How Long Do Car Batteries Last?

[Ro_Laren]

I tried to start my car today, but it wouldn't start. Then I started to remember when I last replaced my car battery and I can't remember! However, I do know that it was before September 2011 since I moved at that time. I've felt like my car battery has been on the fritz for a while. Do you think that it is time to buy a new car battery?

I know I could get Advanced Auto Parts to test my battery, but I also saw they have a sell now. If I buy the battery on-line before June 8th then I'll get 15% off. If I need a new battery I was thinking of buying it on-line and then picking it up at the store and having them install it!

 

[farmkid]

I assume the engine wouldn't turn over, since you suspect the battery. In that case, it could be the battery, or the alternator, or you may have left on the headlights or the dome light or something. Get someone to give you a jump start (or get a jump starter) so you can get it going and see if the battery is charging (look to see if the volt gauge is ~14 V, or look for the absence of warning lights). If so, then the alternator is probably fine. Go drive around for 10 minutes or so to charge the battery enough to start it again. Then shut it off and see if it will start again. If it doesn't, then the battery is shot; get a new one.

A bad battery will either not hold a charge at all or will lose its charge over time. Even if it starts after this initial charge, you will have problems with it after it sits for a day or two if it's going bad. Even if it does start after you get it cahrged, you should go to Autozone or Oreilly or somewhere like that and have it tested. They can test it in a few minutes (usually for free) and tell you whether or not it's okay, and can get you the right one if it needs to be replaced. Even if you just left the lights on or something, if you drained the battery completely it's probably no good any longer. Completely draining a car battery will often ruin it, so it's a good idea to have it tested.

Car batteries typically last anywhere from 2-10 years, depending on the quality of the battery, how it's treated, and the local climate, so yours is old enough it could have just gone bad.

 

[MacLeod]

^farmkid's advice is sound. I've had a battery just stop working on me once, but then again it was the original battery at it was about 10 years old at that time. But it could just as easily be the alternator that's gone and isn't recharging the battery properly.

 

[Trekker4747]

I'd say "only" 5-years or so, on the extreme end. After that point it *could* still work and work quite well, actually, but now you're rolling dice. The battery will still work after a jump and after then still work for a few days or keeping on working depending on the strength of your alternator and if IT'S still in good shape. But I'd say once the car doesn't start and needs jumped and there's no reason for the battery to have died (like you left your headlights on or something) it's time to get a new battery.

It's usually SOP when they put in a new battery but make sure where they replace it they also test the car's charging system to ensure the alternator is in good shape. A bad or faulty alternator will kill your battery. And then when you buy the new battery see if there's a warranty/insurance policy available with it that'll replace the battery if the alternator does go out in that period of time. This'll prevent you from eventually having to buy a new battery AND a new alternator at some point, essentially replacing a new battery.

Your car is old enough that the alternator could fail at some point in the not-to-distant future. Not necessarily days, weeks or even months we're talking here but I'd say usually 15 years is about as long as you can expect an alternator to last.

 

[Ro_Laren]

Thanks for your replies everyone!

Well, tonight / this afternoon was fun. I looked through my car paperwork and the last receipt I could find for a car battery was from 2007. I had my car jumped and drove to Advanced Auto Parts. They tested my battery and said that it just needs to be charged, but I thought that 7 years was a long time on one battery & I'd buy a new one anyways. When I got home, I bought a battery at Advanced Auto Parts' web-site (they had a $30 off coupon that only worked on-line!!) and returned to the store to pick up the battery. I asked one of the employees to install my battery for me. He went out to my car, took off the casing holding the battery in, and saw a sticker on the battery that said it was from June 2012!!!!!!!!! Apparently, when I was out of the country the whole year of 2012 my family bought a new battery for my car and didn't give me the paperwork. So now, I have a $100 battery that I don't need! It was closing time, so unfortunately the manager was gone and the registers were closed for the night. I'm gonna return there tomorrow and see if they will take back their $100 battery! Wish I knew beforehand that there was a dated sticker hiding on my battery underneath the casing!!!

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

As others have said, it could be the alternator, which can also be tested. You might have had a drain (a light left on, etc).

Sometimes there's just enough corrosion between the battery post and the clamp that you can get the same effect as a dead battery, but not so much corrosion as you'd notice.

 

[CaptainCag]

The only way to find out is to crack the battery open and drink the precious fluids inside.

 

[han solo]

they last a long time don't worry

 

[GalaxyX]

The only way to find out is to crack the battery open and drink the precious fluids inside.

hahahaha oh dear God!

Please don't take him seriously, you DO NOT want to drink battery acid, unless you don't care about dissolving your esophagus and stomach lining.

A good quality car battery, if the car is used year round at least once or twice a week, should easily last for over 5 years, some even more.

Easiest way to test your alternator:

Start the car. Turn on your cabin light, remember the brightness. Shut the car down.

Did the light dim a little? If yes, your alternator is fine.

