Life Span Of A Battery

[Semper]

Does a battery have a shorter life span in Thailand compared to a country with much colder climate? I rarely had any battery problems in my old country (cold), and I did not use the state of the art batteries. But here I bought a GS 100 amp thing and I'm not impressed with it. Does the hot (ish) weather have anything to do with this, or do they just make bad batteries here. I thought that a warm climate should be easier on the battery than a cold climate.

What do you experts think?

[jcgodber]

I have driven more than 400,000 kilometers here in Thailand in the last 12 years. I buy the best battery I can find and still expect it to die somewhere between 2 years and 3 years, after that it is just a dice roll

[MAJIC]

I have driven more than 400,000 kilometers here in Thailand in the last 12 years. I buy the best battery I can find and still expect it to die somewhere between 2 years and 3 years, after that it is just a dice roll

Your experience is very similar to mine,I dont know why the life of a Battery is so short,

last time I bought a top of the range battery,3500 baht,expectiing a long life,but it didn't last any longer than those half the price.

it beats me!

In my Country,buy a 2000- 3000 baht Battery and expect up to 5 years service from it.

[sezze]

Wow ,that is a short lifespan . Colder temp supposed to cut life on batteries , so i would expect as least the same as in western world , even with not the same quality . Hot temp are also not good for batteries so this must be the cause , but i did not think that those temp are reached in Thailand .

5 years is the absolute min i'd expected, my car in Europe now is in for 8 years and has been flat a few times due to long absence , and charging it just makes it work like b4 .

Anyone has got a dry battery ? maybe these last longer ?

[Kwasaki]

I had a GS OEM battery in the Vigo and it was still fine after just over 5 years maybe it's just luck of the draw.

The Mrs car battery is fine and nearly 3 & half years old.

My theory is alternators maybe cooking cheap batteries or even expensive ones.

[wandrinstar]

Harder they are used the longer they last.

[Kwasaki]

Harder they are used the longer they last.

That's where I differ, a geezer had a prerunner for about three years and the battery died, on his something 80,000 K, my Vigo was 1 and half years older than his and only done 47,000 K when I sold it with the OEM battery of over 5 years.

Edited September 19, 2011 by Kwasaki

[kokesaat]

Not having a diesel engine vehicle before coming to Thailand, our first battery died a quick death.......me not realizing that the glow plug light should extinguish before turning the key. Now that I've learned that lesson, our batteries (original and high quality replacements) generally last 3 years. Our current Vigo battery is 42 months, so I won't be surprised if it's dead in the morning.

[Tywais]

My batteries have all lasted between 4-5 years in Thailand but suspect part of it is how many times you start the car. I have seen on the forum several topics like this one but so far my experience has not been the same.

[serenitynow]

My experience is you get 2 years if you're negligent about sevicing the battery and 3 years + if you maintain frequently. In my case it didn't seem to matter much if I bought the expensive ones or just an average one.

Edited September 19, 2011 by serenitynow

[wandrinstar]

Harder they are used the longer they last.

That's where I differ, a geezer had a prerunner for about three years and the battery died, on his something 80,000 K, my Vigo was 1 and half years older than his and only done 47,000 K when I sold it with the OEM battery of over 5 years.

A battery used and charged correctly, is the key to life span. You hit the Target with Cooked by iffy Alternator . A battery doesnt recognise distance. Once Charged it fades away, used or not. Hi Charge rate is generally the killer.

[transam]

Weeeeeeeeeeeeell, My Vigo, 2 Toyota batteries lasted 2 years each , see how the Boliden does.

[hkt83100]

I am used to replacing that thing after 2-3 years. And I don't bother about buying the expensive maintenance-free ones, they don't last longer than the classic ones, if you keep the water/acid level within range. Naam-glun is what you need...

[Gary A]

I have a 2004 Nissan pickup and replaced the OEM battery about a year ago. The battery in my 2007 Focus is still going strong and the one in my 2006 diesel tractor is also going strong.

[mdechgan]

Warranty is 1 year so the average lifetime should be about 2 years. After 2 years keep some jumper cables in the car.

[transam]

My second battery was a '' Genuine '' Toyota replacement, they gave a 30 day guaranty . Lasted 2 years.

[mdechgan]

My second battery was a '' Genuine '' Toyota replacement, they gave a 30 day guaranty . Lasted 2 years.

Most all major brands offer 1 year replacment and on site service.

GS, 3K, FB, Boliden, etc. Not sure about the newer, lesser no name brands.

