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Get the biggest battery with the most Cold Cranking Amps that will fit in your rig, and that you can afford.
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I don't really know how long a battery should last any more, but one thing I've noticed.
Factory equipment is not usually the best, but it is usually the cheapest for the manufacturer. OEM batteries however, seem to last longer than the replacements, regardless of price. Don't know why that would be.
My previous Dodge pickup, the batteries were over ten years old, and I only replaced them because I figured it must be time. They were working perfectly before I changed them.
My 2010 Jeep Patriot still has the original battery. My 2013 Harley has the original battery.
But once I do the prudent thing and replace any of these batteries, I'll be changing them every two years, as they just don't last like the originals.
Factory equipment is not usually the best, but it is usually the cheapest for the manufacturer. OEM batteries however, seem to last longer than the replacements, regardless of price. Don't know why that would be.
My previous Dodge pickup, the batteries were over ten years old, and I only replaced them because I figured it must be time. They were working perfectly before I changed them.
My 2010 Jeep Patriot still has the original battery. My 2013 Harley has the original battery.
But once I do the prudent thing and replace any of these batteries, I'll be changing them every two years, as they just don't last like the originals.
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Costco. It's been awhile since I bought a car battery though. The Costco's I'm running now are 100 month and still have awhile to go. The thing about those batteries that are still going strong for all those years is that they may not be as strong as you think. When you have a car that fires right off after a turn and a half of the starter those batteries may have only that "Turn and a half" worth of heavy draw left. The best way to check an older battery is with a Battery load test. You may find out that battery won't handle more than three or four second of heavy draw.
On the AGM and GEL batteries. They are fine batteries, and expensive. If you don't really need a battery that will take a beating, think heavy off road use, or a pounding in the marine environment on a boat, heavy white water running. Or needing to be in a confined area, on their side, and where "Gassing" from charging would cause damage, then you don't really NEED to spend the extra money. Regular flooded lead acid batteries generally produce more amperage output than AGM and GEL batteries.
On the AGM and GEL batteries. They are fine batteries, and expensive. If you don't really need a battery that will take a beating, think heavy off road use, or a pounding in the marine environment on a boat, heavy white water running. Or needing to be in a confined area, on their side, and where "Gassing" from charging would cause damage, then you don't really NEED to spend the extra money. Regular flooded lead acid batteries generally produce more amperage output than AGM and GEL batteries.
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I feel your battery pain.
My 1998 Ranger battery lasted 14 years, my 2002 Focus battery lasted 15 (just replaced it a few months ago).
Diesel trucks are a different animal. I bought a used 2008 F350 with the 6.4 power stroke in 2012. Both batteries were aftermarket Interstates. In 2014 I had to replace one & the next year had to replace the other one.....
I went with the 5 year Motorcraft batteries from a dealer with a good discount.
Good luck on your quest to find the best.
My 1998 Ranger battery lasted 14 years, my 2002 Focus battery lasted 15 (just replaced it a few months ago).
Diesel trucks are a different animal. I bought a used 2008 F350 with the 6.4 power stroke in 2012. Both batteries were aftermarket Interstates. In 2014 I had to replace one & the next year had to replace the other one.....
I went with the 5 year Motorcraft batteries from a dealer with a good discount.
Good luck on your quest to find the best.
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If your battery is only lasting 2 years you have a problem - either it is grossly undersized and there is too much drain, or there is something wrong with your charging system.
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I always buy Motorcraft Batteries for my Navigator, they seem to last the longest out of any battery that I have had in other vehicles and they have a good warranty.
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Its the correct size group 78 for the truck and charges at about 14-14.5 volts. No crazy load just the normal stuff the truck comes with. Just seems the batterys I got in the last 5-7 (duralast, interstate, kirkland, everstart, optima) years for many different vehicles or boats last for a lot shorter duration then they use to. Best so far has been a Duralast gold but it seems the battery has changed from the style that I had good luck with.
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The Herectic has a good point...
All batteries are not created equal...
Johnson controls makes batteries for a lot of companies,unfortunately that doesn't mean they are all top quality... A Costco interstate does not compare in quality as an interstate from most repair facilities selling a Megatron...
My recommendation;
Napa legend.
Interstate Megaton.
Delco, unless you want to get into gel or glass mat.
Most parts store,bimart,kmart and so on batteries are budget but tend to have a good warranty...
Poor quality battery can take out an expensive alternator, starting with a good platform is always recommended...