If no, Alternator might be dying.

 

[shivkala]

My battery died in February. Luckily, (a) the car was in my garage at the time and (b) I had roadside assistance on the vehicle, so someone came out to my house to test the battery. He determined it was the battery, jump started the car, and I went to Advanced Auto Parts.

I think this website explains it best:

When it comes to vehicle maintenance, "normal" is determined by a number of factors that exist in theory but rarely come to pass. For instance, a battery has an average normal lifespan of four years under normal conditions. "Normal" in this case means the battery goes through full charge cycles, isn't subjected to extreme temperatures, is attached to a reliable and consistent charging system and isn't providing power for a ton of accessories. See, normal just isn't normal. In the real world, temperature extremes, vibration, short trips down the street and an ever-increasing array of MP3 players, GPS receivers and other devices take a toll on the battery.


If you look at a typical lead-acid maintenance-free car battery, it's easy to make sense of why these factors affect normal battery life. Inside the plastic box are plates of materials like lead and lead dioxide. The plates are suspended in a mix of water and sulfuric acid, which forms an electrolytic solution. This solution allows electrons to flow between the plates -- that flow of electrons is essentially electricity.

Other factors that affect the battery's life are driving style (lots of short trips will run down a battery faster than longer trips) and, of course, extreme temperatures.

 

[Morpheus 02]

Thanks for your replies everyone!

Well, tonight / this afternoon was fun. I looked through my car paperwork and the last receipt I could find for a car battery was from 2007. I had my car jumped and drove to Advanced Auto Parts. They tested my battery and said that it just needs to be charged, but I thought that 7 years was a long time on one battery & I'd buy a new one anyways. When I got home, I bought a battery at Advanced Auto Parts' web-site (they had a $30 off coupon that only worked on-line!!) and returned to the store to pick up the battery. I asked one of the employees to install my battery for me. He went out to my car, took off the casing holding the battery in, and saw a sticker on the battery that said it was from June 2012!!!!!!!!! Apparently, when I was out of the country the whole year of 2012 my family bought a new battery for my car and didn't give me the paperwork. So now, I have a $100 battery that I don't need! It was closing time, so unfortunately the manager was gone and the registers were closed for the night. I'm gonna return there tomorrow and see if they will take back their $100 battery! Wish I knew beforehand that there was a dated sticker hiding on my battery underneath the casing!!!

Not to sound mean...but i guess why they told you the battery just needed to be charged -- they saw the sticker, apparently. But unfortunately didn't tell you (and of course you didn't think to ask -- i wouldn't have either!)

How long does an uncharged battery last? Can it be stored safely in your garage or basement fort more than a few months? Maybe you can replace your current one with that new one in 2 or 3 years?

 

[Ro_Laren]

^ No, they didn't see the sticker until after I bought the battery and the casing was removed. I was torn as to whether or not to buy a new battery, but didn't want to take any chances since I thought it was from 2007 and I didn't like the idea of not being able to start my car. I'm gonna try to return the battery today. I printed out the web-site's return policy and it doesn't mention any exclusions (i.e. for uninstalled batteries).

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

Most large stores are good about returns of unused merchandise. You shouldn't have any problem.

 

[Naira]

I think it's worth trying to return it. My last battery lasted for 8 years and the only reason it got replaced (just like in your case) is that my father did it without asking while I was in another country. Your current battery may last for another 5 years, I see no use in keeping a spare one in storage.

 

[Leviathan]

How long do car batteries last:

Made 10 years ago: about 5-10 years.
Made in the last 5-10 years: about 1 year.

...I buy a lot of car batteries. More now.

 

[Haggis and tatties]

In the last 20 years i think i have bought 2 car batteries, and both were used.

 

[MacLeod]

And of course things like tempatures, load etc.. can affect the life of a battery.

 

[Trekker4747]

Made 10 years ago: about 5-10 years.
Made in the last 5-10 years: about 1 year.

...I buy a lot of car batteries. More now.

Utterly ridiculous. There's no reason why a car battery bought in the last 5-10 years should only last a year unless you're particularly hard on your car's battery and charging system. In my entire driving life, 20 years now, I've never had a battery last only a year without there being some mitigating circumstance. Almost consistently my car batteries have lasted around 5 years or so.

Only battery I had that lasted shorter than that was the few-month old one I had to replace this past April that went bad when the alternator began to fail.

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

In fact, batteries in general are way better than they were 10 years ago. You just have to buy a quality brand.

 

[Leviathan]

I'm sure you guys have had wonderful battery experiences.

On the other hand I've had Optima, A/C Delco, and Motomaster all die out. I've also had to help replace more than a dozen in friends vehicles (I'm the obligatory car-guy), some are failing one a season.

Going to the source - had 3 different parts suppliers tell me the same story: lots of battery returns in the last few years and they are quite annoyed by it.

...and no to the abuse of batteries. My cars live better than I do.