Found out last week that most car batteries only last 3-5 years... mine was 8 years old

Was helping a neighbor jump start his truck and he asked when I last replaced my battery. I couldn't even remember. Looked up the date code on the terminal sticker and it was from 2017. Eight years. Guy at AutoZone tested it and said it still had good cold cranking amps but was basically a ticking time bomb. Never knew batteries could even go that long without dying. Has anyone else had one last way past the expected lifespan?

2 comments

2 Comments

abby_martin289d ago

Gonna push back on this a little. Realistically, most batteries are fine until they're not, and people act like hitting the 3 year mark means you're driving a bomb. @nancy_owens proved that with her 11 year Camry battery, it's just about climate and luck. I've had one die at 5 years and another at 9 years, and the 9 year old one gave me plenty of warning with slow cranking. The AutoZone guy is supposed to say it's a ticking time bomb, that's literally his job to sell you a new one. If your battery tests fine and you're not stuck somewhere remote, you're probably overthinking it. Just keep an eye on it and replace it when it actually shows signs of weakness, not because of some arbitrary calendar date.

nancy_owens9d ago

Got one that ran 11 years in my old Camry. Only swapped it cause the terminals corroded so bad the cables barely touched.