Car battery life - How long did your battery last?

BlackPearl · 28th July 2007, 18:27

my Baleno is 2 yrs 4 months old and (34K Km) and running on OEM Exide (Exide Freedom) till now with no probs at all...

dilipkumar7278 · 10th August 2007, 16:53

At last my OEM exide battery conked off after 4 years and two months.Yesterday morning the car refused to start.Went to the shop and after checking the battery they said its gone.Purchased a Bosch battery for 4700rs.
Cheers
Dilip

megger · 17th September 2007, 11:01

My WagonR Aug 2002 is still runing fine with original battery 5+ yrs. Should I replace it as a precautionary measure?

Hw does one check how god the batteries are?

autoenthusiast · 17th September 2007, 16:07

My Santro OEM battery has lasted for 4 years, 2 months and still going strong. Never once had an issue, I usually drive for around 25 - 30 km a day and couple of times in a year on very long trips.
One thing that I follow is, I never switch off the car at traffic signals if the wait is less than 2 minutes, I also avoid switching off the car at small pitstops (4 - 5 minutes) incase someone else is staying back in the car (mainly due to the reason that I use A/C all the time, and it's kept running incase wifey and kids are in the vehicle).

Sam Kapasi · 20th April 2008, 02:30

The battery on my Verna failed. It was 14 months old. When I checked the warranty, I was informed that OE battery warranties last only 12 months.

I was then reminded of my Lancer that came with an Exide and that lasted 13 months before failing.

It's too much of a coincidence for me and I'm suspecting that perhaps batteries supplied at OE level are made in a cheaper manner, perhaps to be supplied to automotive manufacturers in India at a lower cost.

Far-fetched? Well let's find out. Think back and answer this poll. Thanks.

Rahulkool · 20th April 2008, 02:41

hmmmmm ..... Interesting topic, The one in our Zen lasted for 2.5-3 years IIRC , in some more 800s and omnis which i have seen in my family it always work for around 3 years. But on my bike HH Karizma it has started to give me trouble, sometimes electric start won't work at all and i am suspecting the battery and my bike just 14months old .......

speedzak · 20th April 2008, 02:52

I've had mixed experiences.
My Qualis' battery lasted for more than 3years, but started showing age just before it completing it's 4th birthday. And it was replaced. Accord's battery is running fine in it's 3rd year.
My Alto battery lasted about 22months . So did the M800's but it lasted till it completed 2years.
Our Petra battery lasted 13months.
Mercs' batteries have given problems after 2years or so, but wasn't replaced. Some repairs and they have pulled on. But of the lot, battery in E250D (W124) was replaced more than 4 times within a span of 10years. Some were done under warranty and some, not. It had a brand new battery when it completed it's 10th birthday and had 1,89,000kms on odo. Then, it was sold. :(

moralfibre · 20th April 2008, 08:16

The battery in my Getz is stock and its been 26 months and there are no issues with it. My cousins Santro has a stock battery as well and it was bought around the same time as the Getz. The Palio battery is showing signs of fatigue but works without issues nonetheless. All cars have ICE setups with amplifiers, all cars have power windows, etc.

The office Indica just had its first battery replacement after 4 years and 40000 kms. It ran on the stock battery for so long!!! It doesn't have a single electrical accessory fitted to it. Not even a radio.

drpullockaran · 20th April 2008, 08:33

The Exide din50 battery in the GTX is the OE battery and I bought this car on the 21st July 2003. Its still going strong as are all other parts except for the wiper blade of the driver side which I changed last year and in fact that's the only part that I have changed in my car as yet.
We had an Exide battery in the Amby that my dad owned and that lasted roughly 5 years and this was in the 1970s.

kARTIK IYER · 20th April 2008, 08:46

Hi ,

My battery on my earlier car wagon Car lasted for 18 months . It was exide one .

In my new vehicle the scorpio , it is Amaron brand and am not sure how well it will last , its just 9 months now.

clevermax · 20th April 2008, 08:54

OE Battery in our Zen-D lasted a little more than 6 years. It was never opened by a mechanic to 'refill' water or acid. I think that was the key.

One of its cells died 2 weeks after a service guy finally managed to 'refill' it.

