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If I am stranded somewhere on a cold and windy night, I would gladly pay $100. just to get home.
So, I replace the battery before it fails, so maybe it's a year premature - big deal, I wasted $30.00
I always keep a spare "dead" battery in the garage. When I buy a new one, I take the spare with me, and give that to the store as the "core" charge. I install the new one when I get home and use the old battery from the car as the new "dead" battery - stored in the garage.
I don't see where your approach accomplishes your purpose. You never know that it prevented being stranded. A battery can go dead or become discharged at any time so you are always at some risk. Your best bet is to carry your "spare" battery in your trunk.
I don't see where your approach accomplishes your purpose. You never know that it prevented being stranded. A battery can go dead or become discharged at any time so you are always at some risk. Your best bet is to carry your "spare" battery in your trunk.
My purpose is to lower my risk and potential grief. Yes, a brand new battery can fail the next day, but it is less likely to happen than with a 5 year old battery.
The "spare battery" in the trunk will not stay charged long without being recharged by the alternator and will probably tip over and leak acid in the trunk.
Heat kills batteries. Knocking them completely flat multiple times kills batteries. I rarely ever see 90F. If I don't knock the battery flat very often, I trade the car with the original battery. 8 years is the longest I've gone.
If I lived in Phoenix or Vegas, I'd likely have different results.
Once a battery is five years old... the first time it cranks slow, I just go ahead and replace it. Total waste of time trying to limp along on a 5+ year old battery.
Also in my experience... you'll get the longest service life out of the cheapest battery. Counterintuitive, I know... but what it boils down to is that expensive batteries have lots of thin plates to get that high CCA number. Those thin plates corrode and short together more quickly than thicker, less finely crafted plates.
Unless you're cranking a diesel engine in Canada... CCA's ain't all they're cracked up to be.
It is funny. I read this thread a few days ago and as fate would have it, my 9 year old battery in my Jetta was slow to crank over. So, this got me thinking. I'm going to replace it before it is completely dead, but it has been almost a decade since I've bought a car battery. Previously, I would just go to Autozone and buy the battery from them, but I wonder if there is any place else besides advance auto parts, NAPA, Wal-Mart, and the like. Where do all of you buy your car batteries?
If Walmart has the size I need, that's where I buy it. Otherwise I just buy the cheapest battery I can find- for the reasons stated above.
9 hears buh? That's impressive
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