9 years and still had good voltages and cranking amps, but was sulfating the terminals. Car has original alternator!
Not too bad, 2 batteries in 19 years and 237,143 miles.
Not too bad, 2 batteries in 19 years and 237,143 miles.
