Steve, I agree. Also climate enters in...I'm thinking the summer heat there is much harder on car batteries than the climate here in the Willamette Valley. I usually go AGM, not so much for longer life as for less corrosion & leaks risk.

I think alternators can last quite a while if you don't put on a heavy electrical load after engine start. I've got 251,000 miles on my 2004 BMW - I'm the original owner with the original alternator.

Absolutely. I used to work at a FLAPS, and spoke to a battery rep who said that high heat was a battery killer, and that the more modern vehicles with higher temps and packed engine bays contributed.

I'd agree, alternators should last quite a while assuming the bearings and brushes last.

Likely that new battery will take care of your problem, but if it doesn't check if something is keeping the ECU awake. This problem started in my 2011 2500hd a couple weeks ago, something powered by the radio fuse acting up, possibly onstar crap can't update properly.

Those battery testers that pwd72s pointed out are worth having in the tool box.

I had a Mopar battery that lasted 10 years once. It was in my 1968 Dodge D100, which basically has a dome light and doesn't even have a radio, so no alarm, no power anything to drain the battery. The truck would sit months at a time without being cranked up and would always fire right up, until it didn't.
Aside from that, I have never had a battery last that long.

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