I just had to replace the battery on our 18 month old/31,000 km Honda CRV. Does this seem right? I was hoping it, the battery, would last 24 months at least. What's your experience with battery life here in Thailand?

I should have known it better. I went to a shop in winter, because the starter turned too slowly. But the guy was still fooling me, acting like he'd make an Ampere test, but I didn't watch him.

Bought a new battery and the same problem the next day, because the starter was done.

18 months is not long for a battery. The heat is killing batteries. A good trick is to open the hood after a longer ride and let the heat out.

But it's not really about how old the battery is, it's more about how many starts and charges it had. The battery wear.

My batteries- apart from this liar- usually last 4 to 5 years.

But please read an older topic here: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/404855-car-battery-lifespan/

A good trick is to open the hood after a longer ride and let the heat out.

How many months does that buy you?

18 months is not too bad. 24 is very good.

I've found 2 years is about average on my honda civic (2004). Then it starts to turn over slowly. However, my suzuki swift seems to be better and now have 3 years on that with no issues.

2 years and a slow turnover on start. But it was another year before the battery failed.

New battery is a sealed unit. My infrequent top ups of water on the old battery probably didn't help.

Same thing happened to my CRV at exactly 18 months and 34,000 clicks. Asked the dealer and they said it should last a bit longer but best to avoid the hassle and change at 18 months (no mileage recommended though).

my honda city has had 2 replacement batteries in 10 years, so 3+ years on average