Car battery life - How long did your battery last?

Raccoon · 16th August 2009, 00:12

Ok, forgotten...

wolfinstein · 18th August 2009, 22:06

Indica OEM exide freedom has clocked 38 months and going.....!!!

darklord · 8th September 2009, 22:33

OEM Exide in our M-800 (no extras, not even ICE) lasted for four years. Replaced it with Amaron Hi Life six years ago. Havn't touched it till yesterday when, finally, it drained out. Got it recharged today. Let's see how much further it goes.

Question: Is the life span good? What is the average life expectancy of a battery?

aaggoswami · 8th September 2009, 22:40

Baleno original battery is still going strong. Around 37K kms and the car is about to complete 4 years next month. Battery is Amaron. Absolutely no issue with battery till now.

Voted for 3 years and above.

@ mods :
Can we add one more option as " 4 years and above " ? I think with maintenance free batteries now becoming standard in many cars, battery is expected to last quite long ( relatively ). Amaron in our M800 is now more than 5 years old with 65K kms with it. Hence the option suggestion.

PRADEEP KUMAR · 9th September 2009, 08:47

My OE battery in Scorpio will be 4 yrs old on 21/9/09.

filcord · 9th September 2009, 18:04

Just replaced my Baleno battery, Exide, at 42000km and three years 11 months. One month after I got the car, I left the boot open all weekend in the garage and drained the battery. Had to jump-start the car and it never gave any trouble after that till last week, when it failed to turn over at a traffic stop. Had to wait by the side of the road for five minutes for car to cool, then it started. That experience was enough to make me change!

santosh.s · 9th September 2009, 18:22

I believe draining a lead-acid battery is a crime, you should keep it fully charged as much as possible. In case of draining it fully, it is best to replace it with brand new one. Re-charging is good only as a temporary arrangement. I could be wrong about last two sentences, though. Just curious, how long did it go after first instance of draining?

Oops, the answer is already there. It was recharged after about 1 month and then it served for 3 year 10 months, right?

di1in · 9th September 2009, 18:57

Mine was faithfull for 4 years and a couple of moths. It started giving trouble 2 months ago but the mech had attributed that to a prob with the alternator. Then last week it gave up on me after turned on the high beam for a minute while the engine was not running. Then it's the usual story: a jump start and a hasty purchase of a new battery. They bought the old one for 500 rupees too. The old one is a Bosch, new one is Amaron - hope it lasts very long .

Raccoon · 9th September 2009, 20:45

Quote:

Originally Posted by santosh.s

I believe draining a lead-acid battery is a crime, you should keep it fully charged as much as possible. In case of draining it fully, it is best to replace it with brand new one. Re-charging is good only as a temporary arrangement. I could be wrong about last two sentences, though. Just curious, how long did it go after first instance of draining?

Oops, the answer is already there. It was recharged after about 1 month and then it served for 3 year 10 months, right?

While totally draining a lead acid battery is a crime, if it happens by mistake, you don't have to automatically assume that you have to replace it. A good auto battery will take a few deep discharge cycles, but it will shorten the battery's lifespan. Thru proper testing, you can tell if the battery will be good for some more time.

ajaydelhi · 9th September 2009, 21:07

My city's OEM Battery lasted for 25 months.

null · 9th September 2009, 22:25

Quote:

Originally Posted by null

I have a June Two Thousand & Two model (trying to avoid numeric digits which you will grasp quickly in the post) Wagonr and the battery is still going strong -- TOUCH WOOD.

Update: Battery failed one fine day in July in the morning after having driven for 5 kms, and parking for 15mins with ignition on. Push-started and drove to the battery shop. The cells were almost dry barring one. Topped it up with almost 1.5 ltrs of distilled water there and drove around a bit (15kms) & it was back to normal. After 2 days, I ended up leaving the ignition ON the whole day at work - left the key inside the car & manually central locked the door. Push-started it again & drove back home and the battery has been behaving itself since then.

The car is nearing its 50k mark on the odo & the tires are still decent & would last atleast another 10k according to me. Its been 7+ years now and the battery has borne all the torture given without complaining much.

santosh.s · 9th September 2009, 22:35

Quote:

Originally Posted by Raccoon

While totally draining a lead acid battery is a crime, if it happens by mistake, you don't have to automatically assume that you have to replace it. A good auto battery will take a few deep discharge cycles, but it will shorten the battery's lifespan. Thru proper testing, you can tell if the battery will be good for some more time.

Right, I should have added words like "repeated" and "prolonged" discharge would damage the battery. Once it's capacity is reduced significantly we have to replace it. BTW, auto batteries are designed for more current (required for starting) and are more susceptible to this problem as compared to say inverter battery.

akash_m · 10th September 2009, 12:06

Swift Vxi, Amaron:

4 years, 2 months, 65k old.... & counting!!

