That battery seemed to live a short life

[ROUSTABOUT]

2020 Ram diesel had one dead battery, dealer only changed one since it was under warranty. Pretty sure they wouldn’t have been so frugal if it had been my dimes. I prefer interstate when I buy.

I have a different brand. Mine, the warranty expired in Sep 2008, still going strong. In my vehicle right now.

 

[seville009]

Son had a new battery from Pep Boys put in his Ford Edge about two years ago; don’t recall the brand. Within a year, it had to be jumped every single time. Repaced it with one from NAPA last year, and no problems since then.

Sometimes you just get a bad battery……

On the flip side, I have two AGM batteries in two other cars that were new in 2017, and still going strong today.

 

[mikester]

I was cursing my delco battery in my forklift recently for being too dead to crank the motor, even with a boost. When I cleaned the label to get the model/size I saw my date sticker...2015. I guess I shouldn't complain that it lasted eight years...

 

[EddieWalker]

I just replaced the factory Motorcraft battery in my 2012 Ford F150 a few months ago with another Motorcraft battery. I got ten and a half years out of the first one, I'm hoping for the same out of this one.

Tractor batteries seem to last 3 to five years. I think they sit for too long in the winter and the cold hurts them.

Lawn mower batteries usually only last me one season. Sometimes I've gone two years, but usually I'm jumping it by the end of the season.

Two years ago I bought a trickle charger for my zero turn and it's been firing up super fast ever since. I bought another one for my wifes riding mower this year, and I'm hoping for similar results. I really need to get more of them and have everything connected to a trickle charger while they sit.

 

[5030]

Tractor batteries seem to last 3 to five years. I think they sit for too long in the winter and the cold hurts them.

If you fully charge your tractor battery (flooded cell) and then take it out of circuit (I use a positive disconnect on the negative side), your battery will be fine sitting all winter, unused. Typically, a flooded cell battery sitting idle, will loose about 2% of it's total charge per month and how cold it is (unless it gets to 40 below zero) has no impact on the state of charge or the cranking amps when sitting idle.

What I do with my tractors when they sit idle in the unheated barn all winter and in the spring, they fire right up when I put the batteries back in circuit. Both my Group 34, 1000CCA starting batteries are 6 years old now and no issue with either.

 

[Paystar]

I don't even think about brand. I've heard all this great stuff about Interstate so put two of those in my last diesel and I had to have them replaced under warranty. I didn't find them any better than the cheap batteries I get from Parts Source.
Those ones are made by Johnson Controls though, which is also supposed to be a good battery.

 

[5030]

I don't even think about brand. I've heard all this great stuff about Interstate so put two of those in my last diesel and I had to have them replaced under warranty. I didn't find them any better than the cheap batteries I get from Parts Source.
Those ones are made by Johnson Controls though, which is also supposed to be a good battery.

Just the opposite here. Sounds to me like the Interstates they installed had been sitting around for a long time plus any competent shop knows that prior to installing ANY starting battery, that battery MUST be slow charged (trickle charged) to full capacity, prior to installing it.

I always check the manufacturing date on any battery I buy (not the punch out date which means nothing), but the actual build date when the battery received it's electrolyte charge. From then on out, the battery is aging.

 

[Paystar]

Just the opposite here. Sounds to me like the Interstates they installed had been sitting around for a long time plus any competent shop knows that prior to installing ANY starting battery, that battery MUST be slow charged (trickle charged) to full capacity, prior to installing it.

I always check the manufacturing date on any battery I buy (not the punch out date which means nothing), but the actual build date when the battery received it's electrolyte charge. From then on out, the battery is aging.

Could be. But you can get the same from anywhere, so as has been said...it's a crap shoot.

 

[5030]

Could be. But you can get the same from anywhere, so as has been said...it's a crap shoot.

It's not so long as you make a habit of checking the actual build date (not the punch out junk that is on top of the battery and never. never buy any flooded cell battery from a low volume retailer. Keep in mind that once a flooded cell battery has electrolyte put in it, it begins it's useful life. Sitting on a shelf collecting dust, the battery is always headed toward extinction.

Like I said, any good shop knows every new battery must be trickle charged before installing. I say any good shop but in reality, most just put them in and never trickle charge them prior to.

 

[John0829]

Arguing over who makes the best automotive battery (not EV) is kinda useless, age from date manufactured to date put in service is IMHO. There are only 4 manufacturers for batteries for the U.S. market. Here are just a few of the battery brand names and who is manufactures them.

Interstate, Diehards, Energizer, Optima, Varta (European) and Motorcraft - Johnson Controls (Clarios after 2019 sale of automotive battery division). They make up one-third of the world's battery production.

EverStart, NAPA - East Penn.

AC Delco - Middle East Battery company, which Johnson Controls partly owns.

Toyota TrueStart - Exide and/or Clarios.

Chrysler/Dodge - Johnson Controls, East Penn and Exide.