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car battery longevity

remingtonoaks
Well I've had my battery for my daily driver for 15 years. When I buy a new to me vehicle I take my old battery out and put it in my new to me vehicle. Well, it finally gave up the ghost...[V]

I tribute the fact that it lasted me that long because I put it on the charger once a week. Car alternators do not bring a battery up to a full charge. Close but not quite, so putting it on a charger once a week has made it last that long along with making sure it was topped off with battery acid. I have only put distilled water in it, and I have checked it at least once a month to make sure it was full, so it never has got low...

I have another in a 2-ton truck that is 13 years old.

And had one that lasted 18 years in a forklift.

Now mind you I only buy Interstate Batteries, but I don't think it matters what kind of battery it is, as long as you maintain it right


I guess preventive maintenance pays.

Looks like I'm heading to Costco as soon as they open this morning to get a new one. Costco sells them for about $50 cheaper than anybody else for the same battery...
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Comments

10 comments

Date Votes
  • navc130
    Interesting. How do you charge the battery; as it sits in the vehicle fully hooked up to the electrical system? Or, with the vehicle cables off of the battery, disconnected from the electrical system?
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  • grumpygy
    With today's cars you almost have to hook up a battery tender. My car gets driven daily and long enough to charge up the battery.

    But truck and Harley stay on the tender. Almost killed the battery on the Harley cause I forgot to hook it up.
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  • remingtonoaks
    quote:Originally posted by navc130
    Interesting. How do you charge the battery; as it sits in the vehicle fully hooked up to the electrical system? Or, with the vehicle cables off of the battery, disconnected from the electrical system?


    I just hook it up what the battery still on the vehicle... And I use a battery tender that has a desulfator build into it. Here is a link the the one I. have revived batteries that when testing showed bad, and after 3 or 4 months on this charger, will actually give 1000% cold crankin amps restored to it. So if you're want to start using it on a good battery that it is ratings still good but only has 75% give or take cca left on it, you can bring it back to 100%

    https://m.northerntool.com/products/shop~tools~product_200332201_200332201?adv=false&devicetype=m&gclid=CjwKCAjw1tDaBRAMEiwA0rYbSL0rR3kt42l68ueJ71WJHpf8NAwpGyDL9uAuWg9YQ-Zs750TMBEiehoCYqcQAvD_BwE&mkwid=sdooJMoY0&mtype=p&pcrid=227016152562&utm_campaign=Feed&utm_content=12117&utm_medium=Automotive_Feed&utm_source=google_PPC

    and for the batteries that I don't use on a daily basis and leave on a charger for months at a time, I use a ctek model 7200 battery charger
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  • buddyb
    The factory battery in my Tundra lasted 10 years.It was still starting and doing fine when I changed it,but the last 6 years it was running on borrowed time.
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  • Brookwood
    Gosh Remmy! If you added up all the hours you spent on all the work you did on that old battery over these 15 years, you'd have been able to buy at least 3 or 4 new car batteries! [:0]

    That is if you only gave yourself minimum wage, and I did not even include the expense of your electricity for charging and your distilled water! [:0] [:D][:D]
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  • Brookwood
    I too like and buy Interstate batteries. Ever since Paul Harvey told me they were the best![^]
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  • Riomouse911
    Some of mine last 4-5 years... especially the ones in the diesel truck. That poor beast sits a lot outside, and the heat etc. plays hell on them. Now the Optimas in the boat are going on 8+ with no sign of issues.
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  • mrmike08075
    I bought a 1996 Ford ranger supercab long bed fleet side basic truck with 2wd and no ac and manual on the floor stick shift

    Bought it as a year old left over dealer demo model with like 600 miles - bought it new - I was the first owner

    Had the 2.3 liter four cylinder with 8 spark plugs (yes two plugs per cyl) no distributor and a super coil

    Had a giant marine grade battery - like twice the size of a normal one

    I sold it in 2006 / traded it with over 150,000 miles and over 10 years old used in new Jersey winters

    The battery never failed never had to be jumped or charged and never was replaced or serviced in any way

    Those 2.3 liter 4 cylinders were bullet proof and I think Ford lost money on each one - the battery was special order and was unkillable

    It always started and always worked - awful low horsepower for a 5000 plus pound truck but it did the job for me as a daily driver primary vehicle

    Also had a gas tank that held 21 imperial gallons (special order) and got like 35 mpg around town and over 50 mpg on the highway

    No carpet - power nothing

    Most manufacturers play the odds and figure you won't keep a vehicle over 5 years and build there batteries cheaply to last only through a small time period

    You get what you pay for

    It's not that they can't build them to last nearly forever it's just that they make more money giving you a cheap model

    Mike
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  • remingtonoaks
    quote:Originally posted by Brookwood
    Gosh Remmy! If you added up all the hours you spent on all the work you did on that old battery over these 15 years, you'd have been able to buy at least 3 or 4 new car batteries! [:0]

    That is if you only gave yourself minimum wage, and I did not even include the expense of your electricity for charging and your distilled water! [:0] [:D][:D]


    Goss Brook, if I added up all the time it's saved me taking care of it I would say I made a hell of a lot more than what I lost...

    I don't know how valuable your time is, but my time is very valuable. Time I run down and bought a new one and changed it out and didn't have enough power to jump start my forklifts and all that stuff. Sheesh I'm waaaayyyyy money a head

    As far as being able to plug it in, I rigged it up to where I didn't even have to pop the hood to plug it in. I just used a 12 volt 2 prong plug that I had sticking out the front end of my vehicle wire directly to my batteries, so it only took me about 2 seconds once a week to hook them up. And the two amps an hour once a week for about 8 hours overnight for 52 weeks a year probably cost $0.10 per year per battery. And as far as the distilled water, I checked the acid level every time I changed my oil just like any other normal person does, and I had the place that changes oil on my big truck and my pickup do that for me for free well they changed the oil. And I probably had to add water to each one of them maybe once a year, and probably didn't even have a 4 dollars worth of distilled water between the three batteries that I speak of that lasted me 13, 15, and 18 years...

    Yep Brook, I'd say it pays off big time taking care of them... At least for somebody like me it does. But I don't have time to play around chasing down new batteries all the time. Maybe you do, I don't. I've worked Between 14 to 16 hours a day, six or seven days a week all my life up until a few years ago. I just don't have time to run down to the the store and buy new batteries.
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  • Mobuck
    Sometimes you get lucky. My Cousin was complaining about the batteries on his JD 4430 failing until he realized they were 7 or 8 years old. My JD 4430 batteries usually last 2-3 years even though I give them better care than Cousin does. Luck of the draw??
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