2 & 1/2 years and a dead battery

[red-beard]

No no no. I question WHY she originally went to the dealer, 3 years ago, to get a BATTERY replaced.

And she is not going to the dealer this time. She called AAA to replace. There is no logic...

[Scott Douglas]

Well, she is a woman, there is that.
I dunno.

Give her my best next time you talk with her. I miss my mom.

[rockfan4]

Another casualty of Covid-19.
I don't drive the truck a lot. A smart guy would sell it and just rent a truck for the few times a year I actually need one, but I'm not that smart.
The lockdown has just made it worse, the last time I used the truck was mid to late March, and that was just to drive to the gas station to fill it up because gas was cheap. I had to put it on the charger just to start it then. Fast forward to now, it's dead. I put the charger on it, and the ammeter jumps about every second, from 2 to 4 amps, just for a second. I left it on 3 hours, and there isn't enough juice to run the power locks. Now for the kicker - I can't find the receipt. Hopefully Menards can look it up by my credit card. It's an Exide and it's supposed to have a 40 month replacement warranty.

The car gets used maybe once every week, and the 3 1/2 year old factory battery still spins it over like a motorcycle - VW 1.4T

[look 171]

Originally Posted by stevej37

Yep..my last Optima didn't even make 3 years. The same model Optima that I had before that...lasted 12 years. Same car.
I'll never buy another Optima.

Same for me, yellow top. A little over two years. Thankfully they gave me another. Its my third one, like clock work. No more. I have a Exide AGM in my 4 runner. Its been over 4 years and working great. No more Optima for me

[red-beard]

My father's Explorer had to have a new battery 3 years ago. I think it was because they do not drive far enough to recharge the battery. And his car might sit for several months.

I put a lead on the battery for a 1/2 amp smart charger. It has been fine ever since. Mrs. Beard's BMW had a replacement battery a few years back that also didn't last much more than 3 years. I'm also keeping a lithium car starter in the car. I'm also putting he car on a charger every month to make sure it is topped off.

[craigster59]

I replaced the original battery in my 2016 F150 4 months ago. Got an Interstate from Costco. With all this time off I've been getting the trailer ready for fishing. Both Interstate 6v batteries won't take a charge.

14 months on a 1 year warranty. They get terrible reviews on Costco website. Picked up 2 Trojan 105's, we'll see how they do.

[Norm K]

With their Die Hard brand, Sears figured out decades ago how to gain a leg-up on the competition: put a lifetime warranty on an average battery knowing that any car in need of a battery is already a few years old and therefore unlikely to be kept by the current owner for more than a couple of years. Sell those average batteries at a significant premium over normal average batteries, replacing only a very low percentage of them along the way.

_

[Porchdog]

That sounds like a cell (or more than one cell) shorted out. Given the short life and assuming that the truck doesn't sit for extended periods, and that the battery has never been fully discharged. likely a defect from manufacturing. It happens.
My understanding is that batteries typically degrade due to plate distortion and sulfation. the electrolysis process of discharge and recharge never perfectly takes the plates back to their original structure. Those changes just get worse over time.

I am one of those guys who had a great experience with my first couple of Optima batteries. Of the next three, none made it two years and the last one the warranty experience was terrible.

Odyssey has been very good to me since - but they aren't cheap. The little Odyssey 925 in my 911 has been amazing. My Odyssey 3400 in my boat is just getting weak after 11 years.

[Noah930]

Car batteries seem to last 2-3 years in my garage, no matter the mileage/use/trickle charging that I do. From my '87 930, to the two more recent Honda daily drivers. I usually go with Interstate, AAA, or Costco batteries (all lead-acid).

I used to drive 14K miles a year on my Civic, with multiple long commutes each week. Now I drive a little more than half that (same car), with lots of shorter, 5-10 mile trips. No difference on battery longevity.

I've started throwing all cars and bikes on trickle chargers overnight once or twice a week to see if that changes anything. I'll report back in 3 years (or less).

[flipper35]

Originally Posted by stevej37

"Geez, an Optima 3 years? That is a SPENDY battery."

