How long do your 12V batteries last?

"deekster_caddy" (deekster_caddy) 02/16/2017 at 17:01 • Filed to: None

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Currently in an ‘argument’ on FB about 12V batteries. Lots of people saying they only last 4-5 years and replace preventatively after 4 years old. I’m like whaaaa???? My 12V batteries usually last at least 8 years what crappy batteries are you all buying?

Oppo, what is your experience? Batteries last a long time for you or not?

crowmolly > deekster_caddy 02/16/2017 at 17:04

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4 years? What batteries are they buying?

Usually I’ll get 6-7 out of mine. More if I use a battery tender.

Urambo Tauro > deekster_caddy 02/16/2017 at 17:04

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From what I’ve seen, batteries typically last slightly longer than their warranty period, which is exactly why I stay away from ValuCrap.

Patrick Nichols > deekster_caddy 02/16/2017 at 17:05

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12v batteries in guitar pedals always seem to be drained and the power adapters are way too expensive and always take up the space of like 3 plugs. I feel like I use 12v batteries differently than most people...

deekster_caddy > crowmolly 02/16/2017 at 17:07

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That’s what I’m saying. 7 is average, I usually see more. Just replaced the OEM battery in my wife’s ‘08 Passat, that’s almost 9 years!

My X-type is too a real Jaguar > deekster_caddy 02/16/2017 at 17:07

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Depends on the car, where you park and where you live, My Saturn which I parked outside in Georgia got 2 years out of battery, my Jag which was parked outside at work and in a Garage at home, got 3-4, my BMW which is Garage parked 90% of the time has battery in the trunk away from the engine heat, still has it’s original battery it is 6 years old.

Patrick Nichols > Patrick Nichols 02/16/2017 at 17:08

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I’m an idiot those are 9v...

Denver Is Stuck In The 90s > deekster_caddy 02/16/2017 at 17:08

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3-5 years under normal use. Ever since they stopped mining lead in North America batteries have been getting shittier and more expensive

e36Jeff now drives a ZHP > deekster_caddy 02/16/2017 at 17:08

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My OEM battery lasted 12 years. Even then it wasn’t that it failed to start the car, it was just cranking a bit long on cold days.

crowmolly > deekster_caddy 02/16/2017 at 17:09

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If you buy cheap ones then maybe 4-5 years is reasonable. I’ll always pay the extra few bucks for the “Gold” version of whatever.

benjrblant > deekster_caddy 02/16/2017 at 17:09

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Depends on battery chemestry and usage.

Sounds like a rechargable, so in this instance it will also depend on how much current is consumed, how low the charge is allowed to fall, recharge, temps, etc.

deekster_caddy > My X-type is too a real Jaguar 02/16/2017 at 17:09

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Interesting. My experience tells me that heat kills batteries, then cold exposes the damage. 2 years? Was there something draining it constantly?

HammerheadFistpunch > deekster_caddy 02/16/2017 at 17:10

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depends, if you drain it heavily/frequently or both and or if it seems extreme temperature swings, then they can crap out in no time. in the world of overlanding the “house” battery usually lasts about 3-4 years because its being heavily used.

deekster_caddy > e36Jeff now drives a ZHP 02/16/2017 at 17:10

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Any idea what brand the battery was? 12 years is ancient in car battery years!

deekster_caddy > benjrblant 02/16/2017 at 17:11

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I’m talking about regular 12V crank-the-starter batteries. I guess usually they are lead-acid.

deekster_caddy > HammerheadFistpunch 02/16/2017 at 17:11

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What about the ‘cranking the starter’ battery?

Nibbles > deekster_caddy 02/16/2017 at 17:12

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The battery in the Dakota was 11 years old when I replaced it.

My X-type is too a real Jaguar > deekster_caddy 02/16/2017 at 17:12

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I was broke and buying them at Wal Mart, and the placement right next to the radiator was bad design. Tha Jag’s was too but they at least insulated it.

Phatboyphil > deekster_caddy 02/16/2017 at 17:13

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Idk. My experience is my old rangers battery lasted over 6 years, but my Integra battery died after 3. However the ranger lived in Texas it’s whole and the Integra in WA. Although it died a month after moving back to TX. Also the teg has a tiny battery for a car.

e36Jeff now drives a ZHP > deekster_caddy 02/16/2017 at 17:13

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Douglas Battery co of North Carolina. Part of why it lasted so long is probably because its a 1000CCA battery. e46's have absurdly large batteries for their engines, I assume because they expect the car to start and function normally at -40.

ToyotaFamily > deekster_caddy 02/16/2017 at 17:13

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12 years on the OEM battery.

benjrblant > deekster_caddy 02/16/2017 at 17:14

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Yeah, usually a flooded lead-acid. I’ve had experience with these only lasting a handful of years and I’ve heard of some lasting ages.

Notable here is that a starter battery and a deep-cycle battery have almost the same chemistry (lead-acid) however, running a starter battery dead to a low voltage can significantly shorten its life.

Another common type of starter battery is an AGM- this is all the Optima brand stuff. Different animal.

DipodomysDeserti > deekster_caddy 02/16/2017 at 17:22

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I buy good batteries and in the desert they last 4-5 years. This has held true in half dozen cars over three different makers.

Jcarr > deekster_caddy 02/16/2017 at 17:25

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I typically expect 5-7 years in my climate (Iowa).

