Preemptively Replace Battery...OR not?

[f355spider]

The original battery in my 2017 Titan still tests good but in February I bought a $179 Walmart AGM prior to a fishing trip to Florida. I didn’t install it, just put it in the passenger floor along with some tools and took it with me. Of course, since I had a spare the original EFB worked fine. I still haven’t replaced it but the truck has only been driven once since that trip.

I hate removing a battery that’s still functional but after eight years I figure it’s probably living on borrowed time.

Buy a battery tester and know for certain its state of health.
https://www.amazon.com/ANCEL-BA101-...pd_bap_d_grid_rp_0_1_ec_cp_pd_hp_d_atf_rp_1_t
Use the coupon and it nets to $26 or so. Wait for a sale and they are like $22.

 

[D1dad]

I used to replace them every 4 yrs, never really charged them proactively. Since replacing batteries on 3 cars this last December I’ve gotten into charging when the cars are parked. I do have the ancel tester as well as a load tester. 4 months later and every battery still tests well above their advertised CCA, as well as they should. I had boat batteries and my zero turn battery on the northern tool battery minders for the last few months and they’re both testing better than new. The boat batteries are exides that I bought from a farm store in 23. Prior to hooking them to the battery minder they tested good but not great.

 

[John105]

As many have pointed out, I'd use a tester--the aversion to them is not money, people here have $20, they spend that all the time. My BMW battery is from 2011, it's not on "borrowed time." It's on saved time.

It's truly fascinating how a topic like this will never be solved. I got reprimanded last time, because I posted a video of William Shatner instructing Robert DeNiro how "TJ Hooker" would determine if something were drugs or not--he'd taste it. And Robert DeNiro said doing that? TJ Hooker would be dead. My thought is to go with science--send those drugs to a lab to see what that white powder is, one doesn't "taste it." Same with a battery, test it. But that's not the answer, because if it were, these threads would not go on forever (not just here). It's similar to the "I get more mpgs when I use 93 even though my car was designed for 87!" Or, "the range on my dashboard is always not accurate!" Among many others.

 

[Jmoney7269]

OEM Toyota battery that is 8 years old. Still showing OK with a cheap digital load tester. I'm thinking of either a Toyota replacement or Costco/Interstate AGM replacement. Is 8 years pushing my luck? Should I be preemptive? Costco AGM or Toyota flooded or Costco flooded?

Opinions...and...1-2-3...GO!

Replace. I had one in my nissan truck and it was fine. One random cold day killed it

 

[zogg]

I bought a 2019 ford raptor last spring. It had the original battery so I replaced it with a Motorcraft AGM unit. Winters in Illinois get too cold to take a chance. Is -3 degrees today

 

[Selmorides]

I did that last year on my Saturn with a 6 year old Interstate. It was a 6 year battery and corrosion kept building up on the ground post. When I pulled it, one side was bulging telling me it was time. I replaced it with a Farm & Fleet made by East Penn.

 

[HowAboutThis]

OP Update: had my car in for CVT fluid change & brake fluid flush and asked them to test it a couple weeks ago. On my cheap tester at home, voltage was a bit low over the last few months and it was testing ok but numbers had been dropping over the last year. I was thinking this spring or summer I'd replace it. Toyota dealer tested and got similar results and provided me the details. Said it's fine now, but aging, and should start thinking about it. It was around $180 (including installation) for the Toyota battery with 84 month warranty. Best warranty I could find on a battery for the price.

 

[iCurious]

If you don't have a battery tester and charger than I would replace it.

 

[Donald]

OP Update: had my car in for CVT fluid change & brake fluid flush and asked them to test it a couple weeks ago. On my cheap tester at home, voltage was a bit low over the last few months and it was testing ok but numbers had been dropping over the last year. I was thinking this spring or summer I'd replace it. Toyota dealer tested and got similar results and provided me the details. Said it's fine now, but aging, and should start thinking about it. It was around $180 (including installation) for the Toyota battery with 84 month warranty. Best warranty I could find on a battery for the price.

