Car batteries: High Cost, Low Lifespan

[OnMyWay]

The topic on tires reminded me to post this.

On my Trailblazer, I replaced the original battery in May 2016.  I forget what the brand and warranty was, but it was the OEM, out of warranty and was about 17 months old.

I bought a Motolite Gold DIN 88 (larger than the OEM), 21 mo warranty, for p8000 then.  It lasted until today, about 24 mo.  There are limited stores open Sunday so I again bought the same Motolite Gold, same 21 mo warranty, at the same store.  This time p8400 less p300 for the old battery.  p8100 is roughly $154 at today's high exchange rates.

My Honda Brio battery went last week.  Also about 18 months old, OEM, with a 12 mo warranty.  I only found a Panasonic to replace it, for p2900, 15 mo warranty.  I went to 6 shops and only found this one that would fit.  It is a tiny battery.

Motolite is one of the top brands here, and their best, Excel, has a 24 month warranty.  Amaron is supposed to be good, but I don't think the warranties are much better and they are hard to find in my area.

So why are batteries so crappy and expensive here?

In the U.S., I used to buy Diehard brand from Sears, because they lasted as promised.  I just looked at Sears.com, and $136 will get you a Diehard Gold with 36 month warranty, Southern state version, for hot and humid climates.

[Old55]

Is this caused by the climate?  I guess it could never thought of that. 

My SRT is 8 years old has the stock battery in it. Our CTS is four years old 70K miles stock battery replaced last month still going strong.

[BKB]

How temperature affects batteries

one of the most relevant problem for batteries? Heat. Actually, high temperatures have a deep impact on their performances, safety and cycle lifetime. R&D centers have worked very hard to resolve this issue, increasing the temperature resistance of macrocells. There are some cases: the  battery inside a portable smartphone or a pc, the battery used in a car, exposed to high temperature of the engine.

Studies reveal that each 8°C rise in temperature break the life of a sealed lead acid battery in half. This means that a VRLA battery resists 10 years at 25°C and only 5 years when it’s exposed to 33°C. Another important problem: once the battery is damaged by heat, its capacity can’t be restored.

http://www.tawaki-battery.com/how-temperature-affects-batteries/

[JJReyes]

Whenever there is more advance technology available, Western manufacturers purchase new equipment to manufacture. The old equipment is sold, along with licensing agreements for the older technology, to countries like the Philippines, Vietnam, Bangladesh, etc. This could be one reason tires and batteries don't last as long.

Another reason is some products are designed and manufactured to breakdown soon after the warranty expires.  

[OnMyWay]

Yes, I know that batteries don't fare well in a hot climate.  I lived in Florida, a similar climate to PH, and all the batteries are hot climate batteries like the Diehard I mentioned.  They even had warranties much longer than 36 months for some, despite the climate.

4 hours ago, JJReyes said:

Another reason is some products are designed and manufactured to breakdown soon after the warranty expires.  

I believe this is true for batteries in both the U.S. and PH.  In both places, they usually last a few months longer than the warranty.  So the manufacturers somehow knows exactly how long they will last.

6 hours ago, Old55 said:

My SRT is 8 years old has the stock battery in it.

That is exceptional!  That cool and gloomy NW U.S. weather must have something to do with it!

[RBM]

I just replaced a heavy duty Bosh battery after 21 months. This time bought a cheaper motolite expect about same life span. It is what it is.......

[intrepid]

We purchased of Ford Everest used shortly after arriving in the Philippines 2016.  We had to replace the battery within a few months and was able to purchase the 21 month Motolite.  Although it started the car fine, it seemed to be a tad sluggish.  I was thinking maybe the starter will need replacing in the near future.  Fourteen months later that new battery would not start the car one morning.  After a jump start and returning to the garage where we purchased the battery, they first tested my charging system.  Then removed the battery and did a load test which failed.  The worker then went inside and came out with a new battery and started to install it.  I asked my wife to ask him what the cost would be because in the US they would prorate the replacement.  He asked her if we had our receipt which once he checked it said,"no charge".  Wow was I happy.  However, he kept the receipt so no more warranty.  The next several starts of the car I noticed this battery was much stronger and turned the motor over much faster.  Looking back I think the other battery may have had a factory defect.  Never felt myself as lucky but this time I feel I was.

[OnMyWay]

4 minutes ago, intrepid said:

I asked my wife to ask him what the cost would be because in the US they would prorate the replacement.  He asked her if we had our receipt which once he checked it said,"no charge". 

I didn't realize the Motolite warranty was replacement.  Good to know!

I think the Motolites here don't have nearly as good CCA (Cold Cranking Amps) here.  Maybe 500 compared to 800 on a Diehard in the U.S.

If you start to get sluggish starts, it is time for a new battery.  Get it replaced before you get stranded with a dead battery.  Yesterday with the Trailblazer I barely made it.  Same with the Brio last week.

[Dave Hounddriver]

1 minute ago, OnMyWay said:

Get it replaced before you get stranded with a dead battery.

In a country where batteries die so easily, it amazes me that so few people have booster cables.  I have them, and have needed them on numerous occasions.

Another item that is cheap to buy is a battery voltage tester.  It may not be a perfect predictor of battery performance but if you suspect the battery is getting old it would not hurt to see if it is holding a charge when you park it for 12 hours.  These 2 items I have learned (the hard way) to keep in the car or around the house.

[Jack Peterson]

11 minutes ago, intrepid said:

We had to replace the battery within a few months

 Our car is now 18 months old and the battery is Ok, we noticed that when we get the paperwork from a service they give us a readout of the battery test. on Checking it is about 98.5% load, the Technician told us at about 68% it would need a new battery but as yet we have no need to think on it, I asked why 68%, well Sir you have an Automatic with Electric Steering and we have found Steering problems with batteries below a 68% load.  Good EH? 

 Jack

Morning All