Battery service life
 

How much life do you Canadians and northern state Americans get out of a battery?
Myself I usually get 5-6 years on an AGM battery on all my vehicles EXCEPT the BRZ. It seems to need a new battery every three years.

I have a 2013 Sport tech BRZ. In 2016, the factory Panasonic battery couldn't start the car in the cold. So I replaced it with an AGM battery. This morning.....that battery started the BRZ but just barely. Time for a new one again.
You guys out there have a similar experience?

My original battery got weak after about 3.5 years and I replaced it.

Now you've forced me to look at my replacement, which is leaking from it's top, causing corrosion...something to deal with, shucks, but thanks.

Running a battery down, like leaving the lights on, just one time even, can cause a wimpy battery to not be able to restore itself.

Our best bet would be a deep cycle battery...why didn't I do that ...

My lifetime experience is that battery life varies greatly, from 2 to 6+ years.

Note: In some forums, members have reported having trouble with short life of Optima agm type batteries, since they moved their production facilities to Mexico...yet my research today shows me that move was ten years ago. Johnson Controls owns Optima. All auto batteries that I've seen in recent years are made in Mexico.


"it's probably from the mexican water. there is a reason they say "don't drink the water" when you go down there

maybe the batteries don't like it either."


Recovering an AGM battery which is difficult to recharge: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovtO...ature=youtu.be

Running on about 5 years so far on stock battery for my FRS with no issues. I guess I'm spoiled with my California weather. :iono:

Could be due to harsh weather conditions, alternator, or maybe starter?

Hopefully others can chime in on the issue.

I am from CA too. Battery is 6 years and 2 months. I typically get 7-8 years out of them.

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I'd suggest a block heater if you aren't using one.
If I drive mine another winter I'm installing one as well.

On my Suzuki it was the difference between an easy normal crank to start and be buying a new battery if I didn't plug it in on a particularly cold evening. Night and day difference.

Replaced mine this year fall, so stock one lasted... lil over 5yrs. I live in the state that only have 2 season. Burning hot summer and frozen ice winter (no in between), so lasting 5 yrs isn't bad. BUT of course, I had 2 accident in between those 5 yrs and the shop recharge my battery every time, so you wanna add that to the factor.

My stock battery lasted 2 years and the replacement would have went down in 2 years as well if I didn't buy a small duracell battery tender. Something in these cars, combined with cold, just eats batteries.

Ya, the barely starting included it being plugged in all night at work...12 hours.
Plus I use Amzoil signature synthetic oil.

Maybe I just need to move to California?

4th canadian winter, going strong. I charge it once in a while

south texas here...3 years....about 30k miles... kaput. :P

Heat kills them!

My original battery is over six years old and still going strong , plenty of hot days and bush fires around here.

Mine gave out after about 3 1/2 years. So about normal maybe since I live in Michigan.

My original battery lasted 6.5 years. But the car is garaged. My other car is 6 yrs old with original battery and the stop/start function stopped working, which typically means the battery is almost done.

Yes it is hot there also but for the last 10 years we average 10 deg hotter and 10 deg colder than you. A little more extreme changes. Not to mention sitting in traffic in the summer where my IAT goes above 130.

You can keep the brush fires! Concrete does not burn!

Battery in my '17 was weak/deadish when I test drove the brand-new on-the-lot car in December 2017! They replaced it before I took delivery in January '18...

My car just turned 5 in October.
Since I found this forum I've seem people bitch about the battery.
I figure it should last 5-8 yrs.
I was gone 2 weeks this summer, came back it started no issue.
In November we had a few cold days, -10c & snow so I did not use my car for 2 weeks.
It was dead.....
I store my car from Dec-March & it's on a battery tender now & every winter.
It started no issue when I boosted it.
So, guess I'll be shopping for a new battery in the spring, or when it fails.
I can't remember what people bought, any good suggestions?

This is the only car I've ever had to change out a battery on...but what really sucks is that it decided to kaput a couple of days AFTER my warranty ran out. :/

where's the battery? i checked in the wheels. i can't see it.

You have to take them off, idiot!