However they only replace for manufactured defects. So if it is poorly maintained or something is wrong with your charging system no luck.

[transam]

My second battery was a '' Genuine '' Toyota replacement, they gave a 30 day guaranty . Lasted 2 years.

Most all major brands offer 1 year replacment and on site service.

GS, 3K, FB, Boliden, etc. Not sure about the newer, lesser no name brands.

However they only replace for manufactured defects. So if it is poorly maintained or something is wrong with your charging system no luck.

For sure. My charging system is good, tested by my own hand .

[BuckarooBanzai]

Curious if there is a relation between leaving your vehicle parked out in the sun every day and the high heat generated under the hood having anything to do with battery life. We keep our Vigo in a car port protected most all the time and our battery lasted 5 years easy. Toyota kept saying the battery needed replacing but it always worked just fine until my wife was talked into replacing it by a rep. Far as I know the battery was just fine when it was replaced.

Edit - Found this of interest:

When a valve regulated lead acid battery overheats, battery gas, is released, and, unlike a wet cell battery, is gone forever.

I expect that the unusually high under hood temps, in combination with the very high ambient temps, have likely done in your Optima.

The big advantage the old fashioned wet cell batteries have over the sealed batteries is that you can remove the caps and add water as often as necessary to replenish. They also can pack more capacity in the same physical space as an Optima, and cost quite a bit less per amp-hour capacity.

Edited September 20, 2011 by BuckarooBanzai

[Soboringtochooseaname]

Hello,

Bquick charges 2490 Thb for a 45 YUASA Battery (Toyota Corolla), do you think it would be cheaper at a local shop ?

Is Bquick usually more expensive than small shops ?

Thanks.

[Fgis]

Also interested by battery price in Thailand.

Any online shop ?

Any information is welcome.

Edited January 2, 2013 by Fgis

[black fox]

my batteries last about 4 years and im well satisfied with that as they didnt last as long in uk, i always buy the cheaper ones cos i dont know how long ill keep the car.

[mogandave]

2-3 years in the vehicles I've had. First time it turns a over a little slow, replace it.

It's the heat, but if you keep the electrolyte level up (and use only distilled water) they'll last longer.

Tap water here is very hard and has a lot of chlorine, both of which are hard on batteries.

[culicine]

My batteries in my honda sedan last around 2 years before the engine cranks slower than normal. The stop holding their charge well after that time.

[transam]

It's worth buying a battery charger to occasionally top up the battery. A charger is the only way to get things moving off the battery plates. I should have done it on previous batteries, lazy eh.

[sirchai]

My second battery was a '' Genuine '' Toyota replacement, they gave a 30 day guaranty . Lasted 2 years.

Most all major brands offer 1 year replacment and on site service.

GS, 3K, FB, Boliden, etc. Not sure about the newer, lesser no name brands.

However they only replace for manufactured defects. So if it is poorly maintained or something is wrong with your charging system no luck.

For sure. My charging system is good, tested by my own hand .

Did you check the Voltage, or Amperes coming in? My last battery made it four years.-

Edited January 7, 2013 by sirchai

[sirchai]

2-3 years in the vehicles I've had. First time it turns a over a little slow, replace it.

It's the heat, but if you keep the electrolyte level up (and use only distilled water) they'll last longer.

Tap water here is very hard and has a lot of chlorine, both of which are hard on batteries.

Never heard of people using "Tap water" for the battery.--Oh, Thai mechanics might do so.-

[tomtaylor1]

The hot weather causes the plates in the battery to Sulphate, the lower the charge in the battery the quicker the sulphation, when charging your battery with a trickle charger you charge it at the ampare rate of the battery, ie 150 ampare hour at 150 a 75 ampare hour at 75, this helps to desulphate enhancing battery life.

[mogandave]

At a couple thousand a pop, I'll just keep changing them out every couple years as need be.

[transam]

My second battery was a '' Genuine '' Toyota replacement, they gave a 30 day guaranty . Lasted 2 years.

Most all major brands offer 1 year replacment and on site service.

GS, 3K, FB, Boliden, etc. Not sure about the newer, lesser no name brands.

However they only replace for manufactured defects. So if it is poorly maintained or something is wrong with your charging system no luck.

For sure. My charging system is good, tested by my own hand .

Did you check the Voltage, or Amperes coming in? My last battery made it four years.-

Only got a volt meter so l use the poor (me) mans test for supply.

Let the motor idle, turn everything on, including the heated rear screen and see if the headlights dim. Mine stay bright so the alternator is doing OK.