What's the LONGEST (or Shortest) a car battery has lasted for you.

[Cooper911SC]

Got 14 years out of an Exide battery in the 911. Could just tell it was cranking slower and decided to replace. That battery was great!! Record for me.

Our '05 Jaguar STR got a new battery this year, still had the original in it. A 9+ run there.

Funny story, someone else mentioned the Firestone Lifetime Warranty battery.
My Dad is the 2nd owner of a '57 Chevy Belair.

Bought it in '68, put a Firstone battery in it shortly after.
Still has the paperwork and has gone through many batteries over the years.
In the mid/late '90s here in CA the Firestone Auto places turned into tire only shops and I believe parted ways with Sears.
Sears will still honor the warranty now but sends him to an auto parts store of his choice to buy a battery. (They used to specify a real cheapie, but he'd be back every year for a new one)

I think he has gotten his money's worth! I doubt Sears will be around/honor warranty much longer.

[StevoRocket]

2005 Audi A3 TFSI quattro has original battery and its fine. Despite only being driven to town 1 mile and back on a lot of days. Never been on a charger.

911 RS has a Halfords (car accessory chain store) battery installed 2008, lives on a battery maintainer to keep it in trim.

[widebody911]

The batteries in my UniMog are starting to get weak - my fancy charger shows them at ~70% about an hour after being fully-charged.

Almost 12 years on them

[HobieMarty]

I had a Mopar battery in my 1968 Dodge D100 truck that lasted over 10 years!!! I replaced it just last year with, you guessed it, another Mopar battery.

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[Crowbob]

13 years. Daily driver original battery in 2007 AD Toyota FJ Cruiser. Followed by 10 years original battery in a 2011 Kubota BX 2360.

[HobieMarty]

I also have a 1998 Buick Lesabre that keeps killing the battery, if parked for a week, battery goes dead and I have yet to figure out what is causing the drain.

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[stomachmonkey]

In TX lucky to get 3 years out of a battery.

The heat just beats the **** out of them.

Only upside is I've had 6 or so replaced under warranty so it's really like I only buy them once per car.

[Norm K]

I had a similar experience with Optima batteries as some of the other guys here: about a dozen years on one purchased in the mid-ninties and less than two years on one I bought in 2008.

On a side note, I've been hanging onto a useless little squeeze-to-activate flashlight just so I can see for how much longer it will illuminate. I've had it since 1992.

_

[Scott Douglas]

We had a bought a new Taurus wagon (I know, I know...) back in '97 when we needed room for the kids. That battery lasted all of two weeks if I recall.

Lucky for me it died in my in-law's driveway so the wife and kids weren't stranded some place 'bad'. The battery Ford used in that car was a joke. The replacement finally got replaced about 2.5 yrs later, by me.

I almost couldn't believe the size of the battery the Track Auto (remember them?) guy brought out when I asked for the biggest that would fit. It was HUGE compared to the one that came with the car. Made the car run totally different too as all the sensors were finally seeing a full 12v's.

[Hugh R]

2008 Camry hybrid 13 years, the one that starts the car, not the hybrid ones which still work

[dw1]

Shortest: 12 months or so. This was the OEM battery in my wife's car (a few cars ago) when our children were young and the car was making only very short local trips. Btw, that also caused the exhaust system to need replacement prematurely. I put in a better brand of battery (a Sears Die Hard Gold I recall) and the largest one that would fit and that car never needed another battery.

Longest: The current battery in my 911 is 9 years old and still going strong. It's an Interstate size H8, and while I do really like its longevity I strongly suggest the smaller H6 because it is a major PITA to remove the H8 for servicing items like the front condenser blower and windshield washer pump. Fyi, I do keep a Power Tender on my 911 when I am not going to drive it for awhile.

Honorable mentions: The OEM batteries in both my and my daughter's daily drivers are 8 years old and still working fine.

[sc_rufctr]

A few years ago I bought a fancy pants Optima yellow top...
That lasted about 18 months and the model I got only had a 12 month warranty! Never again.
Right now I'm running a regular lead acid battery and it's been in the car for nearly 3 years with no issues.

My dad bought a locally manufactured Chrysler in 1968 and when he sold it in 1983 it still had the same battery the car was delivered with.

[Bill Douglas]

I got about 12 years from a Bosch brand battery. The guy at the battery shop was very surprised and said he hadn't heard of a Bosch one lasting anything like that. Just lucky I suppose because I sure didn't look after it with battery chargers and maintenance.

[billybek]

14 or 15 years on the original AC Delco battery in the 04 GMC 6.0 gas.
Looks like the OEM battery on the Honda CRV is done in 3. Will check the electrolyte levels and put it on the battery conditioner this week.

[hcoles]

I put an Optima in the Pcar about 17 years ago.
Recently replaced it because it made me nervous.
The Interstate store tested it after I took it out and he said it was still good. I installed a new Interstate gel cell.
In the last few months I put a new Interstate gel cell in my 06 Tahoe. I also got the alt. rebuilt. The voltage was not behaving properly. Charging at over 15v much of the time even on a long drive. I got that "new" battery replaced after 3 months for free. Now the charging voltage seems better behaved.

So there you have it:
1 - lasted 17 years
2 - lasted 3 months (probably was bad at the start)

[GH85Carrera]

I bought a JC Penny's lifetime guarantee battery for my 914 back in 1978 or so. Penny's closed their automotive department sometime about 1980 and the warranty went to Firestone. I did not buy another battery until I sold the 914. Firestone started replacing them with pretty cheap batteries that only lasted about two years. I just started going to the Firestone shop every other year the day after Thanksgiving. I was always off work, so I could just hang out as they tested the battery, agreed it was weak and I got a fresh battery for winter.

So from 1978 to 1996, so 18 years and just one battery to buy. It was the ONLY battery I ever bought for the 914. I have no idea how many actual batteries I went through in that time, but it did not cost me one cent, just my time.

Now most of the batteries I have just die all of a sudden. They have an internal short, and can't even be jumped.

For my 911 since I take long road trips I put in the gel battery and after 5 or 6 years, they get replaced regardless. I don't want to deal with battery issues 1,000+ miles form home on some hot summer day.

[porsche4life]

On daily drivers here in AZ, seems like we get 2-3 years max out of batteries. The heat just kills them in the summertime.

[stevej37]

When I bought my 84 Carrera, it came with a new red top Optima.
13 years later, I decided to replace it...even though it was still starting good. (I figured it couldn't last much longer)
The new red top Optima lasted less than 3 years.
I'll never buy another Optima.

[Adrian Thompson]

08 Volvo C30 lasted close to 10 years.
I've stupidly tried Optima batteries a couple of times over the last 27 years and never had one last more than 12 months. Utter junk, wont let one near any vehicle I own now.