Battery Life Question
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I have a 2012 GS and keep the battery on a maintainer when it sits in the garage - sometimes for a couple of months. The car starts every time and there is no indication of a weak battery. But I do not want to get stranded with a bad battery. Dealer says I should change now as it is 5 years old.
My question concerns when I should replace the battery.
Would load testing of the battery help determine it's weakness/life?
My question concerns when I should replace the battery.
Would load testing of the battery help determine it's weakness/life?
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Replacing a car battery every five years is a good rule of thumb. I start worrying about my battery once it hits the 5 year mark, but a battery could also last a lot longer with some luck and if it was maintained properly. When it comes to car batteries, I find the more I use the car, the longer life the battery will have. So i tend to have better luck with the batteries in my daily drivers. As far as my 2012 GS, the battery died a few months back and I replaced it with a Die-Hard. Ironically, it was at about the 5 year mark.
Last edited by TorchRedFred; 07-19-2017 at 10:38 AM.
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While I am not a battery expert past experience tells me a that test of your battery will tell you the condition of the battery right now. Not tomorrow...and I have had batteries die that quickly.
If your battery has always been on a tender and never fully discharged it will be good for a lot longer. Or not.
Five years? For a $125 (+-) investment the peace of mind is priceless.
Just me.
If your battery has always been on a tender and never fully discharged it will be good for a lot longer. Or not.
Five years? For a $125 (+-) investment the peace of mind is priceless.
Just me.
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Replacing a car battery every five years is a good rule of thumb. I start worrying about my battery once it hits the 5 year mark, but a battery could also last a lot longer with some luck and if it was maintained properly. When it comes to car batteries, I find the more I use the car, the longer life the battery will have. So i tend to have better luck with the batteries in my daily drivers. As far as my 2012 GS, the battery died a few months back and I replaced it with a Die-Hard. Ironically, it was at about the 5 year mark.
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Mine died (shorted) while on the maintainer, at 7 years. Wasn't a problem since it was in the garage but I rolled the dice and found out the probable limit.
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As witnessed personally if you live in a HOT weather area they say batteries start their downfall at 30 months on average, I agree having lived here for 15 years now.
Heat is the enemy to them, also fast charging as told to me by Optima, slow is better.
I'm coming up on 3 yrs in the Vette so its in the hear future for a new one![Thumbs Up](https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums/images/smilies/thumbsup.gif)
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Heat is the enemy to them, also fast charging as told to me by Optima, slow is better.
I'm coming up on 3 yrs in the Vette so its in the hear future for a new one
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Bought wife new 1979 Impala Wagon. Battery lasted 10 years.
Bought new Mercury Sable in 1986. 3 batteries in the first 12 months.
Sealed lead acid batteries have a high infant mortality rate. The lead precipitates off the plates and as it does it falls to the bottom and shorts the individual plates.
Replacing a 5 y/o battery is a justifiable maintenance procedure. It just turns into a crapshoot whether the replacement is as good as or better than the one you replace.
Bought new Mercury Sable in 1986. 3 batteries in the first 12 months.
Sealed lead acid batteries have a high infant mortality rate. The lead precipitates off the plates and as it does it falls to the bottom and shorts the individual plates.
Replacing a 5 y/o battery is a justifiable maintenance procedure. It just turns into a crapshoot whether the replacement is as good as or better than the one you replace.
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As witnessed personally if you live in a HOT weather area they say batteries start their downfall at 30 months on average, I agree having lived here for 15 years now.
Heat is the enemy to them, also fast charging as told to me by Optima, slow is better.
I'm coming up on 3 yrs in the Vette so its in the hear future for a new one![Thumbs Up](https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums/images/smilies/thumbsup.gif)
NSF
Heat is the enemy to them, also fast charging as told to me by Optima, slow is better.
I'm coming up on 3 yrs in the Vette so its in the hear future for a new one
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I learned that too, as a kid, that for the best battery life you should avoid fast charging -- except in an emergency (obviously).
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I change mine as soon as the warranty is up. Everything I have ever owned. Cars, trucks, motorcycles, boats...... Not worth the hassle of having to find one quickly to get back on the road.
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Heck...while I hope I get 5 years out of a batt, if I could predict the life of any batt after its 5th birthday i'd be spending a lot more time down the street at the gambling boat....
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