What is the life of car battery?
HOW LONG DOES A VEHICLE BATTERY LAST AND HOW DO WE ACHIEVE MAXIMUM VALUE FOR THE CUSTOMER:
Today’s modern maintenance free starting battery should last anywhere from 3 to 5 years, depending on how it is used, stored and maintained.
A car battery should easily exceed its performance expectations and warranty term when a few basic house keeping rules are followed :
1) most starting batteries are sealed maintenence free (SMF) so no topping up of electrolyte levels are necessary.
2) SMF batteries needs little to no maintenance when it has been installed correctly apart from cleaning the cable terminals and securing battery mounting to avoid shaking.
3) Complete an electrical check on the alternator and starter motor to make sure the battery is receiving the correct charging input. Overcharging or undercharging can cause premature failure of the battery even though its a fault of the cars electrical system. Batteries are often misdiagnosed due to this issue and often the battery is blamed unnecessarily.
4) Keep the battery charged particularly if the vehicle is not used that often (part time cars, motorbikes, boats). Keeping the battery charged using an appropriate trickle charger is recommended.
With yearly free battery checks recommended by any of our Battery expert stores, you will be given a great piece of mind.
Batteries are like many products - you generally get what you pay for. They come with 1 year, 2 year and 3 year warranty so the longer the warranty, the higher the quality and the longer life.
Motorcycle and Marine batteries can greatly have its life expectancy increased if it has a regular trickle charge when parked up. Cycling batteries are also quite easy to reduce the battery life expectation or even damage the battery internals with charging neglect. In our hustle and bustle world, we often suffer from “out of sight, out of mind” when it comes to charging batteries. Batteries are sometimes located in boxes, under seats or bed frames and in cupboards. While they are in use and getting a Solar or electrical AC charge, in general, they are very happy and will perform as intended, giving many years of faithful service. The deuteriation starts when the cycling battery is neglected by being either stored partially charged or left for an extended time in a discharged state, unused or subserviced by charging, often resulting in the loss of amperage capacity, making it unusable for the battery’s original intention. This almost always requires replacement well before the customers expectation. Education to rectify the early demise can be as simple as to suggest a charge of at least every 12 weeks while not in use using a quality charger. A trickle charge could be another suggestion where the environment allows. Battery life expectations of up to 3-7 years life is not unreasonable should proper maintenance schedules be applied.
Lithium Batteries are different in composition and act, and store differently. Rather than a full maintain or trickle charge, because of its internal “BMS” Battery management system, Lithium batteries have been found to appreciate a full charge and not require constant top ups while in storage. It is still recommended to check them while in storage but only a maintenance charge is required when voltage has dropped through drainage or excessive time without use. Lithium generally allows for deeper discharge without damaging the internals which is a key feature of this technology.
The modern SMF starting battery, no matter what the application, is highly reliable and will perform long after its warranty period if looked after. The days of adding water or electrolyte is a thing of the past. Batteries for under bonnet use, high-capacity use are all factored into the modern car or accessory end user.
So matter what your battery application, call us or pop into one of our stores for great advice, huge product range and budget options. This way, you are guaranteed to have a battery purchase experience that will satisfy your needs and expectations.
