You guys ever hear of a battery lasting for 12 years? Went to my local sears thursday afternoon to get a new battery.I knew it was going bad because a week ago when it snowed,it would barely start(only had 4runner 2 mos. now).So after deciding on the Diehard Platinum 880 CCA and getting free install the guy comes back inside store and says 'oh BTW your battery is 12 years old.I blurted out ' holy crap! your kidding me! He found the round sticker on the side with year '1997 on it.Moral of the story: Im lucky it started every day.Now it starts easier/faster,headlights are brighter,windows roll up faster.Used to sit at red lights at night with heater/ blinker/headlights and maybe radio on and could feel an see power drain.Problem solved! : ) guys at sears and one other customer had never heard of a 12 yr. battery.Any weird battery stories guys?

 

thats a new one on me didn't think they last that long

 

My Ranger had an Optima yellow-top in it when I got it from the PO. Not sure how long he had it in there before, but it lasted me about 6 years more. That thing was awesome... Anytime I had trouble starting my truck I would assume that the battery was finally dying, but I think it was 3 starters and 2 alternators before that was actually the case.

 

How long do they usually last? I replaced my last one before checking the alt. It was the alt, and now I have two batteries.

 

Driven daily or at worst every few days, mine have lasted about 5 years. I've used whatever NAPA sells because they are the closest place to buy a battery.

86 pickup with factory alternator.

 

My buddy gave me a Red Top that was 6 years old someone turned in to the parts store for recycling said it was dead. He cycled it on a charger for a couple of days and managed to bring it back to life, 3 years later still going strong.

 

Yeah the yellow top optima I had put in my 00 ford taurus in 02(after factory battery crapped out after just 2yrs)lasted me 4yrs.The car was totalled in 06,towed to body shop where the employees promptly stole the optima!

 

here in arizona? 5 years? usually extreme tempatures eat them alive!

 

I changed a battery in a BMW 5 series wagon a while back that was original (14 years old at the time). That was due to the fact that the battery is located under the rear seat in the passenger compartment. If a battery is out of the elements it will last much longer. I haven't previously heard of a battery lasting 12 years while exposed to the elements. That's pretty amazing.

 

Funny thing is it was an old diehard he pulled out of it.Wasnt even top of the line like the one I put back in it.AZkid,Sears guy told me that extreme heat kills a battery alot quicker then extreme cold.

 

Yep, here in the Phoenix valley. I've had my truck since '93. The battery that was still working until I took it out recently to pull my engine was made in June, 2004. I bought it in January, 2005. It has been sitting on concrete for a few weeks, and right now shows 12.68v (curiosity got the better of me). The label says "Professional Line Sure Start."

I did a quick search on Optimas recently and got the impression their quality has gone downhill in recent years. I don't remember if that applied to the reds, yellows, or both. I'd certainly do more research if in the market for that type of battery.

 

i worked at advance auto parts and now sears auto center and as for optimas go i saw more new ones come back recently than i have ever seen any red or yellow tops with a bit of age on em, my dad has a red top and he loves it to death and its only about 4 yrs old. its pretty rare to see any battery last more than 5 years anymore, but i have seen 10, 12, even 15 yrs on an original battery. Not only does it seem like optimas quality has gone down, but die hard too. of course that might have something to do with the change of ownership involved.

 

btw, where is interstate sold?

 

My "Les Schwab 4x4" battery has 8 or 9 years on it. It'll probably die now that I mentioned it. I have been amazed that it hasn't let me down. Factors in it's lifespan include how much shaking and slamming the plates get (read wheeling) and temperature extremes. My truck doesn't wheel or go out of the garage all that much. When and if it dies, I'll be replacing it with a Walmart battery.

I did have an Interstate 60 month battery in my car that didn't last 4 years. I couldn't get warranty, because I didn't buy it and it's not transferable. Never again, although everybody says they are supposed to be great.

 

ive never actually heard anything positive or negative about interstate, just figured i might give them a try when mine craps out. i dont like die hards too much, will never buy a nEVERSTART, duralast and autocraft are both made by interstate, duralast has been horrible for me (have had 2 within 2 years) autocraft has been awesome, so thats 1 and 1 for interstate on my chart. batteries plus?? maybe for my timex.

 

Here in AZ where the summers can hit 115, mine usually last betwen 2-4 years. I've had ones last alot longer and I've had ones go bad in as little as 8 months.

There is a oil additive you can put in a liquid battery than helps with out-gassing and evaporation. I have it in my dual battery since it's in my passenger compartment. I'll try to find out the name, can't remember it now. This may not be a good idea if your a hard core 4-wheeler and you bounce your rig around alot. There is evidence that it can coat the plates and prevent the transfer of current. However it works great in daily drivers.

 

I replaced the stock Panasonic battery last year in my 97 Runner. 11 years isn't too bad.

 

I have had an everstart in my plymouth for almost 9 years and it's still kicking just fine

 

The most important factor in automotive battery longevity is whether you let them run down. Doing so drastically shortens their life. That's not so much true with batteries of deep cycle construction that have solid plates as it is with the typical "starting" batteries (high CCA, low AH) which have plate "sponges".

http://www.solar-electric.com/deep_c...of%20Batteries

 

My plymouth just sits there right now, I have only driven it 22000 miles in almost 9 years