pman6

if a car is not driven frequently, will a battery still need to be replaced in the typical 5 years even though the battery has less wear and tear than a daily driver's?

RXSF

If the car isn't driven frequently, will it even make it 5 years?

On a side note, I am still on my original battery in my 09 C350, October 2008 delivery...

GSteg

iTrader: (15)

There is more wear on a lead acid battery if left alone for a long time without maintaining full charge. I would argue your battery will last long if your car gets driven everyday so as long as your commute isn't 1 mile down the road.

Toys4RJill

All depends. Our LX450 is 18 years old and we get a new battery every 6 years. We do it for peace of mind. Never had a battery go bad on us.

I think the size of the battery really makes a difference, the LX battery we have is always done at the Toyota dealer in Rochester NY and they use a pretty large battery.

Perhaps the quality of the vehicle design and how it charges the battery might make a big difference as well.

T0ked

iTrader: (2)

What is infrequently?I have a car that gets driven maybe once a week on the weekends. The battery lasted 7 years before needing to be replaced. I would think if you drove your car less than that, you would. If you can, get a battery trickle charger. On the other hand, 5 years is pretty much within normal lifespan of a car battery anyway.

pman6

once or twice a week, short distance. a few miles.

I'm still using the original battery from 2007.

However, a few times the battery drained too low because of car electronics slowly draining it.

tex2670

That's 8 years, not 5. Personally, after 8 years, I'd just go and get it replaced. Nothing screws up your day like a car that won't start. The last time that happened to me, I had the entire family with me, and had to wait an hour for AAA.

SW17LS

I always replaced batteries every 3-4 years when I drove cars that long as a preemptive measure. Batteries are cheap, why not replace them routinely to avoid being stranded somewhere?

mmarshall

Part of the problem is that most of today's non-hybrid vehicles (high-performance/sports cars and some pick-up trucks excepted) lack an ammeter/charging gauge to show you the state of the battery charge. They usually just have a simple red idiot-light to show when a severe state of discharge exists (which is most likely to happen at idle with a lot of electrical accessories in use). A gauge, of course, gives you a better idea of how much the battery is charging, how often it charges, and how much may be actually be left in battery or alternator life (batteries gradually lose the ability to hold a charge as they get older, and need more frequent recharging), and alternators can also lose efficiency.

I personally would like to see alternator/charging and oil-pressure gauges made standard in all new vehicles by regulation, but there's no sign of that happening any time soon.

SW17LS

I don't have an issue with cars not having these gauges. People have no idea what they're looking at...

mmarshall

They will if the instructors at Driver's Ed 101 actually earn the money they charge for the course......and do some teaching. Oil pressure from the oil pump and current from the alternator are two of the engine's life bloods. If I were teaching a driving course, both would probably be covered the first day.

I'm not saying it's a bad idea to change the battery every 3-4 years as a precaution...it certainly isn't (and $80 or so usually won't break most people). But many batteries, if the alternator doesn't crap out, can go a lot longer than that (the longest I've seen is about 7 years). The old Sears DieHard and Exide batteries used to have a lifetime warranty on failing to hold a charge, though I think that the lifetime part on them has recently been cut back.

SW17LS

I'm not worried about driving schools teaching people to read oil pressure or battery gauges...I want them to actually teach people to drive which they aren't doing now.

mmarshall

Oh, I agree....they should be teaching both, like they did when I got my license. Today, for too many people,"driving" means rolling down the street while reading the newspaper, drying one's hair, using an electric razor, texting, playing video games, eating breakfast, trying to adjust the I-Drive/MMI, etc......everything but actually watching the road.