How long did your Car battery last in your Car??

[deepam]

Hi,
I am starting this thread to capture the Battery replacement frequency in-terms of time period and km running. Also share experiences of car batteries, like comparing using various brands, how the car battery went dead? ..etc

On my Terrano the OEM battery [Exide] I replaced after 37 months of usage at 64 k km.
My second battery [24+24 months] showed the first sign of being dead exactly around 35 months and when checked Battery Gravity was good. Took to service center and I was told that to try to re-charge; which I followed [INR 200] and is working with one go cranking.
This month when I did not use for car for 2 weeks, when I cranked it failed to start in one go but started in second cranking. Audio Head unit was working but speaker was not!!! I drove for 15 minutes but no help. After keeping the car running for 45 minutes and driving for city ~20 km. I switched off the car and re-started; it cranked in one go and Speaker came back to life!
When I crank the MID is flickering, not sure I need to continue or replace. I am in confusion - covered ~ 60 k km with this second set of battery.

The discount provided by battery dealer does not take into account the Pro-rata Warranty of existing battery.

I was curious and was looking what factors determine the age, life or km running for battery.

Some claimed that the battery lasted 8-9 years, for few it is 2 years. Usually it is between 2.5-3.5 years.
In terms of km mileage between 45 k -65 k km is the usual trend for battery replacement.
There are some outliers of 85 k -110 k km.

What were the factors for these?

I was able to conclude:

• Battery life is around 55-60 k km, when the average speed of the vehicle is below 25-30 kmph
• Battery life can go up to 80-100 k km, when the average speed of the vehicle 40-50 kmph [within 4 years]. The places do not experience extreme temperature variations.

Average speed above is during battery life when ignition is on and car is used within both City and Highway.

Also this thread should be a precursor to people when they want to switch to Electric vehicle. I am sure the battery replacement on Electric vehicle will follow the similar trend. Should be able to arrive at the cost of running the Electric vehicles.

Open for views / thoughts, experiences.

 

[adsatinder]

It is usual to change battery in 3-4 years of age.
Delhi has harsh winters,
So have to change it in given time.
If winter is not a problem in your region then simply run it in city limits till it fails !
LOL !

 

[deepam]

It is usual to change battery in 3-4 years of age.
Delhi has harsh winters,
So have to change it in given time.
If winter is not a problem in your region then simply run it in city limits till it fails !
LOL !

++++++++++++++
Thank you adsatinder Temperature rarely drops below 9 deg. C. Min will be around 12-13 C around winter.
yes same thought to pull it till I schedule a long drive and replace before long drive for peace of mind.

Thought to open up a thread to capture experiences.

 

[Big Daddy]

Minimum 5 years for me. However, I never had to replace a battery in less than 6 years.

 

[adsatinder]

Minimum 5 years for me. However, I never had to replace a battery in less than 6 years.

American quality is much better. Indian battery and spare parts etc used are not that much refined. Just good to run a reasonable life.
No manufacturer here is giving 4 year full replacement and unconditional guarantee. Only 1 year replacement warranty plus 3 years manufacturing defect warranty is here. But you feel need to replace battery after 3rd year itself.

 

[Theloststory]

I think 3 years is a little early for the battery to need replacement. Is there a heavy draw? Any third party systems/add ons which may be drawing from battery even when idle?

On my very very old Maruti Swift the original battery lasted about 5 years and roughly 50k km of city use.
On my old Skoda Yeti, the original battery lasted about 5 years and roughly 60k km.

If you have a reasonably healthy battery it should retain its charge for about 2 months of no driving.

(I never ever use any car feature with engine turned off. Some people have the headlights or music system on even when engine is shut. I never ever do that).

 

[adsatinder]

If vehicle is used daily for 100-200km
Yearly 20k + running
Then it will last 3 years.
If vehicle is used for just 10k per year, battery can last more than 3 years for City use.
If you are using it for out of City drives, better keep jumper wire or replace battery whenever it shows sone signs of ageing.
In winter run vehicle daily or alternative day to charge it properly. Winter temperature below 15 and lower are not good for old battery.
Similarly electronic devices with old battery shows similar problems. Battery can fail in cold environment easily.
Mobiles can be kept in pocket with warmth of body. Cameras can be kept in good protective bags to get insulation from harsh temperatures.

 

[deepam]

I think 3 years is a little early for the battery to need replacement. Is there a heavy draw? Any third party systems/add ons which may be drawing from battery even when idle?

On my very very old Maruti Swift the original battery lasted about 5 years and roughly 50k km of city use.
On my old Skoda Yeti, the original battery lasted about 5 years and roughly 60k km.

If you have a reasonably healthy battery it should retain its charge for about 2 months of no driving.

(I never ever use any car feature with engine turned off. Some people have the headlights or music system on even when engine is shut. I never ever do that).

++++++++++++++++++++++
Car battery's can come for 5-7 years if the car has only run between 40-50k km.
I have not placed any additional load. My car does not have any additional accessories. All that have come with the car.
Usually people say that battery which comes from manufacturer will come for a lesser life and bought in the market comes for longer duration. For me both came for same duration [~37 months].

 

[J.Ravi]

Although the battery is in good condition, my Nexon [aka Blue Diamond] is strengthening herself with energy boost, since her battery is 3 year old. Usually, my CTEK trickle charger is reserved for my Thunderbird 500 in Chennai. For a change, it is being used for B Diamond. I have decided to put B Diamond on the trickle charger atleast once a week.

As I needed another charger exclusively for Bangalore, I ordered BoschC7 battery charger on 12 Aug 2021 with Boodmo, costing ₹ 6,119 and got it delivered on the next day. I wall-mounted it, using Bosch drilling machine and tested it. After connecting it to the wall socket, in the first few minutes the charge status increased from 25% to fully charged [OK] and the battery was charged at ~13.5V continuously. After a couple of hours, when I checked, it was trickle-charging by flashing on the '∞' symbol. It was intermittently charging every minute or so with the charging voltage ranging between 13.7V and 12.4V or so. Right now, my other battery charger, CTEK is trickle-charging my Thunderbird 500 in Chennai.

 

[AnupamR]

Sir- do we really need one for car until and unless the battery went completely dead? I drive my car regularly and every time the battery lasted for at least 5 years.

May be good for Motorcycle if you are not riding frequently.

Although the battery is in good condition, my Nexon [aka Blue Diamond] is strengthening herself with energy boost, since her battery is 3 year old. Usually, my CTEK trickle charger is reserved for my Thunderbird 500 in Chennai. For a change, it is being used for B Diamond. I have decided to put B Diamond on the trickle charger atleast once a week.

As I needed another charger exclusively for Bangalore, I ordered BoschC7 battery charger on 12 Aug 2021 with Boodmo, costing ₹ 6,119 and got it delivered on the next day. I wall-mounted it, using Bosch drilling machine and tested it. After connecting it to the wall socket, in the first few minutes the charge status increased from 25% to fully charged [OK] and the battery was charged at ~13.5V continuously. After a couple of hours, when I checked, it was trickle-charging by flashing on the '∞' symbol. It was intermittently charging every minute or so with the charging voltage ranging between 13.7V and 12.4V or so. Right now, my other battery charger, CTEK is trickle-charging my Thunderbird 500 in Chennai.