Community Chat

[sunshine45]

it really depends on the quality of the battery.

we always use INTERSTATE batteries and they have an excellent warranty.

[DiAnne]

I just replaced a battery that was 6 years old.  Unfortunately I had to call Auto Club because my car was dead.  The driver said 6 years is about how long they last.  

[BalletBabe]

@cherry  Most batteries come with a warranty.  I get mine at Walmart and if it goes bad before 5 years it is replaced for free. 

[CelticCrafter]

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@cherry wrote:

Our car was 2 years old in Oct. My husband just had an oil change and was told our battery was still in the yellow zone. Today the car  had a hard start and it was only  in the below freezing temps last night.

He is off to buy a new battery. I thought a battery should last about 3 years. Am I wrong about this

Our car is a Ford Fusion, not the hybrid one

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Did they wave a wand over the battery?

When our daughter was moving out of state we wanted to make sure her car was tuned up and taken care of before she left.  My husband took it to Autozone to have them check the battery and it was okay, had a decent life left in it - the next day it was deader than a door nail.  I'm convinced that whatever they tested it with killed it.

[Sunshine Kate]

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@cherry wrote:

Our car was 2 years old in Oct. My husband just had an oil change and was told our battery was still in the yellow zone. Today the car  had a hard start and it was only  in the below freezing temps last night.

He is off to buy a new battery. I thought a battery should last about 3 years. Am I wrong about this

Our car is a Ford Fusion, not the hybrid one

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We learned that in new cars they come with cheap batteries from the factory.  Two years is all we ever get out of one. 

However, we replace it with a top of the line battery and will usually get 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 years from one. 

[deeva]

Batteries don't last long in desert climates. I have replaced my battery twice in the last eighteen months. When I lived in the Midwest, my batteries lasted four or five years.

[JustJazzmom]

The battery sits in a warehouse, losing it's charge over time. So even if it may say 5 years duration, it might be less than that. Ask your mechanic if you have a more than 1-3 year warranty because if it failed ahead of that or within that time, many mechanics will install a new one for free!

ETA, your mechanic should check the generator too on the off chance that is causing the battery to drain.

[hckynut]

cold is the worst enemy of a battery

[riley1]

@hckynut - so is the intense heat - really hard on a battery. BTW, welcome back - hope you are feeling better. Riley1

[x Hedge]

Hi @cherry. The stock battery on a new car is probably only rated fo 24 or 36 months.  When you replace it you'll see they're marked with a production date, so you can avoid something that's been sitting on a back shelf for years.

They're good for 36 months, 48 months, etc with increasing prices.

When your car is running the battery is being recharged as the stored energy is being used. But STARTING your car causes a short, but DEEP drain immediately before recharging occurs, and in cold temperatures can lead to "hard starting".

When you look at new batteries you'll see the words "Cold cranking amps" and a number. This refers to the batteries reserve capacity to start your vehicle in cold temps, when power is called for before the recharging starts. Since you live in the chilly great lakes region the cold cranking amps rating is a factor in selecting a replacement battery.

The fact that your car didn't have an easy start following a cold night could be low cold cranking amps in an aging battery that's already seen a couple midwest winters.