Batteries, batteries, batteries

[TDot]

I've had a few cars, i have NEVER had to change a battery before. A couple of the cars I've had for 5 years. In comes this car and I've changed the battery roughly 2 years ago, and here i am needing to change the battery again. I thought I bought an "excellent" quality battery, sears die hard advanced gold, but i guess not. I never leave my lights on, i never have the car on without the engine running, i don't recall ever needing a jump...but I'm going to throw one time in there for safe measure.

Im thinking my next battery is going to be he optima red top...i just don't want to shell out that much. So im curious as to others and their experience with specific batteries and this car. How long has your battery lasted, how much was the battery?

[steve_c]

I like Sears gold batteries also, but I bought a bad one that I purchased for a 98 Lincoln Mark VIII.
What I failed to notice was that the battery was already on the shelf for 1 yr. and 10 mos. before I bought it!
It was brand new, but the stock was not rotated. I bought a battery that was idly sulfating on the shelf for over a year!
I was fortunate, I happened to find the receipt within the last month of no charge / full replacement!

I failed to do my usual battery pre-purchase check on that one. I always check the date code on a new battery before purchase. I also check its voltage at the same time. I did not do either with that battery.
New battery should be minimum of 12.5 (low side), but I look for 12.7 or better. I always go for the battery with higher voltage.

Before installing in the car, I charge it (trickle up to 2 or so amps) for a few hours.
Check your sears receipt to see if you are still warrantied. The Gold batteries have good warranties.

I replaced my 2006 M35x battery almost 2 years ago. I think I put in an AutoZone branded battery. I got fantastic life out of my original OEM, but in reality it was due for change out 2 years before I actually got to it! Generally speaking, in harsh climates, 5 to 6 years is good / very good for a battery. I agree, you should have gotten more life out of that Sears Gold.

[The00Dustin]

Most battery threads on this sub-forum have multiple members state that you should plan on replacing your battery every 3 years in the M's no matter which battery you use. Two years does seem especially short, though. I put an Interstate battery in my 06 M45 (mfd 04/2005) at 52,363 mi in 9/2009 and another Interstate battery in at 146,135 mi in 1/2013.

ETA: In both cases, I didn't replace the battery until I had to jump-start the car, but in the first case, the rear passenger window stopped going down with the remote while the car was off, then the rear driver window stopped going down with the remote while the car was off, both of these issues and probably others I don't remember were apparently due to the weak OEM battery.

[BlackCat81]

I'm not sure I'd buy an optima, they're quality has severely gone down as I believe now they're manufactured in China. You can't go wrong with a Sears or an Interstate battery, but just like everything out there, occasionally there is a dud.

[szh]

In the 12+ years that I have owned my 2003 M45, I have gone through a battery just about every 3 to 3.5 years max. Because they died and stopped cranking. In the beginning, I used OEM for the first two or three replacements, but the next-to-last time, I tried an Interstate top of the line Megatron Plus MTP-24 and it lasted just about as long as the average Nissan/Infiniti OEM ones.

Unfortunately, I had no choice but to get another Interstate Megatron Plus since I was trying to replace the first one under warranty at their store (no luck , since they wanted to keep the battery overnight to "test it" and I needed a battery right then since my car was dead).

If this one goes as quickly, then I will be irritated again.

Z

[steve_c]

.....they wanted to keep the battery overnight to "test it" and I needed a battery right then since my car was dead)........
Z

Yes, I just went through that with the Sears Gold dud I returned. I got to Sears at 11:30 AM. Service Dept. rep. put the battery on the tester at about 11:45. Testing was not finished until 3:30PM! The testing machine is automatic, it cycles the battery through charges & loads to determine condition. Rep. originally told me test takes a bit more than an hour. Mine took 3:45 minutes to conclude. He said it happens, but very rarely. I would have been pissed if after 4 hours if I was told all was OK!