how long will a battery last?

in the fall of 2019 i bought a 2004 Buick ,i figured it would need a battery soon?,i looked at it in its under the back seat home,it was dated 2011,as of today its still going strong!!,its a advance auto model
either 100 or 78,ive forgot which, its vents are on the ends and go to the outside through the floorboards,i havent took a close look in a while but if its a AGM would it have vents?

Mine usually last around 7 years, though I have one going on 11.
It's not in the car any more but I use it as a spare, believe it or not.
Doesn't matter if they're lead/acid or Optima in my case.
I use battery tenders on them.

I think it depends on use, back when they locked us all down in 2020 a lot of cars ended up sitting and their batteries died, including mine that was only 5 yrs old. All it took was to stop being used daily.

Yes, it does.

The Auto Zone battery in my 55 Dodge truck has been there 9 years and still going strong.

It would probably test bad if you were to put a load on it. Its probably a 700-800CCA but the car likely only takes 300cca or so to actually start up. Also the fact that it is under the back seat helps a ton, its perfectly clean and sees more consistent temperatures that way, batteries being out of the engine compartment helps battery life a fair amount.

I work in the battery business and its not uncommon to see remote mount batteries be 6-8 years old sometimes more. How far and how often the car is driven all play into battery life.

The oldest stuff I see usually is in old tractors. Where someone thought that little 30HP diesel needed 800CCA when it really needs like 125CCA and one compression stroke to start, the battery can test bad per its rated CCA for ages before it actually won't start the tractor lol.

Not n the sense of an old school battery with caps on it. Generally, the vents on an AGM are flush. You will see round circles in the top and those are only overpressure vents. If they pop your battery is pretty much wasted.

You can see the vents in this battery

https://www.walmart.com/ip/VMAX-XTR...ttery-for-Minn-Kota-Traxxis-45/726955426

Knock on wood, 2006 Dodge truck still has one of the original bats, and I have a tester to check it. Bought that tester ($18) to check junk yard 12 volt batteries for my golf cart, batterys are $26

Ok . . . so maybe I am the outlier here . . . I have the FACTORY batteries in my 2002 Cummins ! Both still show the 'green" eye, and test good ! . . . I have always made sure to check the fluid level and top up with distilled water. Also, have had battery maintainer on then when I am not driving the truck. I generally only use the truck in the spring/summer/fall, and even then it is for towing the travel trailer or the car trailer . . . it sits with the battery maintainer on there - I do check to make sure all is good, and have changed battery maintainers over the years. I also have the factory battery in my 2004 Crossfire & 2006 Magnum. Yup, when not in use, I put battery maintainer on them.

So, 20 years from original batteries . . . never heard of, but I can prove it can be done !

Like anything, it is how it gets utilized, maintained . . . figure if I can pop caps off to check fluid level, then I check it !

Best of luck to all !

Cheers

Batteries have date codes stamped on them, sometimes it's a sticker.

https://batteryglobe.com/how-to-read-car-battery-date-codes/

Post pictures.

Just replaced the Optima red-top in the RoadRunner, originally installed in 2009...
13 years isn't too bad..

Just my $0.02...

Maintenance and upkeep sure help get longer battery life, but I'm betting its as much the individual battery as it is the care it has received. I don't do battery tenders, don't want to burn down my garage because of them.

I've had batteries last 13+ years, and I've had a few of them fail in 6 months. I suspect the average battery life here is 7-8 years. I don't think the "newer" batteries (made in the last 10 years) last as long as the older batteries did, but really, I have no way to prove that either way. I have 3 vehicles, as long as all 3 vehicles don't kill a battery the same year, I'm a pretty happy guy. Over the years there used to be some brands of batteries that just didn't hold up well, and I avoided them like a plague. These days, I'm not so sure there is much differences in the battery brands, just some extra cost for some big brand names.

In 1984 I visited a Johnson Controls plant in South Carolina and they produced car batteries. While walking down the assembly lines I saw at least 10 different brands including Die Hard and Insterstate, different cases but the same internals...

Had to replace the battery in my home back up generator today. Still showed 13.2 but didn’t have the amp to crank the engine. The old one was Installed 6 Nov 2016. Paid around $80 for the old one. New one cost $219 today. Identical battery.

Not always, in the mid 1960's Dad worked for ESB (now Exide) in Kansas City. ESB was also OEM for the local Ford plant. One day he overheard a worker carping (he used much saltier language) about why such an inferior car company needed such a superior battery. This was just after tar tops ended, batteries were rated by amp hours, not this nutty cranking amps stuff, and how many lead plates they could cram into a case.

