Battery's age?

[leopard]

How long usable age of car's battery under normal use of a car.

I was told about a year, but the heavier duty cars have shorter age.

[Magnus]

It varies a lot. The more you use it, the longer it lasts normally. For a car which runs in daily traffic you may expect 3-5 years. The worst you can do is leave the battery uncharged for a prolonged period

[N]

yes, most batteries should last at least 3 years,

[schmenke]

Most vehicles in this part of the world are equipped with a heavy-duty battery; more amperage that provides a higher cranking capacity to start an engine in cold weather. Typically such a battery will last about 5 years although I've had them last as much as 7.

[rah]

Mine just gave up after 3 years. Original battery.

[leopard]

It varies a lot. The more you use it, the longer it lasts normally. For a car which runs in daily traffic you may expect 3-5 years. The worst you can do is leave the battery uncharged for a prolonged period
Do you have personal experience with this saying that the more use the longer it lasts?

My comparison was made between normal use of personal car with public transport which cover distance farther as it operates all day long (and night).
The personal car's battery lasts twice longer.

However if the car unused for long period, it'd better to unplug the battery, as it cause power deficit and need to be recharged respectively. If happens continuously this might also espouse the shorter age of battery.

[maxu05]

Also, cold weather shortens the life of a battery. You will find that most batteries that kick the bucket, do it in winter.

[leopard]

I think so, similarly parking car in the rain somewhere unroofed garage might shorten battery's life.

[Daniel]

Also, cold weather shortens the life of a battery. You will find that most batteries that kick the bucket, do it in winter.


***Don't try this at home!!!!!***

I don't know if you ever saw it Maxu but in Australia (on SBS I think?) there was a show called the Bush Mechanics where these Aboriginal guys basically fixed cars in the most crude ways it would seem possible.

Anyhoo one show had them driving out in the bush then the battery goes. So what do they do? Build a fire and put the battery in there for a little while then put it back in the car and surprise surprise it started.

[Magnus]

Reminds me of truckdrivers who up in lapland, in the northern parts of sweden, norway and finland used to start fires under their trucks in severe cold. the tip was that when you thought the whole truck would go up into falmes, it was time to start it.
Might be a bad experiment though these days with all the plastic spoilers... ;)
And yes leopardsleeping aka (lepslep ;) ) I own a firm which works with service and maintenance on boats: batteries is an ongoing problem in leisureboats since you tend to use them to little.

[maxu05]

Yes Daniel, I do remember the show Bush Mechanics, It was interesting. My father taught me that a green tree stem can be used as a distributor lead in an emergency, as well as some other stuff related. I once broke the yoke connection on the differential from the tailshaft on my old XW Falcon GT, (back in 1989) in a National Park. We got under the car and re-connected it with cable ties, string and some stockings. We were limited to about 15kph, but we drove more than 50 km like this to get home, it took a long time to get home, but, It was better than walking, and leaving a GT in the middle of nowhere.

[leopard]

Glad to see you again Manus, I and maybe people here are worried about your long absence, relating to your posts about close encounter, risking life. ;)

[Magnus]

I went to cap Verde for vacations a few days; so I am OK :)

[leopard]

Glad to see you are back here.

I guess the high sea of Cape Verde have far bigger wave and tide than any sea of gulf in the country of Sweden ;)