Sportsmind · 12th September 2009, 13:18

My eight months old Amron battery gave trouble this morning. I usually use my drive on week ends, rest of the week i use my company car. I had just done my 50K service at Bimal last week and then left the car at home. This morning, it just would not crank. Had to call the Maruti hotline and they came in no time. The guys said it is due to too many add ons on the car. How true is this?. How does add one and accessories matter on a car which is parked for a week. If the battery is not good enough, I might just get it replaced as it is still on the warranty.
Kindly advice

....

Raccoon · 12th September 2009, 20:11

^^^ The add-ons could be preventing the battery from getting charged. This would depend on your pattern of use. If you have been using it this way, then there is a good chance that your battery life has already been significantly reduced.

16th August 2009, 00:12	#196
Raccoon Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Poona Posts: 1,851 Thanked: 116 Times	Ok, forgotten...
	() Thanks

18th August 2009, 22:06	#197
wolfinstein BHPian Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: New Delhi Posts: 994 Thanked: 20 Times	Indica OEM exide freedom has clocked 38 months and going.....!!!
	() Thanks

8th September 2009, 22:33	#198
darklord BHPian Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: TVM (KL-16) Posts: 793 Thanked: 3,458 Times View My Garage	OEM Exide in our M-800 (no extras, not even ICE) lasted for four years. Replaced it with Amaron Hi Life six years ago. Havn't touched it till yesterday when, finally, it drained out. Got it recharged today. Let's see how much further it goes. Question: Is the life span good? What is the average life expectancy of a battery? Last edited by darklord : 8th September 2009 at 22:35.
	() Thanks

8th September 2009, 22:40	#199
aaggoswami Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2007 Location: Vadodara Posts: 4,997 Thanked: 3,006 Times	Baleno original battery is still going strong. Around 37K kms and the car is about to complete 4 years next month. Battery is Amaron. Absolutely no issue with battery till now. Voted for 3 years and above. @ mods : Can we add one more option as " 4 years and above " ? I think with maintenance free batteries now becoming standard in many cars, battery is expected to last quite long ( relatively ). Amaron in our M800 is now more than 5 years old with 65K kms with it. Hence the option suggestion.
	() Thanks

9th September 2009, 08:47	#200
PRADEEP KUMAR BHPian Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: CHENNAI Posts: 388 Thanked: 29 Times	My OE battery in Scorpio will be 4 yrs old on 21/9/09.
	() Thanks

9th September 2009, 18:04	#201
filcord BHPian Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: goa Posts: 997 Thanked: 68 Times	Just replaced my Baleno battery, Exide, at 42000km and three years 11 months. One month after I got the car, I left the boot open all weekend in the garage and drained the battery. Had to jump-start the car and it never gave any trouble after that till last week, when it failed to turn over at a traffic stop. Had to wait by the side of the road for five minutes for car to cool, then it started. That experience was enough to make me change!
	() Thanks

9th September 2009, 18:22	#202
santosh.s Senior - BHPian Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,157 Thanked: 206 Times View My Garage	I believe draining a lead-acid battery is a crime, you should keep it fully charged as much as possible. In case of draining it fully, it is best to replace it with brand new one. Re-charging is good only as a temporary arrangement. I could be wrong about last two sentences, though. Just curious, how long did it go after first instance of draining? Oops, the answer is already there. It was recharged after about 1 month and then it served for 3 year 10 months, right? Last edited by santosh.s : 9th September 2009 at 18:27.
	() Thanks

9th September 2009, 18:57	#203
di1in BHPian Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Thrissur Posts: 511 Thanked: 293 Times View My Garage	Mine was faithfull for 4 years and a couple of moths. It started giving trouble 2 months ago but the mech had attributed that to a prob with the alternator. Then last week it gave up on me after turned on the high beam for a minute while the engine was not running. Then it's the usual story: a jump start and a hasty purchase of a new battery. They bought the old one for 500 rupees too. The old one is a Bosch, new one is Amaron - hope it lasts very long .
	() Thanks

9th September 2009, 21:07	#205
ajaydelhi Newbie Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Delhi Posts: 2 Thanked: 0 Times	My city's OEM Battery lasted for 25 months.
	() Thanks

10th September 2009, 12:06	#208
akash_m BHPian Join Date: May 2007 Location: Noida Posts: 258 Thanked: 102 Times	Swift Vxi, Amaron: 4 years, 2 months, 65k old.... & counting!!
	() Thanks

12th September 2009, 13:18	#209
Sportsmind BHPian Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Bengaluru Posts: 399 Thanked: 32 Times View My Garage	Battery down... My eight months old Amron battery gave trouble this morning. I usually use my drive on week ends, rest of the week i use my company car. I had just done my 50K service at Bimal last week and then left the car at home. This morning, it just would not crank. Had to call the Maruti hotline and they came in no time. The guys said it is due to too many add ons on the car. How true is this?. How does add one and accessories matter on a car which is parked for a week. If the battery is not good enough, I might just get it replaced as it is still on the warranty. Kindly advice....
	() Thanks

12th September 2009, 20:11	#210
Raccoon Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Poona Posts: 1,851 Thanked: 116 Times	^^^ The add-ons could be preventing the battery from getting charged. This would depend on your pattern of use. If you have been using it this way, then there is a good chance that your battery life has already been significantly reduced.
	() Thanks