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I just had to change out my old Sears Diehard battery yesterday. Curious what you guys are getting for lifespans on them now. I use a Battery Tender on it all the time in a heated garage so almost 10 years on a 36 month battery I'll take.
You definitely got your money’s worth out of that one.
Best I had was an Optima Yellow Top 8 years in a Tahoe. Still had some life but I had a trip to CA and I didn’t need it to fail in the middle of nowhere. Only replaced out of caution.
I had cranking issues last yr. Pulled out the Optima Red-Top and had it tested at Advance Auto. It was over 12 yrs. Counter person said its still good, but cautiously I bought another duplicate. (Turned out my issue was a solenoid)
12 + yrs. But I take real good care of my battery. If I do a compression test, I recharge before driving it. No Dome Light left on for hours at a time.
I use a Battery Tender all winter, every day, but only a half hour a day. I use a timer on the charger.
Somebody will chime in a say that all batteries are made by a few companies. That may be true, but the internals are far from the same.
There is no way a $39.95 battery lead plates and solder connections are the same as a $230 battery.
You get what you pay for.
Last edited by HeadsU.P.; Aug 24, 2023 at 08:24 PM.
I just had to change out my old Sears Diehard battery yesterday. Curious what you guys are getting for lifespans on them now. I use a Battery Tender on it all the time in a heated garage so almost 10 years on a 36 month battery I'll take.
8 years 2 months and going on a Sears Diehard Platinum AGM with a 48 month warranty. Knock on wood - hope it keeps going as it will be a pain to change given all the wiring mods I've made inside the battery compartment. I hope for my next battery I can find something physically much smaller. No battery tender for mine. It stays in either an insulated garage or a conditioned workshop although I don't keep the heat or AC running in the shop unless I'm out there. I do protect from freezing. I also put it on a charger every once in awhile if I let it sit for a spell. But, I tend to drive it to lunch every day if the weather cooperates. Interestingly, the exact same battery didn't last that long in my '05 Suburban (got about 5.5 years out of it).
Somebody will chime in a say that all batteries are made by a few companies. That may be true, but the internals are far from the same.
There is no way a $39.95 battery lead plates and solder connections are the same as a $230 battery.
You get what you pay for.
I agree. Made and "made to the same specifications" are two different things.
A couple of years ago, my OE Toyota Tacoma battery failed after 8 years.
Had an OE Nissan Murano battery fail after 8 years too.
I just replaced the OE AGM batteries in my 2015 Audi S5 and 2017 Ford Escape. Neither were exhibiting any issues but the Audi battery was 9 years old and I was concerned it was on borrowed time. My son will be moving out of state with the Escape and I didn’t want him to worry about a 7 year old battery.
I just bought an Optima battery,$224 shipped to my door. My car sits for weeks at a time with an alarm and the factory clock so hopefully this new battery will work out without having to put a battery tender on it.
Before I moved to Australia, I had 6 sports cars to maintain. My red Vette that I still drive was treated to a 24 month Wal-mart battery. 12 years later. Here in Australia it finally gave up. Cheap less than 50 dollar battery. So that was about 6 or 7 years ago. side post battery's are as rare as rocking horse **** here in Australia. All I could get was a AC Delco replacement. Had to have it shipped 700K's as no one in the city I then lived in had one. It's still starting my car just fine.
And I never put mine on a trickle unless it's down for several months due to a project.
Before I retired , 6 years ago , I was a service tech at a Toyota dealer for 30 years . I couldn`t pass up the price of a Toyota battery . That was 12 + years ago and is still going strong . Most of the time it is hooked up to a tender . What I like about it is it isn`t sealed .
Steven
Please note post # 6. You have to read between the lines.
"Seems the lower amp rated batteries last the longest".
Why is that? It's all about the plates inside. The majority of consumers have it in their head that the more Cold Cranking Amps the better. Actually, it's the opposite.
How do some battery companies get more CCA than others when the plastic battery cases are all the same size per group? Again, it's all about the plates.
To produce more CCA the battery has to have more plates. To get more plates, they have to be thinner. The thinner the plates, the more likelihood that the plates will vibrate loose, thereby causing failure of standby amps.
You are far better off staying away from those 1,000 - 1100 CCA batteries and consider the mid-range of around 800 CCA. Thicker plates, better internal connections, better quality = more longevity.
My 2003 D'Max would go through a set every 5-6 years.
My son has a 2004 Duramax, that truck sucks up parts worse than any truck I ever seen. It will tow a house but man, some of the things he had to do were eye opening. The latest is the board for the Injection I believe- not sure I don't work on it, he does. The board is no longer available and rebuilt ones are questionable, not to mention expensive.
Please note post # 6. You have to read between the lines.
"Seems the lower amp rated batteries last the longest".
Why is that? It's all about the plates inside. The majority of consumers have it in their head that the more Cold Cranking Amps the better. Actually, it's the opposite.
How do some battery companies get more CCA than others when the plastic battery cases are all the same size per group? Again, it's all about the plates.
To produce more CCA the battery has to have more plates. To get more plates, they have to be thinner. The thinner the plates, the more likelihood that the plates will vibrate loose, thereby causing failure of standby amps.
You are far better off staying away from those 1,000 - 1100 CCA batteries and consider the mid-range of around 800 CCA. Thicker plates, better internal connections, better quality = more longevity.
The battery I just bought is a 78 series, 800 CCA, it is a AAA battery sold by NAPA. It was fairly priced and how can you beat free delivery to my shop door in an hour?
Costco Kirkland battery still going strong in my ‘72 since June 2010. Must be a freak battery; however, lately I’ve had some Kirkland batteries on other vehicles only last 2 years, but generally they have great value and a great warranty.
Batteries live longer in the cooler N than in the south. I've had several Optima yellow tops and many FLA batteries over the years. I think I have a couple yellow tops right now that are 12 & 14 years old, but i've also had a couple die in ~5yrs. But I almost always get 10 years out of premium FLA batteries. So considering the cost the flooded lead/acid battery vs Optima...FLA is the better value ..for me, in my area. No knock against Optima's ..they are great too.
Took this out of my skid steer last year (Jul-2022). It died 14 years to the month! It was verified by the Intersate store mgr. Not bad. He says he see's a lot of equipment batteries last in that range. My sense is the vibration from the machine vibrates off old battery scale as the battery ages, leaving behind just *enough* exposed metal to still operate. I put a charger on it every other month (for like a day ..to charge up), but I don't leave a charger on it. And there's no parasitic draw on this machine. I put a new Interstate back in her.
10 years 6 months on my Walmart battery. And I've killed it a couple of times by draining it down. So has had a couple of 24 hours super slow recharges. I think the big difference has been the CS-144 alternator that keeps it buffed when I drive it....but that's just a guess.
9.5 years on Battery
