battery replace
- Thread starter ToyBoy
- Start date
You don`t have very many miles either do you Chris. I live in Indiana near the Michigan border. My dad years ago when he retired moved down to Florida, I remember him telling me that hot weather was harder on batterys. When it does go out though I hope I get some warning and not go out one morning before work and the car not crank over.
The life of a car battery is greatly determined by how well the owner maintained it. You should add only used distilled water when it needs it and pay special attention to the cell nearest the engine (the water evaporates the quickest on that one). I usually replace my batteries before 5 years even if they seem okay- they are relatively cheap (about $80 at Costco) considering what they do and it is critical part - and you rely it for just about everything in a car these days. Finally, beware of the "no maintenance" batteries as they really do need to be maintained.
I've replaced plenty batteries in my lifetime and you'll usually start seeing signs. If you don't drive it for a day or two and I'm not even talking about cold/hot just regular weather - it should start without any issues. If starter turns slower then battery may be going. If you drive daily and it's still having hard time starting in the morning, this would be the time replace. If you need a jump, time to replace 
. Now, there are scenarios where you leave your lighs on, dome light etc and it won't start the next day and may need to jump it, but after you recharge it by normal driving it should be alright. Here in Chicago we're in negative degrees each morning for the last week or two so it cranks slower but that's expected. I don't have any issues though, not yet at least and I'm at 43k. Wife's Camry has 60k and already needed a new battery but it's because we don't drive it as much as my car, she basically uses it for work and back which is 7 miles round trip and that's it and the car sits for two days each week. Another thing is do you park outside or garage maybe even heated garage. That may play a role in your battery life since even a regular unheated garage protects your car from wind and elements. Also temperature wise it's 10 degrees warmer in there on a freezing day. On the other hand if it's 115 in summer and you've got your car in the garage without any ventilation, it can get extremely hot in there which can also affect your battery life. As you can see there are many variables, but what I've noticed over the years is if you're a regular dude like me who works every day and has a decent commute 40+ miles round trip, battery should be good for around 7 years or 100k miles.
. Now, there are scenarios where you leave your lighs on, dome light etc and it won't start the next day and may need to jump it, but after you recharge it by normal driving it should be alright. Here in Chicago we're in negative degrees each morning for the last week or two so it cranks slower but that's expected. I don't have any issues though, not yet at least and I'm at 43k. Wife's Camry has 60k and already needed a new battery but it's because we don't drive it as much as my car, she basically uses it for work and back which is 7 miles round trip and that's it and the car sits for two days each week. Another thing is do you park outside or garage maybe even heated garage. That may play a role in your battery life since even a regular unheated garage protects your car from wind and elements. Also temperature wise it's 10 degrees warmer in there on a freezing day. On the other hand if it's 115 in summer and you've got your car in the garage without any ventilation, it can get extremely hot in there which can also affect your battery life. As you can see there are many variables, but what I've noticed over the years is if you're a regular dude like me who works every day and has a decent commute 40+ miles round trip, battery should be good for around 7 years or 100k miles.