Just after I bought it....there was a thread on here about how the quality of Optima's had dropped.
It sure did.

This. I had one from '99 or so in the Cobra and it lasted in the CA low desert for 11 years. They changed somewhere in that time and won't buy another. I can buy cheap ones and come out money ahead.

[Hugh R]

I recently replaced the car battery,not the hybrid battery on my 08 Camry Hybrid, so it lasted 12 years. I bought a genuine Toyota battery, like $350, because it has some temperature sensor plug on the side, That connects to a wire. the pep boys, etc. didn’t have that plug for about $100 less. I figure Toyota didn’t put that plug in without a reason.

[red-beard]

Originally Posted by Hugh R

I recently replaced the car battery,not the hybrid battery on my 08 Camry Hybrid, so it lasted 12 years. I bought a genuine Toyota battery, like $350, because it has some temperature sensor plug on the side, That connects to a wire. the pep boys, etc. didn’t have that plug for about $100 less. I figure Toyota didn’t put that plug in without a reason.

Does the charging system vary on the Toyota? All of our high tech charging systems have a temp sensor and they slow down the charging when the temp rises.

Most cars have a rudimentary voltage regulator system for charging, which honestly, over charges the battery.

[rusnak]

Originally Posted by Noah930

Car batteries seem to last 2-3 years in my garage, no matter the mileage/use/trickle charging that I do. From my '87 930, to the two more recent Honda daily drivers. I usually go with Interstate, AAA, or Costco batteries (all lead-acid).

I used to drive 14K miles a year on my Civic, with multiple long commutes each week. Now I drive a little more than half that (same car), with lots of shorter, 5-10 mile trips. No difference on battery longevity.

I've started throwing all cars and bikes on trickle chargers overnight once or twice a week to see if that changes anything. I'll report back in 3 years (or less).

Totally +1.

Pretty much everything that as a battery needs to have it's charge maintained. I go through piles of batteries every year. It's pretty sad.

[DanielDudley]

Originally Posted by porsche356a

Racist prick.

Seems like it.

[red-beard]

Did a post get deleted?

[porsche356a]

Originally Posted by red-beard

Did a post get deleted?

Yep.

[rockfan4]

Originally Posted by red-beard

Did a post get deleted?

Yes.

Follow up to my earlier post.
I couldn't find my receipt, but Menards has a kiosk where you can enter your credit card, or check number if you paid by check, and it will bring up your past purchases using that payment method. I stuck my chip card in, and it brought up my past receipts. The thing is, it quit around mid 2018. I asked the girl at the return desk about it, and she asked if I had changed cards. I had, in 2017, when I got the new card with the chip. But my number didn't change, just the expiration date and the ccv number. She said their records go back 8 years.
Luckily, I dread throwing cards away, and I still have the old card. I brought it in today, swiped it on the reader, and the screen brought up purchases I made this year and last year. So they are all linked. Maybe it just glitched last night, I don't know. But I found my receipt, Jan of 2018. So the thread title is valid, about 2 1/2 years.

They didn't even test the old battery. Menards doesn't sell Exide anymore, so now I have a AC Delco. They gave it to me as an even exchange for an over 2 year old battery, so I'm not going to complain. Wait, not even exchange! Their 11% sale is on, so they also printed a rebate receipt for $9.72. Store credit, but I spend enough there. As long as this battery lasts until July 2021 or longer, I figure I'm ahead on the deal.

Of course I dropped a bolt removing the old battery. It rolled somewhere behind the front wheel but didn't hit the ground. At first I was worried I was going to have to pull the fender, but I removed the mud flap, which allowed me to move the bottom of the fender liner, dig around in the goop that collects there, and find it. I pulled out as much goop as I could, so maybe that will delay the rust for a year or two.

[mattdavis11]

Well, I had to replace the battery in her car today. I guess Interstate has joined the fold in manufacturing cheap stuff. 30 months and done, but they did replace it for free. The new battery says 30 months free replacement, the other one said 6 years maintenance free.

Just thought you guys might like to know.