Having more and more back luck with lead acid batteries?

[SupremePossum]

Is it just me, or are lead acid batteries really going down hill?

I used to get 5-6 years out of a battery, now I'm lucky to get 3. Even SLA batteries in UPS's are getting trash, used to get at least 4-5 years, now I just got 1 year out of a set of 8!

 

[Chris142]

The current crop of batteries are junk

 

[totegoat]

OE battery in my Jeep lasted 6 years.

 

[Warstud]

Is it just me, or are lead acid batteries really going down hill?

Has your driving routine changed over the years ?

 

[joekingcorvette]

I have been changing over to AGM batteries.

 

[SupremePossum]

Has your driving routine changed over the years ?

They have not, and UPS's of course just sit there all the time

Even Interstate AGM's from Costco have only been lasting 3 years!

 

[M1Accord]

My Duralast Gold 151R, which is a tad bigger than small riding mower battery, lasted 7 years and still starts up just fine. I just replaced it yesterday with a 51R but keeps the old 151R and put it on solar trickle charge for the next week or so. I’ll rig up some battery box to carry it in the car while learning how to run dual battery.

As it is in the trunk of the Fir, I can technically jump another car from the trunk to avoid having to connect it to my main battery and car electronics.

 

[zzyzzx]

I personally haven't noticed any issues lately. Having written that, my current vintage early 2018 battery is now 6 years old and there might issues with stuff made during a recent time period that we don't talk about here.

 

[BLND1]

They seem to be lasting the usual 3-5 years for me.

 

[ripcord]

Possibly partially due to more recycled content in batteries these days? No idea, just a guess.

 

[Chris142]

I personally haven't noticed any issues lately. Having written that, my current vintage early 2018 battery is now 6 years old and there might issues with stuff made during a recent time period that we don't talk about here.

You will if you buy a battery today

 

[dubber09]

Dunno about US but Costco Canada gives 4 years free replacement warranty on regular batteries with 84 months total warranty, prorated after 4 years.

 

[ripcord]

Dunno about US but Costco Canada gives 4 years free replacement warranty on regular batteries with 84 months total warranty, prorated after 4 years.

That has changed here in the states. Now it's a 3 year pro-rated warranty.

 

[dubber09]

Actually 100 mos prorated:
https://tires.costco.ca/Batteries/P...ive-Battery&BatteryType=Automotive&lang=en-ca

I doubt the batteries are very different, prolly come from same production line, dunno why such a difference in warranty.

 

[benjy]

time will tell as i just replaced an 8 YO Napa + a 10 YO interstate with East Penn units from Wallys. you MUST keep a battery well charged as we drive less + everyone gets lots of "JUNK" that drains power, not to mention battery power regulating in the newest vehicles that LIMITS charging!!

 

[bonjo]

I was told at a battery shop that nowadays, recycled lead is used in manufacturing and they have lower purity and perform less well

Maybe the reason if true?

 

[barryh]

The Varta OEM battery in my car lasted 12 years and I'm 10 years in on my motorcycle battery which is a cheap generic AGM/Gel hybrid.

One thing that has definitely changed in the last 15 years is the advent of smart alternators which are now designed specifically to not fully charge the battery on environmental/fuel economy grounds. I get around that by giving the car battery a weekly charge for an hour or two.

Traditionally it's always been said that lead Acid batteries (and by that I also mean AGM's and every other variant because they are all lead acid) need to be kept 100% fully charged for maximum life. What I don't know is if car battery chemistry has been modified to be a better match with the undercharging that smart alternators produce or even if such a thing is possible. If it's not then that would go some way to explaining the present experience of shorter battery life particularly for those who do mostly short journeys.

 

[Cruisin'n5thgear]

The battery in our '22 GMC Yukon XL died this spring at about 24 months. Must have been a bad cell because it dropped to around 10 volts fairly quickly. Fortunately was a warranty replacement.

With the active battery management, wouldn't surprise me if it shortens battery life. Routinely drops voltage during driving ... perhaps periodic desulfation with the Noco smart charger would help.

 

[SHOZ]

I was told at a battery shop that nowadays, recycled lead is used in manufacturing and they have lower purity and perform less well

Maybe the reason if true?

+90% of a lead acid battery is recycled. Been that way for decades.

 

[f355spider]

I have been changing over to AGM batteries.

Same here