WHAT KIND OF CAR IS THIS. ON MY BMW I COULD CLEARLY SEE THE BATTERY THROUGH THE DOOR PANELS

Batteries are weird and the most unpredictable thing on a car. Way back in the day I had batteries boil completely dry from a faulty generator (yes I said generator not alternator), filled them with water from a ditch and got years more service out of them. Had more than one go flat and then freeze solid but work fine when thawed out and charged up. My 58 Ford sat in the driveway for about 4 years and I would only start it up every couple of months. The thing would start first crank every single time without even the slightest hesitation even though the battery never really got a full recharge and was well over 12 years old.
I have also had ones that just stopped working one day with no apparent reason or warning. Nothing could bring them back to life but that was a very rare occasion.
Then along came cars with ECUs, "smart" charging systems, Security systems you can shut off, key-less ignition and entry and all sorts of other electrical systems that were on all the time even with the car shut off. Now batteries all seem to just give up after a few years. The constant parasitic draw is the only thing that I can say is the real difference. My broke ass could not afford quality ones back in the day so a reduction in quality would seem to be ruled out. Now I just assume I will have to replace a battery within a few years no matter how much I watch the levels, keep the connections free of corrosion or perform any other preventative maintenance on them.

battery companies are like tool companies. when you get down to the who actually makes them, it really only boils down to like 3-4 main companies that just rubber stamp any name anyone with a fat wallet wants them to put on it!

I agree.

My Walmart $50. 'Value Power' battery says Johnson Controls on it.

Same company which owns Optima.

It's all the same shit, different colors...

And of course 'Made in Mexico'.


When you try to figure out who currently owns Johnson Controls it gets quite complicated...lots of changes in most recent years....mostly to avoid taxes...LOL.

Yes and no.
Keep in mind they can be made by the same place but to totally different specs. It all depends on what the customer wants and if something is far cheaper there is guaranteed to be inferior specs requested. There will be more than just the colour that is different.

Once you get the wheels off there is a plastic liner you have to remove. From there you need little Gnomes to get in the engine bay and change the battery. Worst Design Ever!!!

You do not keep your cars long enough. I have had to put a battery or 2 in every car I have owned.

must also not buy many used cars. i've settled into a routine that any used vehicle i pick up, i immediately do tires, brakes, oil change, and a battery.

because when i don't, all of those things will fail within the first 6 months.

Wrong you clueless stanceBro CamberKing F...tard! There is more to it then just the plastic part. You have to take off the wheel. Then that big metal painted thingy. THEN the plastic part.
Gnomes are clearly needed for German cars so you need to have some Yōsei on hand to deal with Japanese ones.

https://d1vv73x37cbx43.cloudfront.ne...0.04.04_AM.png

:lol::lol::lol:

My last cars stock battery went 7 or 8 years from freezing MO,MD winters to hot FL summers. Just remember to top off the fluid every year and trickle charge it once and a while. My BRZ is going on 4 years with the stock battery.

My BRZ is 4yrs and I am replacing the battery. It does vary but I think with battery being smaller that doesn't help. I think I'm going with the Lion for the lighter weight and consistent power even if it's less starts overall.



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Canada. 3.5 years. Time to change I think. In my older cars they lasted about 6 years.

My FRS still starts in cold after few cranks, but funny enough remote control door opener stop working after short trip.
If it parked outside in cold I can open car remotely and start it. But after I do short drive like 2km, remote stop working. Funny enough it start working after 10-15 minutes of just standing in warmer place.
My guess with all electric battery drain large enough that alternator does not have time to charge it on short drive and voltage drops.


It got a bit warmer now and remote works all the time. So I guess if you have remote key intermittent failure to open car after short trips might be good indicator to change battery or at least to test it.

Sounds like the battery in the remote control is dying.

My oem battery lasted less than two years.
I paid for a charging system diagnostic test and new Toyota battery at the dealer. The charging system, "Checked out ok", and the new battery exploded on the hottest day of the summer leaking acid out of the weep holes, and all over my firewall and down into the transmission tunnel, stripping the paint off. That battery was replaced for free, but it happened a second time to the third battery.
Toyota Canada has refused to paint my car, and the dealership tech suspects the charging system, that "Checked out ok" in their original test.
I'm told a "Wendy" is looking at a claim with the battery manufacturer, but it's been 6 months now and I've not once been contacted with an update. Anything I've ever gotten in the way of communication has been because I showed up at the dealership.

I've had 2 batteries that both died on their 3rd winters.

This is my 6th winter and the other day it completely didn't start and I had to boost it. I also hadn't driven it in a few days so that might have been a factor too. Anyway I'll see how it treats me for the rest of the winter otherwise I'll just replace it.