How long did your Battery Last?

[07navi]

The Motorcraft battery in my Excursion was 6 years old when I sold it and working strong. Oem batteries aren't necessarily the best and where you live takes a toll. I wait until they give a little sign of slowing down before I run out and buy a new one and in 50+ vehicles that method has never failed me. Not all batteries are created equal.

 

[CAKD07]

I never have had good luck with Motorcraft batteries in 40 years. I had one DOA right out of the dealership once. I'm an AAA member and theirs don't last long either. NAPA or Interstate seem to be pretty good.

 

[SublimeHiPpOs]

What does the warranty cover in terms of the original battery? I have a 2018, so it's right about 3 years old. I noticed that auto stop/start stopped working sometime in the last year. The dash says it's disabled due to vehicle charging whenever I've checked, so I'm assuming my battery is on its way out. I have an extended warranty on the vehicle as well. Would this be covered at all,or should I replace it elsewhere?

 

[mrbadwrench]

Mine is a private brand from a parts store that was installed when I bought the Expy. It's maybe 5 years old. I traded my '09 Hyundai with 150k and the original battery in it recently.

 

[07navi]

Almost all batteries are made by Exide, Delphi, and Johnson controls so picking your favorite brand doesn't mean much. Some have more plates, better plates, bigger plates etc but the price is what normally gives you the longest lasting ones. Where you live and how often you use your starter plays into it also.

 

[Alwaysthinkin]

I've seen discussion regarding a low charge battery creating issues with our vehicles. Since I don't drive mine daily, retired and Covid, I have been hooking a trickle charger (Battery Tender) up overnight almost weekly. Is this likely to extend battery life or hurt the batteries lifespan?

 

[bloodhound]

I've seen discussion regarding a low charge battery creating issues with our vehicles. Since I don't drive mine daily, retired and Covid, I have been hooking a trickle charger (Battery Tender) up overnight almost weekly. Is this likely to extend battery life or hurt the batteries lifespan?

I have a '66 Porsche I don't drive much. It lives on a trickle charger. I think that battery is 10 years old. So it certainly doesn't hurt.

 

[Andy Rubalcaba]

Anything over 4 years is gravy ( and it's a good idea to carry some jumper cables....) . I have a Bosch AGM 65 in mine right now and it's at 60% of it's rated CCA's at 2 years old. Best one I ever had was an Odyssey AGM that lasted 7 years.

does AGM wear down quicker? because that kind of loss at only 2 years seems pretty terrible in my eyes.

 

[Hamfisted]

does AGM wear down quicker? because that kind of loss at only 2 years seems pretty terrible in my eyes.

My experience with the Bosch Group 65 AGMs has not been too impressive. But it's probably on par with other $200 AGM batteries. It's certainly not as good as those in the Odyssey, Lifeline, Deka price range and weight. It's the second one I've tried in the Expy, and it's about the same as the first one that I traded out just before the 4 year warranty expired because it had fallen below 40% of it's rated CCA and the local Pepboys offered to swap it out for a new one under warranty. When I finally get rid of it I'll go back to the Odyssey AGM. The Bosch is a 50lb battery and the Odyssey is about 60lbs. Really I just use the AGMs to avoid the battery gassing or venting and body corrosion issues associated with standard wet car batteries. I don't put that heavy of a demand on the battery.

 

[SublimeHiPpOs]

I've seen discussion regarding a low charge battery creating issues with our vehicles. Since I don't drive mine daily, retired and Covid, I have been hooking a trickle charger (Battery Tender) up overnight almost weekly. Is this likely to extend battery life or hurt the batteries lifespan?

Keeping it topped off with a trickle charger can only help.