Car Battery question
 

So how often do you guys usually change your car batteries? I bought my car in October of 2009 and havent changed my battery yet. Is there like a time period that a battery is suppose to last?

- I drive about 7500kms /year. Do you guys think its time for me to change my battery (3years since its 2012 now)?

-Are there any shops in Richmond (Minoru area) that you guys suggest I go to? (I work fulltime and would rather have them do it for me).

-The car is a CLK 550 coupe

-Thanks in advance guys !

Usually batteries will be good for 5 years. Get a shop to do a load test if you're unsure of how old the battery is.

Just a coincidence that we're learning about batteries in school :fullofwin:

thanks for the reply !!

keep the advises coming guys :)

It depends how often you drive. Let's say you store the car 4 months in garage for winter. The battery voltage will go pretty low. After you drive a bit, the battery will be charged but the voltage might drop off faster than before.
Even if you got a brand new vehicle, it doesn't mean you got a fresh battery. Parking outside will reduce battery life as well.

I drive it everyday but for short trips only, I have never stored the vehicle for no longer than a few days year round and always parked in my garage.

Its been just over 3 years since I bought the car and I have never changed the battery so far...whats your say on this?

thanks in advance

The alternator acts as your battery charger. If it provides the proper float voltage (voltage to ensure that your battery its fully charge) then your battery should last a very long time...
For temperature, the rule of thumb is for every 10F over 77F the life of the battery decreases by half (this ids what we use in telecom)
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I would say every 5 years, although I've seen as long as 7 years and as short as 3 years.

You usually have some warning before the battery goes - when starting, it will crank slower and slower before your battery finally dies one morning. It's definitely more pronounced when the weather gets colder.

If you only take your car out for "short trips" your battery may have a shorter life because the alternator is not able to fully recharge it and it just sits there, partially charged, all the time.
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If your battery can start your car every time, your good.

You will know when your battery is weak when your car has trouble cranking the first time to start it. This is when I usually change my battery. This usually happens after 4 years so i figure my battery is about dead anyways.

a well maintained charging system will net a battery life of five to ten years

I bought my car new back in January of 2004 and I haven't changed my battery since.

Although I did notice in Whistler last year when it was really cold it took awhile longer to crank it but it worked on the first try.

Car is parked on the street and being driven daily. I'm surprised myself that my battery is still working, but I'm thinking of getting a new one before next winter for sure. That is unless it decides to die out on me when the temperature dips further below.

Just use digital meter to see how fast your battery voltage drop in an hour. A good battery should drop very slow, a bad one is another story. A trigger is exactly what you need if you store your car.

what do u mean by a "well maintained charging system" ?

thanks in advance

is a 5 minute drive considered a "short trip"?

my car has "keyless go" and it starts up no problem so far, not sure how it will go if I actually "insert" the key to start the engine...

I have heard good things about "Sky Auto" in Richmond on Minoru, anyone been there before?

I don't really know about Euro cars, but shouldn't the battery be easy to replace? It's literally a pull out and drop in job. If you're keeping the car for a long time, get a good quality battery and put that in. That is, if your battery is actually dead. Although 7500 km a year isn't a lot, it should be enough to keep your battery going for 3 years.

My X3 battery died in 2 years after driving with heated seats on all the time and sitting in the cold overnight and then doing 10 min journeys for a year. During that time it was pumping out 10.9-11.2volts w/o start. You will notice that it takes a really long time to crank even during hot start, even longer during cold start. Regular battery should be 11.9.

Are your lights dimming during a cold start? There should be plenty of signs of a dying battery before you need to change it.

Good thing about merc's are that the battery have more cells, so you should be good. If it ain't broke don't fix it!

I've been there before, they're not bad. But I would just go to Rise instead.

lights as in the lighting on the speedometer or the headlights? both of them are fine.

No problems with cranking too. The car is a keyless go, would it be diff if I inserted the smart key and actually "turned" it to start up the car? For the push start, there seems to be no problems when starting up.

No other signs of the battery dying also. Its been over 3 years now and I thought batteries were supposed to last only around 3 years...

^indoor lighting and speedometer in general

no signs of a dying battery according to the speedometer

No, it shouldn't be different. Whether it's turned on by the keyless-go system or by you physically inserting and turning the key, the starter motor does the same thing.

My car is a 2003 and still on its original battery but I plan to change it very soon, doubt it'll make through this winter. I was surprised it lasted this long considering I had an aftermarket alarm and an amplifier drawing on it.

Mine is a 2005 and my original battery finally died out this past September. The sad part is even though I purchased a replacement from Honda, the original was a Panasonic battery and the "OEM replacement" is a no-name battery with a Honda sticker slapped on it. Even the parts guy at the dealership admitted this replacement battery won't last even close to the original.