When do you replace a battery?

[JDgreen227]

We have a [pair of 2004 GM cars that still have the OEM batteries at 60,000 miles, I am planning to replace both when the weather gets warmer as I am pretty sure they will not last much longer. The OEM battery in my Y2K GMC started going bad at about 7 years old, it was not holding a charge well. As for my Deere, I was so sick of the vent caps spewing acid and corroding the battery compartment I had the dealer replace it under warranty, sold the brand new replacement and used the money to buy a SEALED battery. That one has lasted 7 years now, going to replace it at 8 years.

 

[Toyboy]

My wife still has the original 1998 battery in her Subaru Outback. I've never seen a battery go that long in my entire life. She says she will not get a new one till this one dies. So, long story short, you just never know how long they'll last. There are times that years don't count in a battery's life I guess.

 

[RaydaKub]

I brought my Expedition in for an oil change a year ago last fall. They measured the battery and said I should get it replaced because it was reading low. I said it was still cranking well and I'd keep it a while longer. The next oil change I asked about the battery and they said it was still good. I questioned their different recommendations and they admitted that their tester had been faulty a few months before. So 15 months later, I'm still on the same battery.

 

[DK35vince]

I never change a battery till it needs it.
I typically get 8 to 10 years out of car/truck/tractor batteries.
My wifes car battery lasted about 8 years.
My last truck battery lasted 10 years. The original battery in my 10 year old tractor is still going strong..

 

[pacerron]

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

Depends on many factors; how far in the booney's you live, do you have a another vehicle with a good battery to jump with, how many times the wife has said " I told you to replace that old battery before it quits" after they do, etc.
Cleaning the contact terminals and putting a little dielectric grease on them
every year lets a weak battery have a better chance of starting the engine.
On my old tractor, which has a battery as big as 4 car batteries and costs about as much as 4 car batteries, keeping a trickle charger on it in the winter as well as using the block heater when it is really cold has kept it working fine for many years.
The newer tractor is like a car with all kinds of electrical clap-trap on it that drains the battery over time with just a few operating hours in the winter so I have started using a trickle charger on it too. It has an intake heater to the turbo which draws current in cold weather at start-up so it needs to be fully charged and ready to go. I also plug in the block heater when it's really cold so the tractor starts as if it were in Texas heat.

 

[EE_Bota]

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

I change mine when it is bad, but can see someone being a bit more proactive than that if the vehicle is used by another person, or if the winters are harsh.

You mentioned a new battery making some other issues go away. I have seen ABS errors go away on a BMW motorcycle. It tested its ABS system so quickly, I doubt the starter had stopped spinning. And a battery that had always started it, and still would too, that battery was just weak enough to cause the error.

I verified that by using booster cables...every time the cables were attached while starting, no ABS error, but removed while starting => error.

 

[beeforty]

The last battery I changed was a Costco battery for my tractor, it lasted 7+ years on the 7yr warranty. That include too many time leaving the key on in the daytime and not seeing the little light was on:laughing: come back dead as heck, jump it and kept going. New Costco one has a 8 yr warranty:thumbsup:

 

[JDgreen227]

The last battery I changed was a Costco battery for my tractor, it lasted 7+ years on the 7yr warranty. That include too many time leaving the key on in the daytime and not seeing the little light was on:laughing: come back dead as heck, jump it and kept going. New Costco one has a 8 yr warranty:thumbsup:

By 7 and 8 year warranties, I assume you mean PRO-RATED and not free replacement? A pro rated warranty, by the time it nears the end, is almost worthless as you get such a tiny credit toward a new battery, and in the meantime the battery has increased in price a lot more than the credit you are given. My replacments are almost always the Wally World Everstart Maxx models, about three or four years ago they had a full 3 years replacement warranty but then back in mid 2009 they lowered it to 2 years.

I would investigate Costco batteries, but there are none of their outlets in mid-Michigan that I am aware of.

 

[rsewill]

I am a retired truck driver. When I needed a jump after an overnight trip I bought a new battery (-20F, VW Diesel). But then I always had ready access to a jump. For my wife I replace after six years because getting a jump would cost as much as a battery.

 

[RoyJackson]

I am a retired truck driver. When I needed a jump after an overnight trip I bought a new battery (-20F, VW Diesel). But then I always had ready access to a jump. For my wife I replace after six years because getting a jump would cost as much as a battery.

You've got to keep jumper cables in your car...and know how to use 'em.