HammerheadFistpunch > deekster_caddy 02/16/2017 at 17:32

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depends again. if its just for starting the vehicle but you are running a lot of accesories or its hot or cold, etc, etc. About 5 years.

Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell. > deekster_caddy 02/16/2017 at 17:38

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The one in my Twingo is 7 years old and counting. Works perfect.

bhtooefr > crowmolly 02/16/2017 at 17:49

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It also depends on how the battery’s being discharged and charged.

I’ve heard of some modern car batteries only making it 2 years, for quality brands.

Textured Soy Protein > deekster_caddy 02/16/2017 at 18:27

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My car was built in August 2011. When I had it PPI’d in May 2016 before I bought it, was indicated on the PPI that the battery was going bad. I factored that into the price with the buyer. I charged it up a few times with my battery tender over the first few months I had it but I ended up replacing it in like August 2016 because even with the recharging, it was giving me low battery level warnings.

BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind > deekster_caddy 02/16/2017 at 18:33

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Generally they last until 6 months after I buy the car. Seriously, every used car I’ve bought has needed a battery shortly thereafter.

But usually 60-70000 miles worth of driving.

deekster_caddy > Phatboyphil 02/16/2017 at 18:37

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Those little honda motors are so easy to turn though. Acura and Honda can get away with tiny batteries. You could practically rope-pull start one of those motors! 3 years is really short though.

deekster_caddy > e36Jeff now drives a ZHP 02/16/2017 at 18:38

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Awesome. Yeah, thank ze germans for oversizing their batteries and insulating them, etc. I just had to replace the OE battery in our ‘08 Passat - that makes it almost 9 years!

deekster_caddy > ToyotaFamily 02/16/2017 at 18:39

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12 is great, what kind of car/battery?

deekster_caddy > DipodomysDeserti 02/16/2017 at 18:47

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Yeah, I’ve heard that it’s heat that really kills the batteries. Thanks.

fintail > deekster_caddy 02/16/2017 at 18:49

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My W210 E55 was 11 years old when I sold it, original battery.

I think I average ~7 years on fintail batteries, and it has a generator.

deekster_caddy > fintail 02/16/2017 at 18:52

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Sounds about right. I would expect the older electrical systems have less ‘residual drain’ and a generator probably doesn’t run them at 14 Volts. The one in my ‘54 MG has been in there 7 years or so and works perfectly, but it spends the winter months disconnected in storage and never gets drained. Of course I can always crank start or push start that if I really needed to...

ToyotaFamily > deekster_caddy 02/16/2017 at 19:07

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02 Explorer, no idea what kind of battery.

fintail > deekster_caddy 02/16/2017 at 21:31

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Yeah, the fintail has pretty much no drain when idle (clock doesn’t work, as on most fintails). I don’t even disconnect it when I park it, as I try to take it out a couple times a month. Always fires right up. Last time I killed the battery at 7 years old, when a FI fault had me cranking it a lot, and it couldn’t keep up. Oh well. Heading for 3 years in on the new one now, and it is like new. I live in a mild climate, which has to help, too.

You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much > deekster_caddy 02/16/2017 at 21:31

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My STi just turned 10. Still has the original battery.

gogmorgo - rowing gears in a Grand Cherokee > deekster_caddy 02/16/2017 at 22:39

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Like, car batteries?

The battery that was in my MJ when I bought it was (per the PO) a junkyard-special partstore-brand cheapie, six years old when I got it. It lasted two years for me, including sitting an entire winter outside, in the truck, completely discharged. When I did replace it that summer, it wasn’t because it didn’t work, it was because one of the terminals was no longer attached to it due to the PO’s solution for a loose battery cable: smashing it with the tire iron until it made a connection. When I brought it into the store (for the core) while getting a new one, they insisted on testing it for me and the kid told me it didn’t need replaced, at which point I reached over, pulled the terminal out, and he changed his mind in a hurry.

I don’t know how old the battery in the Niva is, didn’t look new when I got it, but after not really being run much all summer (definitely not long enough to charge) it sat on the floor of my neighbour’s shed for three months at temperatures dropping below -30°F at times, and then started the thing when I hooked it back up.

Generally speaking I’d say my family’s luck has been around 10 years out of a battery. We go through far too many at work because some of our staff is way too good at killing them and letting them freeze.

Flyboy is FAA certified insane > deekster_caddy 02/16/2017 at 23:26

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The crossfire had its original battery when I bought it. Lasted another year for a total of 12.

TheD0k_2many toys 2little time > deekster_caddy 02/17/2017 at 00:11

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my 03 Miata is on its second battery. And I didn’t install it and I have had it 7 years

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > deekster_caddy 02/17/2017 at 01:40

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I commonly see 8-12 years on Mercedes batteries.

pip bip - choose Corrour > deekster_caddy 02/17/2017 at 03:30

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6 years for me approx

JEM > deekster_caddy 02/17/2017 at 08:36

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Probably about 4-6. Living in New England, we’re exposed to everything from -10 to 100F so I think it probably kills batteries quicker than living somewhere more temperate.

deekster_caddy > JEM 02/17/2017 at 10:02

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Yup, very wide range of weather factors. I’m in New England too. The heat does the damage, the cold lets you know it’s damaged... but still, I’m usually at 8+.