Do you preemptively purchase a new battery at a specific time interval?

I have several friends that change batteries at either a 5 or 6 year intervals. They write the date it was purchased right on it, as a reminder.

In my case, 15 or so years ago, I bought an inexpensive battery tester (https://www.amazon.com/Schumacher-B...her+battery+load+tester&qid=1690354616&sr=8-6)
I check my batteries at every oil change, which depending on the car, is every 4 to 12 months. I can easily catch a weak battery well before it has left me stranded. I can maximize the useful life I get out of a battery this way and won't unnecessarily replace early. In the case of my 2007 Toyota Tundra, I got 12 years out of the factory battery before it started to test as "weak" and displaying low cold cranking amps on the tester.

In the case of my daily driven 2001 BMW 540, I twice caught the East Penn group 49 battery failing prematurely using my tester, before I had symptoms. First one just prior to the three year warranty expiring...the replacement only two years later. I am currently using an AC Delco AGM (made in Germany by Varta) that is 4.5 years old and still exceeds its 900 CCA rating on my tester.

My garage queens all have battery tenders on them, but still get checked annually.
 
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SC Maintenance said:
You can buy a battery tester for a few bucks. I got one on a prime deal years ago and it was a good buy. There not an exact science, but I have learned the hard way once the battery is under 60% health when fully charged its not long for the world.

The longest life battery I have been able to get here in the Southeast was maybe 4 years. Most don't last that long, the heat kills them.
Click to expand...
Same here - factory batteries about 5 years - more likely 4 years on the next. My co-worker only got 4 years from the odd set in his Wrangler JL - past 3 years I’m watching mine - never settles in on the exact voltage each time I drive it - between 13.7-14.1 once it charges back up from starting …
Now is not great weather to fight that horrible arrangement from Jeep …
 
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Nope. Only when there are indications of impending failure or when it stops working.

I just replaced the battery in my 528i this past week - after 11 years. I attribute the longevity to the periodic use of a Battery Minder.

This is a car that gets light use, often sits for a week without starting. The original battery was still in it when I bought the car and it failed at about 5 years. It was replaced with an Interstate that barely lasted 3 years. Then a Duralast went in, which lasted only about 3 years. Because it was still under warranty it was replaced with another Duralast. Shortly thereafter I began using the charger/maintainer/desulfator and it made it 11 years. I also have an infrequently used Outback in which the battery was replaced last year after 9 years (previous owner installed the battery a year before I bought the car). I also put the lawnmower battery on the minder for a week or two during the winter - it's still working after 6 years, which is longer than my batteries usually lasted on OPE.
 
When the performance starts to degrade.

The battery in my S class, for example, is in the trunk. Same with the Volvos. A good battery (and that car needs a good battery) can last a decade or more when not exposed to extreme heat under the hood. The OEM battery on the 2002 Volvos started to degrade when they were 12 years old.

The OEM Toyota battery on my Tundra died at five years. A disappointing life, but it sits under the hood.
 
Every 3 years with the cheapest Walmart battery that fits my car. I do it in September to reduce the chance of having to change it out on the coldest winter day of the year in some parking lot.
 
No pre-emptive battery replacements. I do them when battery performance has clearly degraded or there is signs of trouble. I sleep well with a set of jumper cables in my vehicles.

Most vehicles I get about 5+ years out of the batteries. I had one explorer than I never got past three....
 
In the old days, it was nothing for me to get 7-10 years out of a battery.
My personal best was 11 in an old Mercury I had.
However, with newer vehicles and all the electronics contained within, I don't really see how that is possible.
First time I sense an issue, the old one is gone.
 
For probably the last 20 years I have been in the habit of preemptively replacing auto batteries at the 4 year mark. I have learned that when modern batteries fail, they do so without notice. Not like in years past when you would notice your car was cranking over slowly and that was the sign to get a new battery asap. I also am very skeptical that any battery with a 60 month warranty is really any better than one with a 48 month warranty. I think the extra money is just to cover the pro rated refund when they fail at 48 months anyway.
 
My experience with batteries is to change them when I first notice them struggle to start the vehicle, usually after 4-6 years. When the weather starts turning cold in the fall, I'll take note on the first really cold morning (usually in October or November) if the engine turns over slower and sounds like it is struggling. If so, I'll plan to replace it in the next few weeks, at my convenience. I'm done trying to get the last dollar of service out of a battery at the risk of being stranded in the cold.

My boat is a different story. I've found that I can get 10 years out of a starter battery because the battery is rather large for the small outboard engine I have. The issue is that after 5 years, the battery has a severely reduced capacity that really isn't noticed during routine starts. In other words, it will start the engine fine, but it will drain down quickly if I leave the radio or fish finder on for a long time. It's a known and manageable risk I'm willing to take.
 
It may not be at all obvious when the 12V battery of a hybrid becomes too weak to power up the car since it plays no role in starting the gas engine.
In the case of my HAH, I got a cascade of failure warnings on the dash involving the ABS, the EPB and the service brakes.
The EPS would not power up nor would the HVAC or the radio. The car would not power up to operate on the hybrid battery pack.
In hindsight, I should have connected the dots and added in the May 2018 build date of the car and figured out that it was the 12V battery that was causing all of the nonsense including the inability of the car to power up to even EV driving mode.
Had I known then what I do now, I would have simply connected the 12V battery to the Subaru, powered the car up and driven to any nearby place that had the appropriate 12V battery.
Having no idea what was going on I had the car flatbedded to the dealer and their tech quickly figured out the problem, probably having seen it before.
After all of the above, my recent experience with batteries, including with the Subaru, is that five years is about what you can expect out of a battery.
 
No because I have so little confidence in the new battery. Been stranded when the new battery was completely open with no warning. It is very hard to jump start in this case as the existing battery is electrically unable to provide additional current. Running the vehicle without a functional battery to absorb transients can cause vehicle damage. When I see a reduction in starting ability I get a new one. And make sure the jump start pack is charged or jumper cables are present. Ever go to get out your jumper cables and discover the cheap Chinese insulation spit and fell off? Ever use jumper cables with bare wire. Floor mats and careful separation.



Rod
 
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