Car batteries: High Cost, Low Lifespan

[Jack Peterson]

6 minutes ago, Happyhorn52 said:

I think Motolite is just a crappy local battery meant to fit in a Filipino's budget

 Well it is all relative, that is why we live here, just one of those needed Items (better batteries) we can afford to buy where the Local cannot afford. As we know, Tomorrow never comes to many. If we (I do) think long term we have to pay the price.

Just saying 

Jack.

 Morning All Hmmmmmmm smileys not working now   

[OnMyWay]

53 minutes ago, Happyhorn52 said:

I think Motolite is just a crappy local battery meant to fit in a Filipino's budget but not meant to last a long time. 

I paid ~p8000 for my last two Motolites.  Most Filipino budgets could not afford that but I guess if they can afford an SUV they could.

[Dave Hounddriver]

For those on a tight budget, or just cheap and want to make their battery last longer.  Here are a couple of links to One:  Adding water to a 'maintenance free' battery and Two: Reconditioning your battery to get more life from it.

Disclaimer:  I have not tried these methods but I know there are filipinos collecting used batteries and revitalizing them to sell so it should work.

[JJReyes]

1 hour ago, Dave Hounddriver said:

Disclaimer:  I have not tried these methods but I know there are filipinos collecting used batteries and revitalizing them to sell so it should work.

Reconditioned car batteries are used in homes and sari-sari stores in remote areas to power radios and provide lighting. Someone from the village takes them to a town with electricity for recharging. It is very enterprising. I once suggested solar panels for the recharge and all I got were blank stares. Forgot to think in Third World.

Edited May 30, 2018 by JJReyes

[KurtVD]

4 hours ago, JJReyes said:

Reconditioned car batteries are used in homes and sari-sari stores in remote areas to power radios and provide lighting. Someone from the village takes them to a town with electricity for recharging. It is very enterprising. I once suggested solar panels for the recharge and all I got were blank stares. Forgot to think in Third World.

Those batteries are not necessarily reconditioned, but they’re just old batteries that won’t hold enough of a charge to start an engine, but they can still be used for other, less demanding applications for many years. 

 

Solar panels...who’s gonna invest thousands of $/€/£, knowing that it’s gonna take more than 15 years to get even (financially)? 

[KurtVD]

21 hours ago, OnMyWay said:

These Motolites I bought are maintenence free.

So do you have any idea at all why the battery didn't last longer than 2 years? I once had an intermittent failure of the voltage regulator: The alternator was working all the time, but sometimes the battery was being charged normally, and sometimes not at all because the regulator was probably overheating or something like that. I changed the battery (it was old though) before I found the real problem, since the voltage was normal the first time when I measured. 

[jimeve]

The car wouldn't start having parked up in town, 2 mechanics did some test, jump-start the thing, Told me the alternator was knackered. Quoted me 6k for a new one plus labour. Then they noticed A leak underneath the car, diesel leak Started to tell me it's going to be a big job. Told them just do the alternator.

[Dave Hounddriver]

7 minutes ago, jimeve said:

2 mechanics did some test, jump-start the thing

Did they get it started by jump starting?  If so that is one bright side.

[OnMyWay]

1 hour ago, KurtVD said:

So do you have any idea at all why the battery didn't last longer than 2 years? I once had an intermittent failure of the voltage regulator: The alternator was working all the time, but sometimes the battery was being charged normally, and sometimes not at all because the regulator was probably overheating or something like that. I changed the battery (it was old though) before I found the real problem, since the voltage was normal the first time when I measured. 

Well, the warranty is 21 months, so 24 months seems to be the planned expiration!  Seems like all the batteries I have had are like that, in the U.S. too.  36 mo warranty, get about 40 mo, etc.

I can't recall ever having a battery last so long as some have said here.  Maybe I am hard on them in some way?

 

[Gary D]

Here in the Uk we expect about 8 years, 10 not unusual.