Battery Life

[Ford850]

Vw Jetta's was 11 years old when I changed it. Didn't go bad, I just got nervous it would, because I never had a battery last that long.
Then again, all my previous vehicles were bought used, and I also never had to replace a battery...once I replaced the (original) battery.

I think how you use a battery (or not use a battery) is more important than its age.
Car is started at least 5 days a week, twice a day, for 35 minutes at a time. So it gets regularly charged, and doesn't suffer from deep discharges (either by use or non-use).

I agree with this 100%.

 

[Grumpycat]

Toyota gets good batteries from somewhere. Mostly I attribute it to Toyota demanding good batteries. OEM battery manufacturers will make any quality of battery their customers will pay for.

Just have to remember to put distilled water in it every 3-6 months. If that is too difficult then consider an AGM battery which seem to last about 8 years.

 

[DK35vince]

I think how you use a battery (or not use a battery) is more important than its age.
Car is started at least 5 days a week, twice a day, for 35 minutes at a time. So it gets regularly charged, and doesn't suffer from deep discharges (either by use or non-use).

I haven't seen that on my batteries making a differance .
My tractor can set for weeks at a time between uses, and the original battery lasted 11 years.
My street bike sets for many months at a time through the winter and the original battery was still going but getting weaker when I replaced it a 9 years old. (pretty good for a tiny motorcycle battery IMO)
Neither ever had any or type battery tender on them .

 

[RNeumann]

12 years is a long time! The gear reduction starter on that vehicle doesn’t need much to start. So I assume it was only pulling 100cca or so.

Excide and Johnson Controls make most batteries. They get rebranded to a bunch of different names. I think in the mid 2000s Toyota was using “ACDelco” batteries. I believe Johnson Controls was making those.

Midtronics makes a very good battery tester. It will/would have told you the CCA in the battery and allow you to track the decline.

 

[Industrial Toys]

All my OEM batteries lasted a long time. Some as long as I had the vehicle, 6 and 8 years.

I actually had worse luck with using larger capacity batteries in the past. Thinking maybe you sacrafice something for the higher capacities. So, I pretty much buy the smallest battery that will do the job. And I can't say, that there was ever a time, when I wished I had gotten a larger battery. A healthy Diesel starts so quickly anyway.

 

[Dftodd]

Just had to replace the original AC Delco battery in my Sierra. Battery was 10 years old.

 

[tshep]

I believe my original Kubota Deka battery went 12 years. I was so surprised, and so sure I had literally physically beat the h* out of it, that I researched it. It's really East Penn, apparently an actual independent manufacturer. They make some of NAPA's batteries now, so that's what I buy now.
Otherwise, my personal experience is 1 single true 'emptying' - lights left on etc. - to nothing permanently kills a battery, and it might as well be replaced before winter or it will be during. This sort of error is rarer on a tractor, possibly adding to long life.

 

[Grumpycat]

Excide and Johnson Controls make most batteries. They get rebranded to a bunch of different names. I think in the mid 2000s Toyota was using “ACDelco” batteries. I believe Johnson Controls was making those.

Exide, Johnson Controls, and East Penn manufacture most all automobile 12V batteries available in North America. Having said that, not all of the batteries they make are as good as other batteries they make no matter the use of identical battery cases but for branding. They make guts at any price the brand is willing to pay.

Believe Johnson Controls makes better batteries for GM's AC/Delco and Toyota than we see on vendor's shelves.

Was underwhelmed by two different Interstate batteries 12 years ago but a lot of things change over the years and have given Interstate one more chance with the battery in my Subaru. Got one fresh off the Interstate delivery truck. For some reason almost no one stocks Group 24. Lots of 24P (reversed terminals) but not plain 24.

 

[Will_C]

Got 9 years out of my 2004 Tundra, 9 years on my 2000 BX, and 8 from my 2009 B2620.

 

[kenmac]

You guys have gotten way more out of a battery than I have ever gotten.
As I have stated. I have never gotten more than 5 yrs. Doesn't matter if I buy from the local Auto parts, or wally world
It's like they know when the warranty period is up ! LOL