Auto mechanics: opinion needed (battery)

[miguel]

I am currently soliciting opinions on a car maintenance mystery!

Last December, the battery in the Miguelmobile (a 2003 sedan) died, so I went to the local auto parts store and bought a new one. The old battery was a little over three years old and the car has almost 200K miles on it, fwiw. This weekend, when I took it in for an oil change at a national auto maintenance shop, the guy said (as part of the "courtesy check") they tested my battery and it would likely need replacement soon, "when it gets hot out".

My question is, were they just upselling me a battery based on the age of the vehicle or could a brand new battery have one foot in the grave an another on a banana peel three months into it's service life? Knock on wood, I am not having any issues with the vehicle other than needing a new muffler, which the dude didn't even mention.

Informed opinions and wild guesses are welcome!

 

[HoughMade]

BS

Batteries go bad in the cold for the most part.

 

[A 7.62 Exodus]

BS

Batteries go bad in the cold for the most part.

They can actually! Under "odd circumstances". One of my room mates has a car that is currently experiencing wiring issues, and its KILLING his battery. He told me he replaced it last year, and had to get it replaced last month. The cold just increased the draining rate.

OP, its possible something unbeknownst to you is draining your battery faster than what is considered "normal"

 

[Bigtanker]

Your charging system could not be putting out what it is supposed to. If it's only running at 70%, your battery will go bad as it will never be fully charged and all of the electrical components drain the battery slowly when you drive the car. What make and model is it?

 

[gunsisgood]

Get a battery and charging system monitor,
it plugs into the cigarette lighter port and actually works pretty well.
Ebay has them as does Amazon, about $15 bucks.

 

[CHCRandy]

The one you bought in December should still be under warranty. Go to auto parts store and tell them you were told battery was failing, have them test it....if bad I am sure they will exchange. Or take it to Autozone or Advance and have them check it.....

 

[HoughMade]

The context is "when it gets hot out".


Someone tell me how the weather being 90 degrees will kill the battery AND how this guy can tell that that whatever that is is going to happen.

 

[GLOCKMAN23C]

The context is "when it gets hot out".


Someone tell me how the weather being 90 degrees will kill the battery AND how this guy can tell that that whatever that is is going to happen.

I've seen many batteries fail due to heat. Being able to predict failure with a digital analyzer is hit or miss, at best.

 

[Bennettjh]

What kind of car?

 

[Arm America]

The one you bought in December should still be under warranty. Go to auto parts store and tell them you were told battery was failing, have them test it....if bad I am sure they will exchange. Or take it to Autozone or Advance and have them check it.....

The above is your best option.
If the battery checks good, let us know which National Chain we should avoid.

 

[GodFearinGunTotin]

The one you bought in December should still be under warranty. Go to auto parts store and tell them you were told battery was failing, have them test it....if bad I am sure they will exchange. Or take it to Autozone or Advance and have them check it.....

This is what I'd do. It's possible you got a bad one.

As a quick check...with your engine running, take a volt meter out to your battery and check the voltage. You should get a reading of 13 or 14 volts DC. Another check: first thing in the morning, after your car has been parked and still over night, check your battery voltage. You should get a reading pretty close to 12 VDC. If your battery is losing a charge or something is drawing it down, you should see a voltage some, bit lower than 12VDC.

 

[17 squirrel]

BS

Batteries go bad in the cold for the most part.

BS..Low charge and acid stratification are the most common causes of the apparent failure. And most of that is caused by constantly driving short distances and the battery never getting a full charge. And if you add that to a loaded luxury car you tend to have short battery life.

 

[ARRAY]

just go to one of the auto parts store and have them check your charging system,they should be able to hook up and check your charging let you know if the battery or the alternator is bad, just make sure your battery connections are tight, a loose connection or bad battery clamp can give false reading on the state of your system and give you a lot of headaches

 

[miguel]

Wow, what a response!

Haven't had any issues since the new battery, knock on wood. No jumps, no slow starts, nada. I turn the key and she starts. (Toyota, 3.0L V6) There is a little acid build up on one of the terminals, which I thought was weird being a new battery. Then again, it was so cold, I thought maybe that was normal.

My minimum drive is usually 15 minutes. I go on 30+ minute drives daily, except for weekends.

One of the battery cables looks a little worn out, so maybe that's it?

I did buy the battery from AutoZone, so I will swing by and have them check it out. With the warranty, I'm sure they'd swap it out or give me credit on a replacement, they're always cool with any problems I have. I never thought about how long it might have been sitting on the shelf before I bought it.

If there is any funny business, I will let you guys know with a follow up posting.

 

[Tactically Fat]

I honestly think that the said auto place you went to was trying to stiff you. Just my opinion.

Congratulations on 50 posts.

 

[MemphisR32]

I would get the alternator output checked and also ask to see what the CCA test reading is for the battery.

 

[You'll shoot your eye out]

If...... And that's a big IF the guy wasn't just trying to sell you a battery, I would look at that 200K miles alternator. There is a not too uncommon situation where the rectifier shorts and causes the alternator to dump ac into the battery instead of dc. This will wreck a new battery in short order. The battery would have been getting only half charging current while simultaneously having to reflect the out of phase component.

In my case the battery eventually exploded and pinned the hood back against the windshield! I had to replace the battery, the alternator, the hood, the radiator, the windshield plus the drawers I was wearing at the time. It was ugly and expensive.

 

[Big Guy]

I had a battery in my diesel go bad, and before I finally figured out what the problem was, the battery was so hot you couldn't touch it. As I was driving with the windows down, I kept smelling sulfur, or a similar smell of a waste treatment plant. At first, I thought my son has farted while he was in with me, but once he was gone, the smell persisted, and I knew it wasn't me. So if you ever get a constant sulfur smell around a vehicle, make sure you check out the battery for overcharge.

 

[SEIndSAM]

Did you try uncoiled rice???

 

[miguel]

If...... And that's a big IF the guy wasn't just trying to sell you a battery, I would look at that 200K miles alternator. There is a not too uncommon situation where the rectifier shorts and causes the alternator to dump ac into the battery instead of dc. This will wreck a new battery in short order. The battery would have been getting only half charging current while simultaneously having to reflect the out of phase component.

In my case the battery eventually exploded and pinned the hood back against the windshield! I had to replace the battery, the alternator, the hood, the radiator, the windshield plus the drawers I was wearing at the time. It was ugly and expensive.

Dang. I sense a new alternator in my future, as Miss Miguel will be taking over as the primary driver of the vehicle this Summer...