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When To Replace Battery?
Subaru Subaru vehicles (alt.autos.subaru)
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#11
 
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Re: When To Replace Battery? -
10-30-2006
, 01:01 PM
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When should I replace my battery if I want to do so before it fails and won't start the car? The car is an 04 Impreza 2.5 TS automatic, purchased new in March 04. I live in southern New Hampshire and do not have a garage, thus the car is kept outside at night. It currently has approx 80,000 miles. I know I'll get a variety of opinions, but perhaps I can draw a general consensus out of them. |
minus a year for every time it got drained down
to zero. That reminds me of how damaging it is
to leave the lights on...
YMMV depending on the brand and quality of the
battery. My mechanic-shop owner-friend swears
by Interstate.
#12
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Larry Weil wrote: When should I replace my battery if I want to do so before it fails and won't start the car? The car is an 04 Impreza 2.5 TS automatic, purchased new in March 04. I live in southern New Hampshire and do not have a garage, thus the car is kept outside at night. It currently has approx 80,000 miles. I know I'll get a variety of opinions, but perhaps I can draw a general consensus out of them. I like to think that a battery is worth 5 years minus a year for every time it got drained down to zero. That reminds me of how damaging it is to leave the lights on... YMMV depending on the brand and quality of the battery. My mechanic-shop owner-friend swears by Interstate. |
once. Average is about 2.5 - 3.
Carl
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#13
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Jim Stewart wrote: Larry Weil wrote: When should I replace my battery if I want to do so before it fails and won't start the car? I like to think that a battery is worth 5 years minus a year for every time it got drained down to zero. That reminds me of how damaging it is to leave the lights on... YMMV depending on the brand and quality of the battery. My mechanic-shop owner-friend swears by Interstate. |
my Audi A4 (not sure what we have in the Subaru; I should go look!),
and the thing is still cranking just fine, giving me confidence that
we'll get through at least one more winter with it. I've never
drained down this battery.
Quote:
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Not in the south or south west. I'v only ever had a batt. last 5 years once. Average is about 2.5 - 3. |
find this to be counter-intuitive to my experience living in western
New York, where starting engines in sub-20F temps can be quite a
workout for batteries.
#14
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#15
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Why would a hot climate be harder on a battery than a cold one? |
scientifically inclined, my guess is that the heat more greatly
contributes to chemical changes in the compounds that make up a battery
than the cold would and that the cold just makes stuff not want to
start, but doesn't irreversibly alter the fundamental make up of the
battery.
#16
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Jim Stewart wrote: Larry Weil wrote: When should I replace my battery if I want to do so before it fails and won't start the car? The car is an 04 Impreza 2.5 TS automatic, purchased new in March 04. I live in southern New Hampshire and do not have a garage, thus the car is kept outside at night. It currently has approx 80,000 miles. I know I'll get a variety of opinions, but perhaps I can draw a general consensus out of them. I like to think that a battery is worth 5 years minus a year for every time it got drained down to zero. That reminds me of how damaging it is to leave the lights on... YMMV depending on the brand and quality of the battery. My mechanic-shop owner-friend swears by Interstate. Not in the south or south west. I'v only ever had a batt. last 5 years once. Average is about 2.5 - 3. Carl |
Yep, I've yet to have a battery last more than 4 years. 2-3 years is
pretty typical. Where I live in AZ we see 110+'s in the summer and 10's
in the winter...
FWIW: Before you replace it, check the electrolyte levels: my OEM WRX
battery needed to be topped off every other month.
Brent.
#17
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Why would a hot climate be harder on a battery than a cold one? I find this to be counter-intuitive to my experience living in western New York, where starting engines in sub-20F temps can be quite a workout for batteries. |
hard on batteries.
It's harder to produce current at low temps due to the themochemical
dynamics and how cold slows reaction rates. So age related
degredation tends to show itself in the cold and cause batteries to
fail to start the car at -30F when they might perform just fine at
+30F.
On the other end, heat, while friendly to the chemical processes that
get current flowing during starting, kills batteries prematurely
because of accellerated rate of reaction also hastens deterioration of
metal parts inside the battery and consumption of the ions that make
the reactions happen. I believe gassing and water loss are also
issues in hot climates.
Best Regards,
--
Todd H.
2001 Legacy Outback Wagon, 2.5L H-4
Chicago, Illinois USA
#18
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KLS <xymergy (AT) suds (DOT) com> writes: Why would a hot climate be harder on a battery than a cold one? I find this to be counter-intuitive to my experience living in western New York, where starting engines in sub-20F temps can be quite a workout for batteries. You're both right. :-) Temperature extremes in either direction are hard on batteries. It's harder to produce current at low temps due to the themochemical dynamics and how cold slows reaction rates. So age related degredation tends to show itself in the cold and cause batteries to fail to start the car at -30F when they might perform just fine at +30F. On the other end, heat, while friendly to the chemical processes that get current flowing during starting, kills batteries prematurely because of accellerated rate of reaction also hastens deterioration of metal parts inside the battery and consumption of the ions that make the reactions happen. I believe gassing and water loss are also issues in hot climates. Best Regards, -- Todd H. 2001 Legacy Outback Wagon, 2.5L H-4 Chicago, Illinois USA |
http://www.uuhome.de/william.darden/lifemap.jpg
Carl
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#19
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#20
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Don't be like me because I am a bad car parent, but I replaced what I am almost certain to be the orginal battery in my 6 year old car this year after I left one of the interior lights on for about a week and the battery wouldn't even take a jump. What makes me think this was the original battery is that I have never seen a Johnson Controls battery for sale anywhere. There are only a handful of companies in the country that |
the largest. They have a factory close to me and almost
every battery you find for sale around here you will find
somewhere on the battery a statement that is was made by
Johnson Controls (made by Johnson Controls for xxx). It is
very possible and likely that for any specific national
brand, it could be made by a different Co in different
locations around the country. It's not very cost affective
to transport lead vary far.
Check out the Johnson Control web site as there used to be a
list of all the companies they made batteries for. You
might be surprised.
Mickey
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