[phamilyman]

I think its not just the age of the battery, but the total kms as well. In that account, I'd want to listen to sudev's experience more than others.

No offence to junta here, but my car should do around 10k km in four months. Expecting my battery to last 5 years like many here, or 1.5L km - is a bit of a stretch given what i've seen with my family cars since '97.

[anupmathur]

The worst duty a car battery has to perform is powering up the self starter.
Will not that also come into the picture in trying to figure how long it will last?
Kilometers, per se, do not cause any distress to a battery.

[Raccoon]

Originally Posted by Atlblkz06

Lead acid batteries DO NOT like to be drained. Keep them charged and topped off at 100% all the time. The sulphur will form deposits in a discharged state because its no longer dissolved when discharged.

One big difference is that ALL batteries here are sealed. There is no question of "topping off" the battery. Maybe dirty water is the cause of most battery deaths in India? I thought perhaps the heat had something to do with this, but batteries here face 125*F/50*C temperatures often so I dont believe thats the problem.

I dont know what else to think of.

Yes, the water and the dealers/mechanics who sabotage it by topping off water till the brim!

I wonder why few batterys here are totally sealed. If they aren't a problem at 50 C, then I dont see why they cant be used here.

[SS-Traveller]

Originally Posted by anupmathur

Kilometers, per se, do not cause any distress to a battery.

IMHO, km do make a difference. Travelling more gets the battery to shake up more, so the Pb coating tends to fall off the plates over a period of time. This accumulates at the bottom of the case, leading to what is known as "tree formation". Ultimately, this deposit shorts out the plates in the cell, leading to cell failure. In most instances, a battery fails because a single cell fails, and not because the whole battery went bad.

[anupmathur]

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

IMHO, km do make a difference. Travelling more gets the battery to shake up more, so the Pb coating tends to fall off the plates over a period of time.

Yes, I'd agree about that - travelling on our roads!
But then, everything falls apart on our roads, LOL! The car itself falls apart!

[SS-Traveller]

Originally Posted by anupmathur

Yes, I'd agree about that - travelling on our roads!
But then, everything falls apart on our roads, LOL! The car itself falls apart!

And what about the drivers?? Do professional drivers in India suffer from SINK syndrome (Single Income, No/Neighbour's Kids)?

[Torque-ative]

I was stranded on the highway yesterday as my OEM battery in my NHC 06 (Standard Furokawa),..went Kaput after 3 years.

I had no option but to replace; the only battery available was TATA green battery 38B20L. The dealer said the OEM was 32 ampere and the TATA was 38 ampere and hence better. I got the battery with original invoice and dealer stamped warranty card (18 months replacement, and 19-36 month pro-rata replacement).

What was surprising was the price just Rs.2,600/-
Do I have a wrong spec. battery ??

The car seems to start and run alright.

[Hemanth]

My Santro OEM battery lasted 4 years 1 month. Replaced in May 2009. Total distance at the time of battery change was 44750.

[vasudeva]

In case I have not posted before:
Maruti 800: 17 mths (9/95-2/07), sold in 4/99 with no subsequent replacement
Maruti Zen: 33 mths (4/99-2/02), sold in 5/04 with no subsequent replacement
Corsa 1.4: 47 mths (10/03-9/07)
Corolla: still going after 27 mths.

[ntomer]

My Getz's OEM Excide battery died last week after more than 4 years and 81000 KMs. I replaced it with a Tata Green one (30 months free replacement + 30 months pro-rata replacement).

Nitin

[greenh0rn]

Touch wood- my Santro's OEM battery still goes strong after 4 and a half years. Dunno what to credit for this!

[ritayan]

Santro: (4/2004 -4/2007 - 5/2008) 3 battaries in 5 years
Marina LS: 2/2006 still going strong

[condor]

45 months later, the battery is losing steam.
It has seen multiple long breaks in between, & yet always started at first crank.

The way things go, I think we should have a poll of how long did the replacement battery last. OE batteries always seem to last longest.

[chandan]

Originally Posted by ntomer

My Getz's OEM Excide battery died last week after more than 4 years and 81000 KMs. I replaced it with a Tata Green one (30 months free replacement + 30 months pro-rata replacement).

Nitin

Scary.My Getz has clocked 80000km in 4 years.Looks like it's going to go.

[R2D2]

Originally Posted by condor

OE batteries always seem to last longest.

Interesting when you consider that Exide has 70% of the OE market share It is also one of those brands you either love or hate. Amaron is the fav here on TBHP.

Rgds,