Steeroid · 20th April 2008, 09:00

24 months, 40k kms (or thereabouts) and the one on the Dicor went kaput. It had 2 amps with some badly installed ICE that once drained the battery completely and a diesel tuner box fitted, plus a refridgerator for most long journeys but I still thought that was rather fast.

I havent replaced the battery on any of my other vehicles, many of which had been sold before I felt the need to change battery.

EDIT: I just remembered - the battery on the Chevy was replaced under warranty in about 2.5 years, 35k kms.

Moby · 20th April 2008, 09:14

Does adding Amp, Additional Horns decrease battery life considerably?

My Alto battery is running strong with one year of usage.
Our old 800 ran almost 3 years with stock battery.
My pulsar battery was changed two times within a span of 4yrs. Now it needs another battery.

karlosdeville · 20th April 2008, 09:55

My Alto OE Exide battery is now 6 years and counting, never given me a problem. Im shocked! Of course there are no power windows, central locking, ICE etc.

I fitted an Exide Express on my other Alto, also 6 years old, just over a year back. That battery lasted me 8 months! Changed under warranty though, no questions asked.

snaronikar · 20th April 2008, 10:55

The battery on my Wagon R lasted more than 5 years and now on Ikon it is already 3 1/2 years old and still going strong. Both batteries were exide.

28th July 2007, 18:27	#76
BlackPearl Team-BHP Support Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Calcutta/London Posts: 3,662 Thanked: 17,375 Times View My Garage	my Baleno is 2 yrs 4 months old and (34K Km) and running on OEM Exide (Exide Freedom) till now with no probs at all...
	() Thanks

10th August 2007, 16:53	#77
dilipkumar7278 BANNED Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: COCHIN Posts: 441 Thanked: 110 Times View My Garage	Exide At last my OEM exide battery conked off after 4 years and two months.Yesterday morning the car refused to start.Went to the shop and after checking the battery they said its gone.Purchased a Bosch battery for 4700rs. Cheers Dilip
	() Thanks

17th September 2007, 11:01	#78
megger BHPian Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 156 Thanked: 4 Times	My WagonR Aug 2002 is still runing fine with original battery 5+ yrs. Should I replace it as a precautionary measure? Hw does one check how god the batteries are?
	() Thanks

17th September 2007, 16:07	#79
autoenthusiast BHPian Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Goa Posts: 417 Thanked: 5 Times	My Santro OEM battery has lasted for 4 years, 2 months and still going strong. Never once had an issue, I usually drive for around 25 - 30 km a day and couple of times in a year on very long trips. One thing that I follow is, I never switch off the car at traffic signals if the wait is less than 2 minutes, I also avoid switching off the car at small pitstops (4 - 5 minutes) incase someone else is staying back in the car (mainly due to the reason that I use A/C all the time, and it's kept running incase wifey and kids are in the vehicle).
	() Thanks

20th April 2008, 02:30	#80
Sam Kapasi Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Mumbai (but wat Posts: 6,939 Thanked: 2,479 Times View My Garage	How long did your OE battery last? The battery on my Verna failed. It was 14 months old. When I checked the warranty, I was informed that OE battery warranties last only 12 months. I was then reminded of my Lancer that came with an Exide and that lasted 13 months before failing. It's too much of a coincidence for me and I'm suspecting that perhaps batteries supplied at OE level are made in a cheaper manner, perhaps to be supplied to automotive manufacturers in India at a lower cost. Far-fetched? Well let's find out. Think back and answer this poll. Thanks.
	() Thanks

20th April 2008, 02:41	#81
Rahulkool Senior - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Chennai Posts: 1,465 Thanked: 2,123 Times View My Garage	hmmmmm ..... Interesting topic, The one in our Zen lasted for 2.5-3 years IIRC , in some more 800s and omnis which i have seen in my family it always work for around 3 years. But on my bike HH Karizma it has started to give me trouble, sometimes electric start won't work at all and i am suspecting the battery and my bike just 14months old .......
	() Thanks

