How long should a car battery last?

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  • Strider590
    Strider590 Posts: 11,874 Forumite
    At idle from a cold start, the instant it starts my heated front and rear screen and blower automatically switch on to clear the screens rapidly.

    It never drops below 14.4v.

    Do you know why it never drops below 14.4v? Because mine works.

    To be entirely fair, alternators have come a long way since 1996 and so have engine ECUs, the drop he's seeing could easily be down to a drop in RPM at idle combined with a rather pathetic alternator.
    “I may not agree with you, but I will defend to the death your right to make an a** of yourself.”

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  • AdrianC
    AdrianC Posts: 42,189
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    Strider590 wrote: »
    To be entirely fair, alternators have come a long way since 1996 and so have engine ECUs, the drop he's seeing could easily be down to a drop in RPM at idle combined with a rather pathetic alternator.
    They've come a fair way in some regards, but a mid-90s car will still have a more-than-adequate alternator, very probably driven by a serp belt, and fully mapped engine management. In good health, there is no reason the charge should be dropping like that.

    The OP is in denial that anything but the battery could be at fault, and until he ceases his ostrich impression, continuing this thread is pointless. He has been told again and again.
  • derrick
    derrick Posts: 7,420
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    Just had the alt checked by a respected local auto electrician, (company been in existence for decades), and am told nothing wrong with alternator.


    Also after putting load on battery says if is OK.

    Also showed my readings to my local mechanic and he also says nothing wrong with alternator.

    Will monitor it over the next few weeks and make a decision, but could be a new battery.

    .
    Don`t steal - the Government doesn`t like the competition


  • Joe_Horner
    Joe_Horner Posts: 4,895
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    edited 15 December 2016 at 1:00PM
    derrick wrote: »
    It is charging at 14.4v at idle, it only drops to 13.6 when accessories are turned on, it then increases back to 14.3 when the revs are increased as when actually driving the car, not likely, (or for a long time), that all those accessories would be on at idle.


    .

    But in your original post you said it was charging at 13.5v. So the fact you have substantially different readings now means that the alternator output is inconsistent. Or are you now saying that first post was wrong and we've been advising you all this time based on dud info?

    As Dim explained above (and I suggested by a handy link to the - cheap - solution earlier) erratic output is a good sign of worn alternator brushes. They're a cheap and easy DIY replacement on the Denso alternator that'll be fitted to yours - you can probably even do them with the alternator still in the car depending on how Toyota have shoe-horned it in there.

    As for the people who've told you there's nothing wrong with the alternator, you can't judge brush wear from voltage readings until the thing's almost packed up completely because the fluctuations from poor brush contact are far faster than typical DVMs update. You might be able to spot them as noise on an oscilloscope but you haven't mentioned them hooking one of those up?


    eta: Note that your local auto electrician has said that the alternator AND the battery are ok. Batteries don't really do intermittent faults - they either hold charge or they don't - so that's another hint towards alternators because they DO play up intermittently as they start to fail.
  • almillar
    almillar Posts: 8,621
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    So my battery should have lasted more than 25 months?

    You bought a battery with a 24 month guarantee. A longer guaranteed battery would be available, but would cost more.

    You don't want to buy a smart charger, and want to use a timer instead. OK, give it a go. And let us know what battery you buy, and how long it lasts.

    Volts don't start cars, amps do. So whist a 12.2V battery may not be 'flat' it suggests/indicates/raises an alarm that the battery might be a bit weak. So you might be able to listen to the stereo for hours from it, but it mightn't be able to turn the starter.
  • wapow
    wapow Posts: 939 Forumite
    derrick wrote: »
    But that is not what he said!

    .


    So ignore the sound advice? Great.Bye
  • Battery life is depends how much it's warranty of it and second depends how you drive and servicing.
  • Ebe_Scrooge
    Ebe_Scrooge Posts: 7,320
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    edited 17 March 2017 at 9:46AM
    Battery life is depends how much it's warranty of it and second depends how you drive and servicing.





    Again in English please ? And what the heck impact does a warranty have on the life of a battery ?


    <edit> Ah, I've just seen your user profile. You're an American spammer who owns a website that just happens to sell batteries. Crawl back under your stone please, you muppet.
  • Strider590
    Strider590 Posts: 11,874 Forumite
    Again in English please ? And what the heck impact does a warranty have on the life of a battery ?


    <edit> Ah, I've just seen your user profile. You're an American spammer who owns a website that just happens to sell batteries. Crawl back under your stone please, you muppet.


    Not American ;)

    Not convinced they're spamming either, they've only made one post. But they are most certainly affiliated with an Indian battery retailer, who have a website hosted in the US.
    They also tried to make generic and slightly misleading statements.

    One could argue that warranty is related to battery life, in that a battery manufacturer will put a longer warranty on a battery they expect to last longer.
    “I may not agree with you, but I will defend to the death your right to make an a** of yourself.”

    <><><><><><><><><<><><><><><><><><><><><><> Don't forget to like and subscribe \/ \/ \/
  • Ebe_Scrooge
    Ebe_Scrooge Posts: 7,320
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    Strider590 wrote: »
    Not American ;)

    Not convinced they're spamming either, they've only made one post. But they are most certainly affiliated with an Indian battery retailer, who have a website hosted in the US.
    They also tried to make generic and slightly misleading statements.

    One could argue that warranty is related to battery life, in that a battery manufacturer will put a longer warranty on a battery they expect to last longer.


    OK, fair enough - I was going by the fact that his website advertises a "1800" number, which is the American free-phone code.
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