When do you replace a battery?

[BobRip]

Do you wait until the vehicle will not start, or do you use other criteria?

 

[mguitas]

This year my battery was going bad. So knowing that i stuck a deep cycle battery in back of my truck. At work it fail, hook the deep cycle battery up made it home. Then i went out an got a knew one. I ran that battery as far as i could.

 

[RoyJackson]

If an older (3-4 years) and jumps OK (meaning the vehicle starts) but requires another jumpstart by the following day, it's time to get the battery checked...and probably replaced.
If a newer battery...might be some else in the charging system.

 

[LD1]

I wait until it wont start. Then I have to jump it, and next time I use said vehicle, (provided it hasnt sat like more than a year), if I have to jump it again, I replace the battery.

 

[BobRip]

Last year I was facing a winter with three five year old batteries in my vehicles. I have one of those computerized tester and all showed OK. I went ahead and replaced the one in the wife's van and the Power Trac. This year I replaced the one in my vehicle.

My wife's cousin asked me to test his battery after slow cranking. It tested as 160 CCA on an 800 CCA battery. So we replaced it. Strangely, he had some error codes for his oxygen sensors heating circuit that cleared up with the new battery. I suspect the low voltage on the electrical system right after cranking confused the engine computer.

 

[Cat_Driver]

I change them out before I critically need them if 3-4 years have gone by. Example if I'm going on a long trip and the batteries have some age I swop them out. When I was in snow Country I definitely swapped them out prior to winter.

At the price of batteries at Costco you can't go wrong and your life would be miserable if your battery died in some strange town of the middle of snow storm.

Yesterday I bought a 900 CCA battery for $80.00 on my tractor with a three year warranty.

 

[ramoffroader]

I have a 2001 dodge ram with the original battery in it. Every year before winter I think I should replace it. But I just want to see how long this battery will go. I have a buddy who runs a auto parts store. He said 11 years was the longest battery he new of. I just hope the battery will give me signs (slow cranking) before it dies so I can replace it before it leaves me stranded. If your charging system is doing its job a battery should last quite awhile.

 

[Pete6114]

The battery in my 12 year old B1700 was still good when i sold the tractor.
As far as my vehicles, i carry jumper cables at all times, even in my new truck.
I feel no urgency to replace a battery till i have to

 

[JerryK]

I have a 2001 dodge ram with the original battery in it. Every year before winter I think I should replace it. But I just want to see how long this battery will go. I have a buddy who runs a auto parts store. He said 11 years was the longest battery he new of. I just hope the battery will give me signs (slow cranking) before it dies so I can replace it before it leaves me stranded. If your charging system is doing its job a battery should last quite awhile.

My 2001.5 Dodge has TWO HUGE original batteries in it.... [ did I mention that they were BIG ]... I hope they last ... forever...!!! So I am with you.. bro

 

[jinman]

I would say that 95% of the time a battery will have weak cranking or be unusable before I discover it. I do regular checks of electrolyte levels, but rarely do specific gravity tests unless something is suspect. For most cars, carrying a jumper battery with air compressor is a safety valve for when the battery goes south. With my diesel, I've been stuck once due to some dummy leaving the door ajar all weekend so that the interior lights ran down the batteries, but that was hardly the batteries' fault. That required a tow because Mr. Rescue couldn't even turn over the engine with his weenie jumper battery.