A good battery in a vehicle with a properly operating charging system and not having an abundance of drains should last 5yrs or so. A vehicle that sits a lot or does many short starts and stops takes a tole on batteries and charging systems,plugging into a battery tender will solve this...
Weak batteries tend to fail with drastic temp changes, Start of winter and start of summer...
All batteries are not created equal...
Johnson controls makes batteries for a lot of companies,unfortunately that doesn't mean they are all top quality... A Costco interstate does not compare in quality as an interstate from most repair facilities selling a Megatron...
My recommendation;
Napa legend.
Interstate Megaton.
Delco, unless you want to get into gel or glass mat.
Most parts store,bimart,kmart and so on batteries are budget but tend to have a good warranty...
Poor quality battery can take out an expensive alternator, starting with a good platform is always recommended...
A good battery in a vehicle with a properly operating charging system and not having an abundance of drains should last 5yrs or so. A vehicle that sits a lot or does many short starts and stops takes a tole on batteries and charging systems,plugging into a battery tender will solve this...
Weak batteries tend to fail with drastic temp changes, Start of winter and start of summer...
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Costco is now selling Interstate batteries. That's a good battery.
I have an Interstate in one car, but almost everything else has a BiMart battery in it. I've used them in many rigs, the camper, a boat, etc, and they have always given good service. 5-7 years seems to be "normal" for me.
I have an Interstate in one car, but almost everything else has a BiMart battery in it. I've used them in many rigs, the camper, a boat, etc, and they have always given good service. 5-7 years seems to be "normal" for me.
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Interstate batteries have been lasting me 6 years or so. The Costco in east Vancouver carries them for a good price.
Edit: Ha, orygun beat me to it.
Edit: Ha, orygun beat me to it.
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FWIW - when I bought my SUV I gave my daughter my 12 year old car that had 120K+ miles on it. The battery was replaced just before I bought it (car had 6K miles on it and was a lease, one year old) just because the car lot owner forced BMW to do it under warranty.
The car still has that battery - it is now 13+ years old. The engine turns over a little slower now in the winter. I've only run the battery down once (left the dome light on - let the car sit for a few hours and it recovered). I've never seen the battery - it is hidden in the trunk (I am going to replace it before winter hits)
Unless there is something unusual about the car, a battery should last 5 to 6 years at least. Most do, if for no other reason than that is how long many car warranties last and car manufacturers don't want to be replacing batteries in cars under warranty.
One thing though - in many cars, especially smaller sized low priced compacts, the battery cables are undersized. In that case, you would be surprised how much faster the engine will turn over if the proper sized cable is used. When I see this, I replace the cables with the largest welding cables I can find and use marine battery terminals (I need to do this with my Toyota pickup).
The cable is like a garden hose - the larger the cable the more 'juice' will flow. Small cables will cause more resistance to the battery amperage and actually waste it as heat.
The car still has that battery - it is now 13+ years old. The engine turns over a little slower now in the winter. I've only run the battery down once (left the dome light on - let the car sit for a few hours and it recovered). I've never seen the battery - it is hidden in the trunk (I am going to replace it before winter hits)
Unless there is something unusual about the car, a battery should last 5 to 6 years at least. Most do, if for no other reason than that is how long many car warranties last and car manufacturers don't want to be replacing batteries in cars under warranty.
One thing though - in many cars, especially smaller sized low priced compacts, the battery cables are undersized. In that case, you would be surprised how much faster the engine will turn over if the proper sized cable is used. When I see this, I replace the cables with the largest welding cables I can find and use marine battery terminals (I need to do this with my Toyota pickup).
The cable is like a garden hose - the larger the cable the more 'juice' will flow. Small cables will cause more resistance to the battery amperage and actually waste it as heat.
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In the PNW 5 years is the average battery life. Less on newer cars because of all the added electronics.
If you are a AAA member, call them ans get a battery service truck out and run a test on your charging system. They can also sell and install a battery if you choose. The batteries we sell are East Penn made batteries. East Penn sells them as Deka, they also make tge Napa Legend and a host of other relabels. Our group 78 is stickered IIRC as an 800 CCA battery but they always test hotter - typically 100+ amps higher. They are $131 with free installation and a 6 year (3 year free replacement 3 year discount) warranty with onsite mobile 24/7 service plus we recycle the old battery.
If you want to DIY get the Costco Interstate. They are comparable CCA and have the 100 month warranty - which is 3 years free then prorated. They are IIRC a tad cheaper than tge AAA batt but you do the install and are limited to getting replacements only when they are open.