By the mid 1970's I worked for JC Penny in the auto center when they introduced the JC Penny lifetime battery. Dad is STILL getting freebies from Firestone. Anyway, there were two vendors, AC/Delco (flat top) and Gould (two big rectangular caps) We had FAR less troubles (replacements) with the AC Delcos. I gave up on Johnson Control products, Interstate, Optima, Duramax Gold and have been using AGM AC Delco Professional series of late. Pretty well satisfied with the AC Delco products. Corrosion and warranty issues just don't exist anymore. 2¢

Anything here (depths of HE77 in the desert SW) over two years and you’re on borrowed time for the most part. I finally retired the 11 year old Optima blue top. It was in the boat during the summer and racecar trailer during the winter for cool down on the car and winch duty. It fails the load test but still starts the boat fine. Optima red top on my daily driver Jeep xj is a 2013. No idea why it’s still alive…. It’s hotter n hellfire under that hood in the summer!

Depends on the climate and if you keep the car inside or outside. Mild climate and car kept in a garage the battery can last 20 years. Park the car outside in super cold weather and you might only get 5 years out of a battery.

Battery Tenders do have issues...
I had 1 that shorted out and melted the case...
I took a picture and sent a message back to their corporate headquarters, but they didn't want the unit returned but they did sent me a replacement.
But a week later, their head of engineering called me and requested I see back the defective unit for their inspection and failure analysis...
Too late it was already tossed into the dumpster.
Note that 1 drawback of a battery tender that it does not address sulphate buildup which adds resistance and can destroy a unit.
So I started using a battery minder product, that sends a high voltage spike every 5 seconds to burn off the sulphate buildup.
5 years later using the battery minder, to date no problems and unit remains cool....

Just my $0.02...

I have read more than once that OEM “Tractor Batteries” last longer in service because they can be heavier with thicker lead plates than what automakers demand solely for EPA fuel economy reasons, but do not have personal experience.

When I started in mining in the 1970s the huge, expensive lead acid batteries which powered “Ram Car” underground coal haulers had a fierce competition between suppliers for “more charge cycles”. Company field reps would visit and “educate” on proper practice.
These were “tar tops” and you could test and change out individual 2 volt cells.
Quality of replacement water was a big deal.
Variable rate current charging was preferred, fast at first, slow near last.
There were special 2 volt chargers to “bring back” individual cells that were weak.

The knowledge of how to make lead acid batteries last a long time has been around at least 40 years,
but has been ignored to gain 0.1 MPG on the EPA test.

I think my PulseTech Xtreme Charge unit extended the life of my last battery.
Its “charge acceptance” battery level testing method seems better than just voltage measurement.
I like to use a Kill-A-Watt meter with it so I can see the watts decline as the battery reaches full charge.

Seems like about 4 years is the life of a parts store replacement battery in a daily driver for me. Even in the old mopars that don't get driven regularly, or my old Ford tractor...around 4 years is it.
The factory installed batteries I've seen last 8-10 years usually. Then there was my '16 Caravan that the factory battery only lasted 3 years.
When I came back to work after the 2020 shutdown, several of our work vehicles had to have new batteries installed after sitting in the parking lot for 4 months.

My '01 Dodge Cummins needed new batteries in 2012. I bought a pair of new, but expired shelf life batteries from the Exide battery store and put them in. I was told they were brought back in from a retailer that had them on the shelf for too long. They were still going strong in 2018 when I sold the truck.

My Optima yellow-top is at least 10 years old and still going. Still starts after sitting for months with no tender.

Here are pics of the truck batteries . . . 2002 Cummins, 135k km (81k miles) on truck.

Here is OE battery from 2006 Magnum, 231k km (144k miles) . . .

Apparently I needed to spell out POST PICTURES OF THE DATE CODES

I read somewhere that to charge a battery right it needs at least 16 volts at first then taper back to eat the sulphate.
My great grandfather made up his own set of batteries to run the lights on the farm (30s) had a lot of them in a shed that he maintained with acid and lead plates. He charged them with steam generator during the day. Only farm in Rock Hill that had lights. Mom said he was a smart guy.

Uh . . . that is all that is on the factory batteries - labels on the top. . . . if you think I am making it all up, whatever. I know my machines and what I do to look after them. I was only posting this out of information for all to see what could be done. Why would I post something that is not true ?? Not here to spread disinformation. Merely stating my experience, sorry that you doubt my words . . .

Cheers

M

My 05 300C is still sporting the original battery. Not my usual experience tho, more like 6-8 years.

My big trucks run 4 Type 31, usually 1000 CCA. Anything much over 3 years is a gift because at least one of them will give up the ghost. Rinse repeat .

Kevin

If you want everyone to believe you have the original 20 year old batteries in your truck and aren't mistaken about having replaced it you are going to have to post a shot of the date code. I posted a link on where to find those date codes.

