How long do sealed batteries last?

[bononos]

Do sealed batteries last as long or longer than the conventional lead acid kind (where you have to top up with distilled water) for a typical car which is driven at least a few times a week?

Someone told me that he changed his sealed car battery every year 'just in case' which I thought was excessive since I never changed it at all for my previous car.

And what sort of maintenance is supposed to be performed on sealed batteries since its supposed to be maintenance free anway?
"Sealed AGM batteries typically last 3 to 5 years on average. 6 to 8 years is easily obtainable with proper maintenance"

 

[SyndromeOCZ]

They usually last me about 1 month past the warranty period.

 

[bryanl]

Sealed batteries are premium products but don't last any longer than conventional batteries, and anyone who makes annual replacements needs nothing but the cheapest product.

Battery life is extended by storing with a full charge to prevent sulfation of the plates. That can be accomplished through periodic use of a battery maintainer or even a conventional charger.

 

[LTC8K6]

Several vehicles come with a sealed AGM battery these days, so they must work well.

 

[unokitty]

Do sealed batteries last as long or longer than the conventional lead acid kind (where you have to top up with distilled water) for a typical car which is driven at least a few times a week?

Someone told me that he changed his sealed car battery every year 'just in case' which I thought was excessive since I never changed it at all for my previous car.

And what sort of maintenance is supposed to be performed on sealed batteries since its supposed to be maintenance free anway?
"Sealed AGM batteries typically last 3 to 5 years on average. 6 to 8 years is easily obtainable with proper maintenance"

I think I got six years out of the original Sealed AGM battery that came in my '93 Miata.

The Miata was my daily driver. Never performed any battery maintenance.

Uno

 

[someone16]

Do they even sell batteries that need to be topped up with water anymore?

There isn't any maintenance you can do other than not to discharge it fully (like forgetting to shut off your headlights)

 

[bryanl]

Do they even sell batteries that need to be topped up with water anymore?

The majority of auto batteries sold still need water added every few months. They're more resistant to damage from leaving on the headlights than regular maintenance free batteries are but not the AGM type.

 

[WT]

Co-worker just replaced the battery in his '01 Honda Civic - it was the original battery, so he had gotten 12 years out of it. That's a record that is gonna be hard to top.

 

[LTC8K6]

I think I got six years out of the original Sealed AGM battery that came in my '93 Miata.

The Miata was my daily driver. Never performed any battery maintenance.

Uno

Usually a car battery will last, on average, 36 months. If you take good care of it, and live in a temperate climate, 48 months might be expected.

That's not a true statement at all, imo. It wasn't true when it was written, either.

 

[bamx2]

Depends on the brand/type of battery ("maintenance free") but on many of them the caps to the cells can be accessed with minimal effort so that water can be added.

 

[JCH13]

I believe all of the points Yuasa makes in the article you linked. I would also believe the lifespan they quote as it exactly reflects my experiences with sealed lead-acid batteries over the last 12-13 years.

AGM (absorbed glass mat) batteries have sheets of essentially fiberglass separating the battery plates. This provides mechanical stability. Their sealed nature prevents any loss of electrolyte short of mechanical damage. This prevents corrosion or oxidation of the plates. It's a mature, robust, technology. I, and thousands of others, have been using AGM batteries in FRC robots for a long, long time and have been very pleased with the results overall.

 

[WackyDan]

That's not a true statement at all, imo. It wasn't true when it was written, either.

My wife's 2005 malibu eats a battery every 3 years due to the engine compartment baking it... Doesn't matter whether I put a cheap battery in it or an expensive one.

My 99 Dakota went 8 years on the first battery and I replaced it not because it went bad, but because I didn't want to wait for that to happen.

So yeah, there is a lot of BS out there about batteries and life expectancy. THere are a lot of factors as to why a battery will live a short life versus a long one... Kinda like my neighbor leaving their dome light on several times and needing to be jump started several times... Then they wonder why their battery needs to be replaced.

 

[repoman0]

My battery is stamped 2005. I bought the car a little over a year ago and have drained it enough that the car wouldn't start 3 times maybe. It also experiences temps between 0F and must get to 110 inside the trunk in the summer. Still fine, starts the car right up!

 

[WilliamM2]

The sealed Yuasa that came in my 1993 ZX11 lasted 10.5 years, it was still working, but I replaced it out of paranoia in 2003. The Yuasa replacement didn't quite make it to two years. I needed a battery that day, so I went to Walmart and grabeed a cheap one. It had been in the bike since August 2005 (8 years) when I sold in at the end of July this year, still working fine. I also got over 7 years from each sealed battery in my Mazda Protege, before I sold that last year.

 

[unokitty]

That's not a true statement at all, imo. It wasn't true when it was written, either.

You realize that presenting your opinion as fact without any supporting evidence just makes you look ignorant.

Don't you?

Uno

 

[bryanl]

Usually a car battery will last, on average, 36 months. If you take good care of it, and live in a temperate climate, 48 months might be expected.

That's not a true statement at all, imo. It wasn't true when it was written, either.

The battery industry agrees with the original statement.

 

[LTC8K6]

You realize that presenting your opinion as fact without any supporting evidence just makes you look ignorant.

Don't you?

Uno

imo means In My Opinion...

How long have you been on the internet? :biggrin:

 

[LTC8K6]

The battery industry agrees with the original statement.

Is that because they want you to replace your battery often?

 

[natto fire]

That's not a true statement at all, imo. It wasn't true when it was written, either.

Which statement isn't true? You quoted two contradictory ones. Not sure how you gathered your opinion, but my personal experience is quite different from your opinion. I have only been working on cars for 14 years, and worked with a few deep cycle batteries for marine and other uses so I am by no means an authority on batteries.

 

[LTC8K6]

Which statement isn't true? You quoted two contradictory ones. Not sure how you gathered your opinion, but my personal experience is quite different from your opinion. I have only been working on cars for 14 years, and worked with a few deep cycle batteries for marine and other uses so I am by no means an authority on batteries.

Huh?

The quote is from unokitty's link.

I said I disagree with it.

Why is my opinion a problem for anyone other than me?

 

[natto fire]

Huh?

The quote is from unokitty's link.

I said I disagree with it.

Why is my opinion a problem for anyone other than me?

Sorry, I was not attacking you for your opinion, and did not mean to present my experience as fact, it was my opinion. I did not read through the link, but just read the post where uno said 6 years out of an AGM battery, which is 72 months. The blurb you quoted second said 36 months.

I was trying to find out which time-frame you disagreed with, and if it was the 36 month one, I had a differing experience.

 

[Zenmervolt]

I was trying to find out which time-frame you disagreed with, and if it was the 36 month one, I had a differing experience.

I've been working on cars for just about my entire life, albeit as a hobbyist. 36 months is ridiculously pessimistic in my experience (living in the Midwest and the Pacific Northwest). Over many different vehicles, both my own and those owned by family members, the expected lifespan for a battery seems to be six to nine years.

My 951 sits unused for months at a time without being on a tender in the winter. The current battery was purchased in 2008 and it's still in good shape. Fires up after sitting for 2-3 months with no trouble. The battery in my Volvo came with the car when I bought it in 2007 and it's also still in great shape. The only batteries I've ever had that failed in 3 years or less were motorcycle batteries that were horribly abused.

I realize those are both anecdotal, but they follow my experience with numerous other vehicles. If I had a car where the battery needed replacing after only 3-4 years, and I wasn't somewhere like Arizona where the summer heat would cook a battery quickly, I'd be looking for a short or some type of charging system malfunction.

ZV