If it's a prorated warranty it's not worth all that much. A shorter full replacement battery warranty is worth more.

I would get an East Penn manufactured battery. I am moving to AGM when replacing a battery.

OP is in NJ so Walmart and NAPA should be EP.

Winter is not over. A cold snap and your battery may not start your car.

 

[amateurbob]

I had a diehard gold that l purchased 8 years ago for my 2012 Honda Accord. I upgraded from the group 51R to the 35. The battery tester showed the cca dropped to 78% overnight. I was made paranoid about damaging the starter, alternator, and ecm by having a weak battery.
Im not sure if l needed to get a new one since it was still above the threshold of a 51R but l got an interstate from Costco in December. The battery tester shows it's good but the winter crank time is still the same.

 

[HowAboutThis]

If it's a prorated warranty it's not worth all that much. A shorter full replacement battery warranty is worth more.

I would get an East Penn manufactured battery. I am moving to AGM when replacing a battery.

OP is in NJ so Walmart and NAPA should be EP.

Winter is not over. A cold snap and your battery may not start your car.

2 year free replacement, prorated for 60 more (total 84) I believe.

I don't know, for $180 seemed like a great deal. Costco is only free replacement, I believe. Like 2 or 3 years? Everywhere else is 2-3 years free with no prorated that I could find. Costco is about $150 for a basic battery and $180 for AGM.

What companies offer longer prorated any more? Subaru dealer has the same deal for their batteries. That's why I've had the dealer do it. Get about $50 back of it dies at 5 years.

 

[D1dad]

My 18 Nissan started might slow today with -20 windchills, even with a 100% healthy battery that just came off of a battery minder 2012. I couldn’t imagine what would have happened with a lesser battery.

 

[Patman]

My 18 Nissan started might slow today with -20 windchills, even with a 100% healthy battery that just came off of a battery minder 2012. I couldn’t imagine what would have happened with a lesser battery.

Your battery doesn’t care what the windchill is, only the actual temperature matters

 

[Jay73]

If ya don't have a jumper in the car I'd probably change it. I have 2 jump boxes so I can wait for mine to die jump it then go replace it.

 

[Clete281]

Just replaced my Walmart Everstart + battery, preemptively, (dated 1-19) with the same in my 04 Toyota 4Runner V8. $118.00

 

[dubber09]

Think this way, what it may cost you getting stranded unexpectedly relative to battery cost.
Do you want to worry every day?
I replaced 5.5 y.o. Costco battery a couple months ago, got half of what I paid for it back and got another. I didn't want to worry, voltage was at about 12.2-12.3 in AM and it started to take effort in starting, I park mostly outside. I do carry booster cables but not willing to buy, maintain and carry a booster pack.

 

[Lubener]

I recently replaced my very old battery when my radio lost all its settings while the engine was slowly cranking on a cold morning.

 

[D1dad]

Your battery doesn’t care what the windchill is, only the actual temperature matters

I’m aware. Actually air temp was -1.

 

[Tundragod]

I only replace it if it died. Once, my old MDX died at Sam's parking lot in Richardson, TX like 100 degree F. A professor tried to jump it with my cheap cable, nothing. He brought his cable, jumped instantly. He told me to throw mine away and get a better cable. We drove to Costco from Sam's to get a better, cheaper Interstate battery.
My 08 Accord still have Diehard platinum battery(size 35) from 2012, 14 years old. Still starts below temp. this past week. Will see how it perform the several days. Fri 23 Partly Cloudy -8°/-14°

 

[f355spider]

Replace. I had one in my nissan truck and it was fine. One random cold day killed it

While in the universe of possibilities batteries can randomly die,...it usually is a slow progression. I tested my GFs battery after changing her oil. I test it after each oil change, it always cranks fine, but this test showed it was weaker and "replace". Like I said, it cranked fast and fine. But if I left it in service it would probably die...could be a few weeks, could be a few months. I replaced it that day.

This is where owning an inexpensive battery tester is worth its weight in gold. Instead of guessing when it should be replaced, or using some arbitrary number of years, just test and know for certain.