New car battery recommendation

[CTScott]

Originally Posted by IllusionX

Scott, how long should lead acid battery last given best working conditions?

Cuz sealed lead acid batteries, like the ones found in home alarms as backup don't seem to last much longer than 4 years... My previous car batteries never lasted longer than 4 years either..
So as a rule of thumb, car batteries usually don't last much longer than 4-5 years. But it obviously doesn't seem to be the case with most of the Yaris/Echo owners up here.. like mine is 7 years old and counting...

It really depends on a lot of factors. I have had car batteries last over 10 years and I have had them only last 4 years. I believe that the best case would probably be about 15 years.

I have a Sonnenschein battery in Crashy that was manufactured in 2001, was used for some testing with the mobile robots I used to work with, spent about 7 years being used very intermittently on my Gravely walk behind tractor (which was used in the spring for rototilling and once in a while in the winter for snow blowing) and has now been in Crashy since February of 2011.

The Yaris is a bit tougher on batteries that most other cars, as it has a high static current draw (over 100 mA), which means that in a week or two of not using the car you have significantly drained the battery. So, Yaris that are driven 365 days a year will see longer battery life than Yaris that are driven intermittently.

[esse10]

10 year battery? NO WAY MAN, not in south texas heat. I've been driving since high school , over 30 years and most car batteries last on average 4-5 years down here. The battery that came in the Brand new Dodge Durango I bought a few years back only lasted 2 years. That Dodge suv was a problem since day one and I will never in the rest of my lifetime will I ever buy a Dodge again.

[nookandcrannycar]

Originally Posted by esse10

10 year battery? NO WAY MAN, not in south texas heat. I've been driving since high school , over 30 years and most car batteries last on average 4-5 years down here. The battery that came in the Brand new Dodge Durango I bought a few years back only lasted 2 years. That Dodge suv was a problem since day one and I will never in the rest of my lifetime will I ever buy a Dodge again.

Buying 'top of the line' batteries (5yr Warranty--3yr Free Repl---last 2yrs pro rated) to get that average? I got 2 years 11 months and 2 days (and 138k+ miles) out of my OEM.....then 3 years exactly (and about 88k miles) out of a 1 year guarantee (lowest level) Sears battery.....now 14 months and 9 days (and 41k + miles) into a Wal-Mart 1 year guarantee (lowest level) battery and I wonder how healthy that battery is (did drain it listening to the radio months back , but it tested fine a month or so later). I bought that Wal-Mart battery (on 9-9-12) because Sears raised their price on their 1 year battery. Now (Nov. 16/17, 2013) Wal-Mart has raised the guarantee on that battery to 2 years, but they also raised the price (to the level of the Sears battery in 2012) and Sears has raised the price on their comparable battery again.

[CTScott]

Originally Posted by esse10

10 year battery? NO WAY MAN, not in south texas heat. I've been driving since high school , over 30 years and most car batteries last on average 4-5 years down here. The battery that came in the Brand new Dodge Durango I bought a few years back only lasted 2 years. That Dodge suv was a problem since day one and I will never in the rest of my lifetime will I ever buy a Dodge again.

I definitely agree that down there you will never see a lead acid battery last 10 years.

[nookandcrannycar]

Originally Posted by CTScott

It really depends on a lot of factors. I have had car batteries last over 10 years and I have had them only last 4 years. I believe that the best case would probably be about 15 years.

I have a Sonnenschein battery in Crashy that was manufactured in 2001, was used for some testing with the mobile robots I used to work with, spent about 7 years being used very intermittently on my Gravely walk behind tractor (which was used in the spring for rototilling and once in a while in the winter for snow blowing) and has now been in Crashy since February of 2011.

The Yaris is a bit tougher on batteries that most other cars, as it has a high static current draw (over 100 mA), which means that in a week or two of not using the car you have significantly drained the battery. So, Yaris that are driven 365 days a year will see longer battery life than Yaris that are driven intermittently.

Very interesting. If I was to go out of town for 1-2 weeks (or even MUCH longer) and not bring my Yaris with me (Yaris would be 'alone' ), what would be the best (safest and most effective) way to preserve the charge in the battery?

[CTScott]

Originally Posted by nookandcrannycar

Very interesting. If I was to go out of town for 1-2 weeks (or even MUCH longer) and not bring my Yaris with me (Yaris would be 'alone' ), what would be the best (safest and most effective) way to preserve the charge in the battery?

When I vacation I pull the negative battery cable on all of my Yaris that are left behind. On Crashy I installed a quick disconnect, since she often goes for weeks without use.

[nookandcrannycar]

Originally Posted by CTScott

When I vacation I pull the negative battery cable on all of my Yaris that are left behind. On Crashy I installed a quick disconnect, since she often goes for weeks without use.

Thanks so much!