Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Should I replace my car battery pre-emptively?

my profile | my password | search | faq & rules | forum home

»	Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE » Community » Film-Yak » Should I replace my car battery pre-emptively? (Page 3)

This topic comprises 3 pages: 1 2 3

Author

Topic: Should I replace my car battery pre-emptively?

Scott Jentsch
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1061
From: New Berlin, WI, USA
Registered: Apr 2003

posted 05-04-2018 05:59 PM

I don't drive my car much, and it will go 2-3 weeks between being used, and I used to burn through batteries every couple of years.

There would be times I would try to start it, and my radio wouldn't even have kept its memory settings. Thankfully, a manual shift car can be roll-started, even in reverse... Every time I went in for an oil change and they would check the battery, they would tell me that it was close to or needed replacing.

The shop finally convinced me to get a Battery Tender:

example: https://www.amazon.com/Battery-Tender/dp/B00068XCQU/

I haven't had to replace my battery for quite a few years now, so it's paid for itself.

I've taken to attaching it to our other vehicles in the winter every so often to top off the batteries. One car sits outside, and even though it's new, the battery drains quite a bit because of the cold and wind, and the fact that the average trip distance is less than 5 miles. It's good peace of mind to do and I figure if it saves on replacing batteries and preventing a no-start situation (usually at the worst possible situation), it's well worth it.

| IP: Logged

Mike Blakesley
Film God

Posts: 12767
From: Forsyth, Montana
Registered: Jun 99

posted 05-04-2018 07:04 PM

We sell those battery tenders (maintainers) here but they're not too popular. I assume it's because there's no public transport here and everybody pretty much drives everywhere, so vehicles sitting for weeks are fairly rare. I probably make about a half-dozen or more 2-miles-or-less trips on a typical day.

| IP: Logged

Louis Bornwasser
Film God

Posts: 4441
From: prospect ky usa
Registered: Mar 2005

posted 05-05-2018 12:24 PM

My (large) generator has a standard battery that is on a special charger that is engaged 24 hours. The service contractor (factory) changes the battery every 3 years. Here is the rationale: Battery is under $100 ($76 at Costco) and labor is more. Does this NEED to start? Simple thoughts.

On the other hand, my airplane has a very small 24 volt battery that sits all Winter and (barely) cranks over in the Spring.

Go figure

| IP: Logged

Leo Enticknap
Film God

Posts: 7474
From: Loma Linda, CA
Registered: Jul 2000

posted 05-07-2018 04:28 PM

quote: Marcel Birgelen
...maybe those kind of batteries are the answer for cars that see very mixed use patterns and are primarily being used in temperate climates.

I wonder if the climate here is part of the reason why neither I nor my wife have had a battery last to warranty in recent years. Probably around 70-80% of the driving my car has done has been in ambient temperatures of 90-105 Fahrenheit (32-40 Celsius approx.), which is significantly hotter than the rest of the developed world, and so I'm guessing that the batteries are not designed for optimum performance in that sort of environment.

| IP: Logged

Mike Blakesley
Film God

Posts: 12767
From: Forsyth, Montana
Registered: Jun 99

posted 05-07-2018 06:13 PM

Around here the temps range from -35 to +115, and I can vouch that extreme heat and extreme cold are about equally hard on batteries...the worse the weather is in either direction, the more batteries we sell.

I'd be curious how long the average battery lasts in, say, San Diego with its famously mild climate, vs. here in Montana.

| IP: Logged

Buck Wilson
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 894
From: St. Joseph MO, USA
Registered: Sep 2010

posted 05-11-2018 04:19 PM

As I understand it, Hot temperatures kill batteries, cold temperatures just negatively affect the performance.

| IP: Logged

Mike Blakesley
Film God

Posts: 12767
From: Forsyth, Montana
Registered: Jun 99

posted 05-11-2018 05:45 PM

That makes sense, although if you're heading into winter and the cold has negatively affected your battery to where it won't start your car, you pretty much need to replace it.

Does make me wonder how many "bad" batteries would have come back to life in the summer though.

| IP: Logged

Mark Gulbrandsen
Resident Trollmaster

Posts: 16657
From: Music City
Registered: Jun 99

posted 05-11-2018 07:15 PM

quote: Mike Blakesley
We sell Johnson Controls batteries (under the Carquest brand). Batteries are definitely a "get what you pay for" item.

I have one of these batteries in my Expedition now for 5 years. I called Mike before I bought this one to find out which batteries were the best. So I went to the nearest Car Quest and bought what he reccomended and THAT battery is now going on 6 years old and doesn't have any hit of quitting on me. I will replace it with the exact same battery when this oen does fail.

Mark

| IP: Logged

All times are Central (GMT -6:00)

This topic comprises 3 pages: 1 2 3

Printer-friendly view of this topic

The Film-Tech Forums are designed for various members related to the cinema industry to express their opinions, viewpoints and testimonials on various products, services and events based upon speculation, personal knowledge and factual information through use, therefore all views represented here allow no liability upon the publishers of this web site and the owners of said views assume no liability for any ill will resulting from these postings. The posts made here are for educational as well as entertainment purposes and as such anyone viewing this portion of the website must accept these views as statements of the author of that opinion and agrees to release the authors from any and all liability.