Should I replace the battery?
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 470
Likes: 1
Should I replace the battery?
So we are heading into the winter months, and my car is my daily driver, unless it snows a lot then I'll use the wife's jeep. I don't see any signs of battery failure or electronics acting up, but I'm weary. See, I bought my car last year when it only had 2,100 miles on it (It's a 2005). It now has 10,000 miles on it, but how exactly does that affect the battery? Does it still drain even though the previous owner never drove it? It says "9/05" on the side of the battery. It is the ACDelco 7 year battery, and we are now in 2013. Should I replace it soon?
Instructor
Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 154
Likes: 0
From: Florida
You will probably have to pretty soon. But I don't think I would change it until it goes bad. A new one costs about $100. And you can get them anywhere. So, if it were me, I'd probably wait until it goes bad. But it's up to you. Good luck.
Pro
Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 515
Likes: 1
From: San Diego CA
Once you see strange warning lights , door lock problems , starting delays , you need a minimum 12.5 V to keep at the ECU / electronics running .
Someone posted a battery has 10 full discharge cycles before its toast . So from full charge to dead 10 times . Most auto parts shops can test the load capacity of a used battery . With the cold weather batteries seem have a quick failure with cold cranking temps .
As a rule I trash old tires with air leaks / leaky radiators / weak batteries ,,,first chance I get since they never Heal themselves and tend to fail at the worst times .
Someone posted a battery has 10 full discharge cycles before its toast . So from full charge to dead 10 times . Most auto parts shops can test the load capacity of a used battery . With the cold weather batteries seem have a quick failure with cold cranking temps .
As a rule I trash old tires with air leaks / leaky radiators / weak batteries ,,,first chance I get since they never Heal themselves and tend to fail at the worst times .
Last edited by heli-vette; Jan 6, 2013 at 06:31 AM.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 8,514
Likes: 235
From: Currently somewhere in IL,IN,KY,TN,MO,AR,MS,AL, or FL
- You have a 7 year old battery. The previous owner must have taken very good care of it for it to have lasted this long.
- When a battery gets cold it has less capability than when it it hot.
- Most people don't see any evidence of an issue until the day the battery doesn't work.
That's 3 strikes. Time for a new battery. It will be cheap insurance this winter and will last for another 7 years if you take care of it as well as the previous owner which means NEVER letting it discharge any more than necessary. That means ALWAYS have it on a tender when possible.
Team Owner
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 46,295
Likes: 2,596
From: Northern, VA
St. Jude Donor '15
"In honor of jpee"
We have a very few on here that have an '05 and are still on their original battery. A few....
Ft. Morgan AL said it best. Especially if it's your daily driver. We don't know where "...the winter months" are for you since there's no town in your profile, but there is no doubt that cold puts more stress on the batt. when starting.
Ft. Morgan AL said it best. Especially if it's your daily driver. We don't know where "...the winter months" are for you since there's no town in your profile, but there is no doubt that cold puts more stress on the batt. when starting.
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Race Director
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 18,098
Likes: 1,597
- You have a 7 year old battery. The previous owner must have taken very good care of it for it to have lasted this long.
- When a battery gets cold it has less capability than when it it hot.
- Most people don't see any evidence of an issue until the day the battery doesn't work.
That's 3 strikes. Time for a new battery. It will be cheap insurance this winter and will last for another 7 years if you take care of it as well as the previous owner which means NEVER letting it discharge any more than necessary. That means ALWAYS have it on a tender when possible.
If your battery had a "fuel gauge" you would see your running on fumes..time for a new one.
Retired & lovin' it!
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 4,475
Likes: 549
From: Jackson NJ
The original Delco in my '05 that I've had since new was running strong thru last year (7 years & always on a tender in winter), but rather than take a chance, I replaced it with a Red Top. I would suggest you do the same.
Safety Car
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 3,715
Likes: 343
From: Norman OK
My car is a 2008 and even though the prev owner took great care of it the battery is showing signs of getting weak. I keep mine on a battery tender when the car is not driven for a bit.
My case in point is that when I pulled the battery off of the tender last night it was showing 100%, drove it for a couple hours and parked it. This morning when I cleaned the car up to put the car cover back on it I put the tender back on the battery, was already showing 79%.
So I either lost 20% just from driving it last night or from it sitting overnight. So I will probably be putting a new Sears Gold AGM in mine in the coming months.
My case in point is that when I pulled the battery off of the tender last night it was showing 100%, drove it for a couple hours and parked it. This morning when I cleaned the car up to put the car cover back on it I put the tender back on the battery, was already showing 79%.
So I either lost 20% just from driving it last night or from it sitting overnight. So I will probably be putting a new Sears Gold AGM in mine in the coming months.
CF Senior Member
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 23,313
Likes: 25
From: Tucson Arizona
It's called preventative maintenance.....I'd replace a 7+ year old battery. Why wait until the battery dies and you're stranded somewhere? I suppose you could say a battery tender is preventative maintenance but personally I wouldn't bother with one unless your car is going to sit idle for a month or more. I've never used a battery tender (on my 2005) and I've never had any starting problems (even after the car sits idle for weeks).
Pro
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 531
Likes: 10
From: Northford CT
My approach to batteries is to replace them after 5 winters. I know they can last longer, but after 5 your risk goes up, and having a dead battery in the middle of the winter, especially when you are away from home, is no fun.
Team Owner
Joined: Sep 1999
Posts: 41,732
Likes: 1,718
From: Springfield MO
Buy a new battery. It might last another year, but all you will save is the interest on that $100 for one year by waiting for one year. Battery might even cost more next year then the $.50 you will make in interest.
Instructor
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 237
Likes: 0
From: In the Golden Triangle Texas
Don't risk it
Don't do like me and come home from a trip with your wife at midnight only to find your car is dead - so dead they can't even jump it off with a battery booster hooked up too! Buy one 
Race Director
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 10,374
Likes: 128
From: Coventry RI
St. Jude Donor '13 thru '25
- You have a 7 year old battery. The previous owner must have taken very good care of it for it to have lasted this long.
- When a battery gets cold it has less capability than when it it hot.
- Most people don't see any evidence of an issue until the day the battery doesn't work.
That's 3 strikes. Time for a new battery. It will be cheap insurance this winter and will last for another 7 years if you take care of it as well as the previous owner which means NEVER letting it discharge any more than necessary. That means ALWAYS have it on a tender when possible.
Al is the Man. That would be my advice as well, 7 years out of a battery is great. 
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 49,331
Likes: 3,921
From: Best Island in the U.S.
St. Jude Donor '12 thru '17
It's called preventative maintenance.....I'd replace a 7+ year old battery. Why wait until the battery dies and you're stranded somewhere? I suppose you could say a battery tender is preventative maintenance but personally I wouldn't bother with one unless your car is going to sit idle for a month or more. I've never used a battery tender (on my 2005) and I've never had any starting problems (even after the car sits idle for weeks).
Pro
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 653
Likes: 17
From: Fort Worth Texas
So we are heading into the winter months, and my car is my daily driver, unless it snows a lot then I'll use the wife's jeep. I don't see any signs of battery failure or electronics acting up, but I'm weary. See, I bought my car last year when it only had 2,100 miles on it (It's a 2005). It now has 10,000 miles on it, but how exactly does that affect the battery? Does it still drain even though the previous owner never drove it? It says "9/05" on the side of the battery. It is the ACDelco 7 year battery, and we are now in 2013. Should I replace it soon?