20th April 2008, 02:52	#82
speedzak BANNED Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: India Posts: 4,346 Thanked: 28 Times	I've had mixed experiences. My Qualis' battery lasted for more than 3years, but started showing age just before it completing it's 4th birthday. And it was replaced. Accord's battery is running fine in it's 3rd year. My Alto battery lasted about 22months . So did the M800's but it lasted till it completed 2years. Our Petra battery lasted 13months. Mercs' batteries have given problems after 2years or so, but wasn't replaced. Some repairs and they have pulled on. But of the lot, battery in E250D (W124) was replaced more than 4 times within a span of 10years. Some were done under warranty and some, not. It had a brand new battery when it completed it's 10th birthday and had 1,89,000kms on odo. Then, it was sold. :(
	() Thanks

20th April 2008, 08:16	#83
moralfibre Team-BHP Support Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: MH-12 Posts: 8,554 Thanked: 14,424 Times	The battery in my Getz is stock and its been 26 months and there are no issues with it. My cousins Santro has a stock battery as well and it was bought around the same time as the Getz. The Palio battery is showing signs of fatigue but works without issues nonetheless. All cars have ICE setups with amplifiers, all cars have power windows, etc. The office Indica just had its first battery replacement after 4 years and 40000 kms. It ran on the stock battery for so long!!! It doesn't have a single electrical accessory fitted to it. Not even a radio.
	() Thanks

20th April 2008, 08:33	#84
drpullockaran BHPian Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: ERNAKULAM Posts: 961 Thanked: 388 Times	Exide in the Palio The Exide din50 battery in the GTX is the OE battery and I bought this car on the 21st July 2003. Its still going strong as are all other parts except for the wiper blade of the driver side which I changed last year and in fact that's the only part that I have changed in my car as yet. We had an Exide battery in the Amby that my dad owned and that lasted roughly 5 years and this was in the 1970s. Last edited by drpullockaran : 20th April 2008 at 08:47.
	() Thanks

20th April 2008, 08:46	#85
kARTIK IYER BHPian Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: NaviMumbai Posts: 160 Thanked: 15 Times	Hi , My battery on my earlier car wagon Car lasted for 18 months . It was exide one . In my new vehicle the scorpio , it is Amaron brand and am not sure how well it will last , its just 9 months now.
	() Thanks

20th April 2008, 08:54	#86
clevermax Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Tvm/Amsterdam Posts: 2,112 Thanked: 2,897 Times View My Garage	OE Battery in our Zen-D lasted a little more than 6 years. It was never opened by a mechanic to 'refill' water or acid. I think that was the key. One of its cells died 2 weeks after a service guy finally managed to 'refill' it. Last edited by clevermax : 20th April 2008 at 08:55.
	() Thanks

20th April 2008, 09:00	#87
Steeroid Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: N.A Posts: 7,026 Thanked: 2,757 Times	24 months, 40k kms (or thereabouts) and the one on the Dicor went kaput. It had 2 amps with some badly installed ICE that once drained the battery completely and a diesel tuner box fitted, plus a refridgerator for most long journeys but I still thought that was rather fast. I havent replaced the battery on any of my other vehicles, many of which had been sold before I felt the need to change battery. EDIT: I just remembered - the battery on the Chevy was replaced under warranty in about 2.5 years, 35k kms. Last edited by Steeroid : 20th April 2008 at 09:03.
	() Thanks

20th April 2008, 09:14	#88
Moby BHPian Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: TRV Posts: 56 Thanked: 0 Times View My Garage	Does adding Amp, Additional Horns decrease battery life considerably? My Alto battery is running strong with one year of usage. Our old 800 ran almost 3 years with stock battery. My pulsar battery was changed two times within a span of 4yrs. Now it needs another battery.
	() Thanks

20th April 2008, 09:55	#89
karlosdeville Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Pune Posts: 12,143 Thanked: 18,956 Times View My Garage	My Alto OE Exide battery is now 6 years and counting, never given me a problem. Im shocked! Of course there are no power windows, central locking, ICE etc. I fitted an Exide Express on my other Alto, also 6 years old, just over a year back. That battery lasted me 8 months! Changed under warranty though, no questions asked. Last edited by karlosdeville : 20th April 2008 at 09:57.
	() Thanks

20th April 2008, 10:55	#90
snaronikar Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Bengaluru Posts: 2,845 Thanked: 31 Times View My Garage	The battery on my Wagon R lasted more than 5 years and now on Ikon it is already 3 1/2 years old and still going strong. Both batteries were exide.
	() Thanks