2 & 1/2 years and a dead battery

[red-beard]

YES! A Car topic - Woo Hoo!

My Ford F250, 2017. I bought it in September 2017. Battery died last week. I was able to charge it and get the truck to start, but no re-start cold. I fortunately bought one of those tiny start assist boxes (https://no.co/gb50).

This morning, had no trouble getting an appointment at the FORD dealer. Drove right in. They said they had to do an hour test. Came back, yep dead battery. Replaced under Warranty.

2.5 years seems short (hah!) life for a battery. I recently replaced Mrs. Beard's battery and it only lasted 3 years. (make that of it what you will).

Anyone else experiencing short car battery life?

[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.

[Scott Douglas]

The battery makers have this down to a science now. Yours just fell a little short of the end of life curve where they make money on it.

[red-beard]

if Ford was going to charge (hah!) me for a replacement, I was going to look into long life alternative batteries.

I am planning to replace this one when it dies....With something superior. Geez, an Optima 3 years? That is a SPENDY battery.

[Scott Douglas]

I have to ask, was it sized properly, in your opinion, for the size of the truck?
Our CR-V battery was pitifully small for an all electric optioned car. I replaced it with one that was almost 1/2 again physically bigger than the original.

[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.

[red-beard]

Originally Posted by Scott Douglas

I have to ask, was it sized properly, in your opinion, for the size of the truck?
Our CR-V battery was pitifully small for an all electric optioned car. I replaced it with one that was almost 1/2 again physically bigger than the original.

6.7l engine and it is a good sized battery. I'll look at the CCR. My 6.7 liter diesel had 2 batteries to crank it over. It was amazing that the little Lithium starter could crank it, no issue.

[Steve Carlton]

I bet your F250 might have sat around too long before you bought it and the battery got compromised.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by red-beard

YES! A Car topic - Woo Hoo!

My Ford F250, 2017. I bought it in September 2017. Battery died last week. I was able to charge it and get the truck to start, but no re-start cold. I fortunately bought one of those tiny start assist boxes (https://no.co/gb50).

This morning, had no trouble getting an appointment at the FORD dealer. Drove right in. They said they had to do an hour test. Came back, yep dead battery. Replaced under Warranty.

2.5 years seems short (hah!) life for a battery. I recently replaced Mrs. Beard's battery and it only lasted 3 years. (make that of it what you will).

Anyone else experiencing short car battery life?

My experience in our hot environment is that the original battery usually lasts a long time, 5+ years, but that subsequent parts store batteries (even the good ones with long warranties) last 3-4 years. The heat in our environment is very bad for batteries. I'd have expected the battery in your truck to have lasted much longer, unless maybe it's got crazy high miles for it's 2.5-3 year life which could mean a lot more heat and jostling.

[Scott Douglas]

I think the battery in our CR-V came out of the Goldwing motorcycle assembly line it was so small.

[911boost]

Really, I am still on the stock batteries in my 2012 F350 6.7L Powerstroke.

I even just went to check them and they are Motorcrafts's, I have had it since new.

[911boost]

And thank you for the "vehicle" related thread.

[Scott Douglas]

I know Honda has changed the way the electrical system operates such that it charges the battery like crazy for a short time after starting, then shuts it off, for gas mileage donchano.
Result is that it boils the fluid off earlier than normal, resulting in exposed plates and early battery failure.
I checked the fluid at 18 months on our then new CR-V and found two cells with exposed plates. It never would have made it to three years I'm sure. I topped it up and replaced at just before the three year date with a much bigger one.

[stevej37]

Originally Posted by Scott Douglas

I checked the fluid at 18 months on our then new CR-V and found two cells with exposed plates. It never would have made it to three years I'm sure. I topped it up and replaced at just before the three year date with a much bigger one.

I did the same with my Honda battery. When I first saw it, I laughed, it was normal width, but square!
Took the whole tray out and cut some metal. Fit a bigger one in..should last longer.

[Scott Douglas]

I know batteries cost, but ours was so small I thought "Why didn't you save the money and put in a smaller battery box? Steel costs too!"

[masraum]

Has your battery been hanging out with other batteries or appropriately social distancing?



Maybe your battery has coronavirus!

[pwd72s]

Original battery life is notoriously short according to Mustang boards. My original died in about 2 years. Replaced with Optima, got maybe 7 years. First optima I bought that lasted less than 10. On my 2nd optima now. Dunno if it's optima or battery location on the upper firewall on the passenger side where it gets lots of engine heat.

Optima was originally a Gates battery...no idea where they're made now.

[KNS]

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.

I must have the earlier version Optima, one of mine is over ten years old without issues.

The Duralast in my 993 is seven years old.

[WPOZZZ]

I have a 2011 X3 and it was on its original battery until November 2019. Of course, looking back at the records, BMW always put it on a charger whenever it went in for service. It was also a mainland car, so it had long trips, instead of short ones.

[908/930]

I think it has to do with high charge rates and running higher voltage from the alt. My truck also seems to boil out the water from the battery pretty quick.