Years ago, for my 49 Plymouth convert I bought a new 6 volt original style battery from Newcastle. The first one lasted less than a year, and they exchanged it under warranty. The next one failed fairly promptly as well and again they warranted it. The third one was still going strong after 12 years. When I took it out of the car to get another car that was lacking a battery started, it slipped out of my hands and cracked open on the floor. Who knows how long that battery may have lasted? It's too bad I wrecked it. It's puzzling how it's siblings died so young, but it was able to attain geezer status.

The battery minder sends a 4KV(low current) spike every 10 seconds...
This supposedly burns off any sulphate buildup...

Just my $0.02...

The worst battery I have ever had is an optima red top. Purchased 8/25/20 and I just replaced it for the third time. Most batteries give me 7-8 years in daily drivers, thought the optima would be better, parts store said they are not what they used to be, lots of issues. Interstate batteries were always junk for me also.

I have had excellent luck with both Optima and Interstate batteries.

Something with your situation is strange, or your supplier has old product. That is not a normal problem.

Those batteries would probably test bad if you load tested them. But you have a cummins, and they start super easy so you get by. Your situation would never happen with a ford diesel lol.

I hope you are right, and this new one lasts. The Optimas were not old, they were within 2 months of sale date. Both died right after winter in 2 separate caravans, almost exactly the same month. One day it starts fine, the next flat dead, would not charge. Both vans were fine with traditional batteries, getting 7-8 years out of them. When they tested them they said they were junk and would not accept a charge.

Have a 2000 Cummins, changed the original batteries in 2020, both group 27 mopar originals, green eye still green, bought the truck new. I changed them because 1 barely passed a load test, figured I did not want to wait and fry the alternator or wiring. 85,000 miles never driven in winter, heated garage kept, so it sat 6 months out of the year, always started right up.

Sounds like our trucks are similar - mine sits through the winter also. I have LOAD TESTED both batteries, separately of course, all still ok . . .

my CarQuest guy handles Harris Batteries. I've gotten 11+ years out of them.

I had never heard of Harris

https://www.harrisbattery.com/product-category/commercial-automotive/

interesting

review and overview

https://www.solarreviews.com/blog/harris-battery-review

Since when is 33% (13.5 vs 10.2) more considered "slightly"........................


Harris ReLi24-10.2 Generac PWRcell LG RESU10H Prime Tesla Powerwall
Cost* $7,000-$8,500. $10,000 $7,000-$8,000 $8,500
Capacity 10.2 kWh. 9 kWh. 9.6 kWh 13.5 kwh
*Cost before installation

Cost
The Harris battery with 10.2 kWh capacity costs between $7,000 and $8,500 before installation.

This price is better than the Generac PWRcell with 9 kWh capacity at $10,000. The Harris battery is roughly within the same price range as the LG RESU10H Prime with 9.6 kWh capacity, which costs between $7,000 and $8,000. The Tesla Powerwall with 13.5 kWh capacity costs $8,500, but comes with slightly higher capacity than the others.

Sniper those are OE batteries in that ctd…. I know that label well!

I bought my 2004 Dodge 2500 diesel in the fall of 2003. I had to buy new batteries in December of 2018! I almost got my moneys worth out of those original batteries....lol.

On the other hand, I bought my 2014 Ram 1500 v6 in July 2017, with just under 24000 miles. It already had a new Delco in it.
Fast forward to December 2021, weak battery, short cranking ability and worry about getting stranded, I replaced again, with just under 44k on the dial.

Probably a result of my short commute, 5-6 miles each way, no long trips ...

I have gotten pretty lucky. My 96 Ram 2500 V10 is on its 3rd battery since new. 27 years total. My 2004 3500 Dually Diese is only on it's second pair of batteries.
My resto batteries for the musclecars though are a different story, some last 7-8 years, some only last maybe 2-3.

As posted previously, I just replaced the Optima red-top in the RoadRunner originally installed in 2009....
What I found with the Optima batteries was if they run down a traditional battery charger frequently does not work well. In my Conquest I had a 2 year old Optima yellow-top, I left the interior door light partially on and the battery ran down. I tried using my Sear's smart charger that had an AGM mode, but it wouldn't bring the battery back up. I was about ready to dump the yellow-top and decided to try an Optima charger yes they are expensive but I got 1 from Amazon and planned to return it if it didn't work well. Much to my surprise the Optima charger brought my yellow-top back to life. My only reaction was that Optima charging cycle works great for an Optima battery...

Just my $0.02...

Former industrial battery tech here- maintenance plays a huge roll in the life of batteries, but so does the usage and living environment. I agree with the Johnson Controls comment, my father in law was a life long employee- they make dozens of the same batteries with different labels, you just pay for the label. My 2014 jeep still has the original battery and absolutely no signs of petering out. It cranks that hemi lightning fast!

Perhaps one reason the large lead acid batteries used in underground mining last longer,
is that the air is a modest 55 to 60 degrees F
and those batteries are not close to hot engine blocks and radators?