I purchased a 2014 last fall low miles 5400 and I was wondering if there is a way to check if it would still have the original battery. After reading articles about these batteries longevity I'm starting to question it. ( It's been a long winter). Thanks

 

Yes there is, but you have to remove the battery. Near the top side edge of the battery there will be a code melted into the case. Google Delco battery date codes and you will find the age. FWIW, my battery was made in June 2014, the car was made in July.

 

Thank you, I will give that a try

 

You can also have the battery load tested and learn if the battery is in good shape or not.

 

If it's the original battery, suggest you have it thoroughly checked by the dealer or battery shop, as it's pretty long in the tooth, and low mileage is good except that batteries don't like to sit idle for long periods of time... I replaced my '17 battery last year likely due to its sitting on the dealer lot for 15 months before I bought it...

 

I brought my C7 home on 10/01/2013...one of the first 2014''s.....still has the original battery and working fine.

 

Bought my 2015 in December '14, battery cranks immediately... of course mine is a DD.... and never on a tender...

 

Just replaced the original battery in my 2016 C7. Here is a pic of the original battery.

 

It boggles me why GM didnt put a simple access hatch over the battery. It serms to simple. I have pondered making a retro kit for these cars!

 

My October 11th 2013 delivery '14 still has its' original battery as well but I plan to replace it before taking the car out of storage in a few weeks. Just don't trust it.
I agree there should have been better access to something as likely to need service/replacement as the battery. Even the C3's in the well behind the seats were easier than what's involved on the C7.
I wonder what the C8 will be like???

 

You might also want to change out the key fob battery's . You can find them at Target and Walmart and there thread's on the forum on how to change them.

 

My ‘14 still has the original battery in place and it works fine. But I am considering replacing it just to be on the safe side. And I agree that removal of the battery is a more difficult chore than in the past.

 

Thanks for all the suggestions, being a c3 owner for a long time I'm not used to all these electronics. One more thing, do I need to do a lot of resets after removing the battery?

 

Radio & window index - reset. I remember seeing a "jumper cable" of sorts to allow battery removal without resets,
Look it up on Amazon or does somebody here know to what I am referring?

 

Primarily just re-index the windows by lowering them and then raising them to the top and hold the up switch for around 5 seconds. The attached PDF explains the replacement in detail.

 

The only thing I had to reset was my driver information center display to where I originally set them. Others have stated that all was the same.

 

My ‘14 build date is 06/14. I checked my voltage recently immediately after disconnecting my Deltran Battery Tender. 12.4 volts. I think I’ll replace the battery when I take it out of winter storage. Think I’ll go with the Optima battery that recently came out that fits our C7’s. Here are the specs: 800 CCA, 928 CA, Weight 54 lbs. The weight is reflective of the performance and durability. It is significantly heavier than other batteries of this size because it has more lead. I use Trojan batteries which are also very heavy for their size on my boat which gets very intermittent use and are only on the battery chargers in the winter when I pull them off my boat. Nevertheless, I got 8 years out my last set of Trojan batteries. Unfortunately Trojan doesn’t make one for our cars, if they did I would buy one as they are half the price of the Optima battery. For comparison, the Odyssey battery weighs 48 lbs, other premium batteries weigh 44 lbs, OEM battery weighs 40 lbs. I am admittantly no battery expert, but with this information and my experience with high lead content batteries, I expect to get twice the battery life with the Optima battery as compared to the OEM battery.

 

* Interesting subject. I have a few points to offer:

** If you want to monitor the health of the electrical systems on all your vehicles (battery, alternator, starter) on a regular basis, I recommend getting a Midttronics PBT 300. Best $250 I ever spent on an automotive maintenance device. The neighbors know I have it and it seems I am always diagnosing battery problems for them.

** Agree that the access to the battery on the C7s is difficult compared to other cars that have the battery in the trunk or luggage compartment. Why they dion't have a hatch is very puzzling (well maybe not....probably a cost savings issue). It is too easy to damage the carpet or plastic trim if you are not careful. Gliot1 - put me on the list of customers when you get your retro-kit developed.

** I am surprised the C7 battery is so small and relatively low powered. (wet type, group 48, 615 CCA in my car). All my recent FCA vehicles have batteries have a CCA of at least 720. My wife's BMW OEM battery is rated at 900 CCA. Even my whole house generator has a stronger battery. With all the electronics and sensors on the C7 the battery power seems marginal to me. I am also puzzled as to why GM is not putting an AGM battery in the new cars to head off any possible chance of getting fumes in the passenger compartment. Even my 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee came with an AGM battery (which is under the front passenger seat). The compartment actually has a nice removable cover for easy access.

** Seems like some of you are getting a lot of years out of your original batteries. I never trust them that long. Getting stranded on the road or a parking lot in today's world is a risky business especially for a woman alone. My wife's cars generally get a new battery every 3 years and I change mine every 4 no matter what.

 

In the DIC info, my battery reading is 14 or 14.5 almost all the time.
That looks to be above 60% or so on the meter. How accurate is that? What does yours usually read?

 

I checked my alternator output with a DVM and it agrees with the DIC volt meter as accurately as can be expected considering the size of the car's needle and gauge.
When operating, standard alternator output is approximately 14.2 volts, which will be a bit higher after a heavy load such as starting, but should stabilize between 14.2-14.5 volts in normal operation. Voltage consistently higher than that is an indication of a system problem, likely one or more of the six battery cells failing to provide its share of power.