Do you just replace your car battery every 2-5 years or wait until until it fails?

[Anonymous]

When it fails. But, like, one time.
I can usually get it to work about 10x more after the first small failure.

So when that happens, I go to the battery store. It’s usually 1 week out from a battery warranty.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Folks, instead of spending money and time replacing battery prematurely, get yourself a multimeter (about $10-20 on Amazon) and make sure it needs to be replaced.

You can't easily measure the cranking amperage with essentially an open circuit measurement. You need a battery tester than can put a decent load on the battery.

If someone can start the car while you take measurements you can test the battery under load

[Anonymous]

Why can't cars have a guage on the dashboard that tells you when the battery is approaching low?

My key fob has an indicator when the battery needs to be replaced, ,my cell phone has an indicator to let me know when it needs to be charged, and the list goes on.

But no battery- low indicators for cars until it doesn't start (on the 1 day youre already late for work)?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Folks, instead of spending money and time replacing battery prematurely, get yourself a multimeter (about $10-20 on Amazon) and make sure it needs to be replaced.

You can't easily measure the cranking amperage with essentially an open circuit measurement. You need a battery tester than can put a decent load on the battery.

google or youtube, testing car battery with a multimeter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My husband has a battery charger and charges our car batteries regularly to prolong their lifespan. So far it seems to work.

that's what alternator does. not sure why your DH is wasting time doing that.

DP. It is needed if the car is not driven regularly. It is not good for the battery if it discharges completely

Its also not good for fluids, seals, and tires for a car to sit for long periods of time. I've read you should drive the car at least every 2 weeks.

Ideally, yes, but it also matters how you drive. A short low speed drive would do more bad than good.

Why?

Cold starts are hard on the engine. If you don’t bring oil to operating temperature that wear isn’t offset by the benefits of running the engine. Also, battery discharges with each start and may not have time to recharge if the drive is short.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My husband has a battery charger and charges our car batteries regularly to prolong their lifespan. So far it seems to work.

that's what alternator does. not sure why your DH is wasting time doing that.

DP. It is needed if the car is not driven regularly. It is not good for the battery if it discharges completely

Its also not good for fluids, seals, and tires for a car to sit for long periods of time. I've read you should drive the car at least every 2 weeks.

Ideally, yes, but it also matters how you drive. A short low speed drive would do more bad than good.

Why?

Cold starts are hard on the engine. If you don’t bring oil to operating temperature that wear isn’t offset by the benefits of running the engine. Also, battery discharges with each start and may not have time to recharge if the drive is short.

DP. Most charging systems don't aggressively charge the batteries. It's bad for the batteries.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Folks, instead of spending money and time replacing battery prematurely, get yourself a multimeter (about $10-20 on Amazon) and make sure it needs to be replaced.

You can't easily measure the cranking amperage with essentially an open circuit measurement. You need a battery tester than can put a decent load on the battery.

If someone can start the car while you take measurements you can test the battery under load

Assuming you know the discharge curve for your battery.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My last battery lasted 12 years

What? How? What kind? I have questions.

The pp must be confused and talking about a hybrid or ev battery

i recently replaced the regular battery on my Prius after it died. (not the ev battery) I had AAA replace it, and the guy could not believe it - it was the original manufacturer's battery in a 2014 model. 10+ years old. so no, i don't replace my battery every 2-5 years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Folks, instead of spending money and time replacing battery prematurely, get yourself a multimeter (about $10-20 on Amazon) and make sure it needs to be replaced.

Good advice.
Or just stop at an AutoZone and they will do it for free usually.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My husband has a battery charger and charges our car batteries regularly to prolong their lifespan. So far it seems to work.

that's what alternator does. not sure why your DH is wasting time doing that.

DP. It is needed if the car is not driven regularly. It is not good for the battery if it discharges completely

Its also not good for fluids, seals, and tires for a car to sit for long periods of time. I've read you should drive the car at least every 2 weeks.

Ideally, yes, but it also matters how you drive. A short low speed drive would do more bad than good.

Why?

Short driving distances without getting engine up to operating temperatures creates condensation in the engine, as well as just causing more wear on the moving parts due to being "cold" still when driving.

[Anonymous]

One car didn’t start and needed to replace the battery. We changed the battery in the other car no long after as they were about the same age and had the same mileage.