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When I notice it doesn't have it's same stamina...although I have had "sudden battery death syndrome" where it worked when I left home but died at my first stop.
When I notice it doesn't have it's same stamina...although I have had "sudden battery death syndrome" where it worked when I left home but died at my first stop.
I think this is more frequent in new cars with computers, and all the extra electronics that must draw a trickle current even with the car off. Car batteries used to take several months to die, but lately (last 15 to 20 years) I've seen them suddenly die with little or no warning.
I do carry jumper cables in every vehicle so a battery dying isn't going to ruin our day, but rule of thumb for me is about every 5 or 6 years I replace them.
One reasonably scientific test is to get a hydrometer, if not a "real" one with a graduated scale, at least a floating ball type, and occasionally test to see if all the cells are at "spec" specific gravity and all about the same.
I keep all my batteries on a Battery Tender when parked at the house. Regardless if I plan to drive that car the next day or not, they just all get "tendered" when I park. That and I do check at least about quarterly for water level, adding *distilled* or higher purity water as needed.
Matter of fact, if I am back in the garage pretty soon after parking, I can look at when the BT changes from "full charge" mode (red light on steady) to "intermediate" mode (red light on steady, green light flashing) as a rough measure of how "healthy" the battery is.
When I notice that the car is cranking slower when I start it... usually in the fall when the weather is getting colder. I have been replacing my batteries about every 5 years. And I usually buy a Honda battery from the dealership.
I replace them as they fail. About 10 days before they are no longer able to fire up the engine (without assistance), the power windows start to slow and the interior lights look a little dim. My 01 VW Golf TDI usually gets about 5-6 years/125K-150K miles between battery changes. The 06 GM Silverado 2500HD Duramax needs two battery replaced every 4 years. My other two cars are electrified and need voltage to sustain the computers; cold cranking amps are pretty much useless. I just use my multimeter and replace the batteries. If I recall correctly, the car won't "Ready" when the 12V battery drops below 10.4V.
I replace my battery every 5 years - usually before the start of winter.
The way I see it - a battery costs about $30 a year.
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 buy the best battery I can - just like if you were climbing a mountain, you would buy the best rope....
When I go to replace my battery I like to do so right after a big winter freeze. A big winter freeze kills all the weak batteries, which means every battery is sold. A few weeks later new batteries start showing up. That way you don't get a battery that's been sitting around for half a year or more. I bought a new battery for my Jeep last November, right after a big freeze. It was dated 11/17, so it was just weeks old.
I think this is more frequent in new cars with computers, and all the extra electronics that must draw a trickle current even with the car off. Car batteries used to take several months to die, but lately (last 15 to 20 years) I've seen them suddenly die with little or no warning.
I do carry jumper cables in every vehicle so a battery dying isn't going to ruin our day, but rule of thumb for me is about every 5 or 6 years I replace them.
I thought that too...but it was in a stock 76 Maverick back in '12.
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