I typically avoid Exide batteries such as those sold at Bi Mart. We sold Exides when AAA started the mobile battery program. We ditched them because the warranty rate was astronimical. The East Penn batteries are far far more reliable.
As far as battery life - its dependant on a few factors - vibration, driving habits, climate, how much the battery gets discharged/recharged and the load put on it when in use.
Stock batteries these days are waaaay underpowered - I have seen a LOT of 1 year old cars with battery failures lately because for example they come with a 390 amp battety when they need a 500+ battery. Subaru is notorious for this of late. Their stock group 35 is anemic - 390 or 450 amps depending on which plant the car comes from. We put a 640 amp batt in them.
Make sure the battery hold down is in place and properly tightened. Can't count how many cars I run into with no tiedown in place. Vibration kills batteries prematurely. Tie downs minimize vibration. Make sure cables and terminal ends are corrosion free and tight. Get the alternator tested once a year. AAA does this, Interstate Battery does this at their stores, and Les Schwab does this for free. A bad alt will kill a good batt and a bad batt can kill a good alt.
Good luck!
If you are a AAA member, call them ans get a battery service truck out and run a test on your charging system. They can also sell and install a battery if you choose. The batteries we sell are East Penn made batteries. East Penn sells them as Deka, they also make tge Napa Legend and a host of other relabels. Our group 78 is stickered IIRC as an 800 CCA battery but they always test hotter - typically 100+ amps higher. They are $131 with free installation and a 6 year (3 year free replacement 3 year discount) warranty with onsite mobile 24/7 service plus we recycle the old battery.
If you want to DIY get the Costco Interstate. They are comparable CCA and have the 100 month warranty - which is 3 years free then prorated. They are IIRC a tad cheaper than tge AAA batt but you do the install and are limited to getting replacements only when they are open.
I typically avoid Exide batteries such as those sold at Bi Mart. We sold Exides when AAA started the mobile battery program. We ditched them because the warranty rate was astronimical. The East Penn batteries are far far more reliable.
As far as battery life - its dependant on a few factors - vibration, driving habits, climate, how much the battery gets discharged/recharged and the load put on it when in use.
Stock batteries these days are waaaay underpowered - I have seen a LOT of 1 year old cars with battery failures lately because for example they come with a 390 amp battety when they need a 500+ battery. Subaru is notorious for this of late. Their stock group 35 is anemic - 390 or 450 amps depending on which plant the car comes from. We put a 640 amp batt in them.
Make sure the battery hold down is in place and properly tightened. Can't count how many cars I run into with no tiedown in place. Vibration kills batteries prematurely. Tie downs minimize vibration. Make sure cables and terminal ends are corrosion free and tight. Get the alternator tested once a year. AAA does this, Interstate Battery does this at their stores, and Les Schwab does this for free. A bad alt will kill a good batt and a bad batt can kill a good alt.
Good luck!
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There are only a handful of auto battery OEM's in the US
They get re-badged by the sellers.
Johnson Controls is a major OEM and the Walmart EverStart is an example of a private-labeled, Johnson Controls battery.
I think Interstate is the latest batch sold by Costco and they are reportedly made by Exide and Johnson Controls.
I would go with one of those two OEMs and buy it from whoever has the best warranty.
They get re-badged by the sellers.
Johnson Controls is a major OEM and the Walmart EverStart is an example of a private-labeled, Johnson Controls battery.
I think Interstate is the latest batch sold by Costco and they are reportedly made by Exide and Johnson Controls.
I would go with one of those two OEMs and buy it from whoever has the best warranty.
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im a fan of interatate. a friend gave me a "bad" interstate battery that came out of a semi truck. its 1100CCA dual purpose. its been in my truck for almost 10 years. i can run my stereo with an 1000w amp and a JL w7 for HOURS before i need to start my truck. its never gone dead in 10 years. my truck sits 10 months (not consecutively, i drive it every once in a while) out of the year too.
i work at a chev dealer in town and all we have is acdelco batteries. theyre OK but usually carry a 6-7yr warranty.
i work at a chev dealer in town and all we have is acdelco batteries. theyre OK but usually carry a 6-7yr warranty.
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Walmart Maxx (yellow label). Cost - warranty - availability
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Flooded lead acid starting batteries just aren't that complicated. It's lead plates and electrolyte in a plastic case. They've been made the same for a century or so. When you get into cycling (Deep Cycle) batteries there are some specific charging routines to get the most out of them though. Leaving either one in a discharged state will shorten their life, and or ruin them.
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