How long does a battery last?

[lukemk5gti]

Top of your head people, how long does your car battery last before it shows the first sign of giving up?

I got a supposedly high performance EXIDE battery 11 months ago and apparently it wouldn't start the other morning at -1deg when the old man got in. 

When I got in 2mins later it did start but it did take a second longer than usual. Since then I've had no real problems with it but my warranty is up soon and if I don't send it back in now I'll lose warranty. Again if I do send it in, it means I have to buy a new battery anyway and just hope that it did fail or I won't get my money back.

Also I have an RNS MFD2 so I don't think this is prone to battery drain but correct me if I'm wrong!

[dansmith180]

Most batteries should last a few years as long as they are kept well charged. My OEM one lasted 9 years and my new Bosch one has a 4 year warranty so 11months isn't great.

Is it not just low on charge? If you've been doing short journeys in this weather with lots of electrical stuff on in the car then batteries can suffer quite quickly.

[DDM]

i'd say at least 3 years bud, think thats the minimum warranty i've ever got on one.

[DANBOY66]

just swapped the wifes battery on her touran it was the original battery 06 car

her car had starting issues for the last year like it was on 3 cylinders 2.0 tdi after the battery swap its perfect now how weird 

I thought it might be an injector even left it with vw overnight and they said leave it till it gets worse 

[lukemk5gti]

Most batteries should last a few years as long as they are kept well charged. My OEM one lasted 9 years and my new Bosch one has a 4 year warranty so 11months isn't great.

Is it not just low on charge? If you've been doing short journeys in this weather with lots of electrical stuff on in the car then batteries can suffer quite quickly.

My journeys are typically long 80% of the time. I do make 3 short 10min return trips a week with heaters blasted and heated seats on. I worried that this might be a culprit. I also have an uprated alarm that could be causing some drain.

Do you think if I sent it in that they would deem it under warranty or would they know that it's due to my short trips and heated seats?

[dansmith180]

Sending it in is a bit of a lottery to be fair, if the battery is well charged and still struggles then you've got a fair case but if it's just a bit low then they won't do anything.

Companies never want to pay out warranty's so it could end up being a real hastle. If it was a complete failure then easy but since it's a bit awkward chances are they'd just palm you off with some BS.

[Matthewsimone]

How long is a piece of string is the only real answer really!

So many factors to consider for example a lower mileage car that only ever does short journeys is going to kill a battery much quicker than say a car with higher miles that gets a good motorway run most days, also depenmds if car is garaged at night thus avoiding sharp cold temps at night.

My car only ever does 6 mile runs to and from work so about once a month i plug my optimate trickle charger in for a day to give the battery a good slow top up charge while parked up in garage!
So far still on original battery with 2007 car

[lukemk5gti]

How long is a piece of string is the only real answer really!

So many factors to consider for example a lower mileage car that only ever does short journeys is going to kill a battery much quicker than say a car with higher miles that gets a good motorway run most days, also depenmds if car is garaged at night thus avoiding sharp cold temps at night.

My car only ever does 6 mile runs to and from work so about once a month i plug my optimate trickle charger in for a day to give the battery a good slow top up charge while parked up in garage!
So far still on original battery with 2007 car

Do you have a link for your trickle charger?

What's the story behind these battery chargers, is it a common thing that people do as I've never seen it done before unless the battery is dead.

My trip is 2 x 150mile motorway trips a week followed by 5 return 10 minute trips so it's a combination really.

It's in a garage most of the week too but died the night it was in the open.

[Matthewsimone]

Ebay item no - 301266335436

Had mine a few years and been spot on
Ideally used on cars in long term storage thats why i originally got it for my previous escort Rs turbo and Focus Rs that were off road from oct-April but its also ideal to give tge golf a good top up once a month over the winter, all automated, just plug it in and light goes green when fully regenerated etc

I leave car unlocked and sat nav disc out also otherwise charger may never click off due to a constant small drain from alarm etc
 

[lukemk5gti]

Ebay item no - 301266335436

Had mine a few years and been spot on
Ideally used on cars in long term storage thats why i originally got it for my previous escort Rs turbo and Focus Rs that were off road from oct-April but its also ideal to give tge golf a good top up once a month over the winter, all automated, just plug it in and light goes green when fully regenerated etc

I leave car unlocked and sat nav disc out also otherwise charger may never click off due to a constant small drain from alarm etc
 

Your last point is where I wonder my warranty might be void. My upgraded alarm causes a drain on the battery, proximity sensors and additional led lighting cause a constant drain on the battery.

I'd say if I send it in they'll just deem it's being drained somehow and I'll be down over a hundred.

Thanks for the link to your charger although including shipping to irl it'll be almost the cost of a new battery so I wonder is it worth it!

[Matthewsimone]

Can get them cheaper
Around £15 from Aldi believe it or not

[lukemk5gti]

Can get them cheaper
Around £15 from Aldi believe it or not

I'll keep an eye out for this then! So the solution then is my alarm is draining my battery but this charger will keep it pumped up? Problem solved?

[Matthewsimone]

Can get them cheaper
Around £15 from Aldi believe it or not

I'll keep an eye out for this then! So the solution then is my alarm is draining my battery but this charger will keep it pumped up? Problem solved?

Potentially yes but can you reay be bothered to put it on charge all the time!
Maybe once a week charge would keep it topped up but maybe the solution could be either a heavier duty battery or sack off the alarm and stick with the standard Vw one which is a category 1 thatcham from factory anyway 

[GrayMK5GTI]

Batteries usually last around 5years. They often don't show any signs of failing if you use the car regularly. When I went on holiday a few years ago, I came back to a completely flat battery, yet it was perfectly fine before I left