5 year old battery - Time to replace?

My 2011 is 1 month shy of its 5th birthday. Occasionally I notice a slight hesitation when starting her up. Is it time to replace the stock battery? If so, any good recs for a replacement? 80% highway driving, 20% off-road (soft sand, beach). I dont think I'll need a heavy duty Optima etc., Thanks guys.

Steve

 

If you're unsure of the battery, take it to O'Reilly or some other auto parts store. Some will do a battery load test at no charge. That will tell you the condition and some idea of life span. Good luck!

 

Hey Steve. When my 2011 Taco needed a battery in 2013 it didn't have the courtesy to give me any warning at all. Cranked fine one day and next morning, not even a click, click, click. Better get it tested, don't you think? I know I would.

 

my battery lasted for 8 years before it quit all of a sudden lol.

 

Just curious - why do batteries just die - one minute they're good the next completely dead - a million years ago when dinosaurs roamed the earth and I was young and handsome a battery would slow crank B 4 it died. Thanks for any answer. Curious George.

 

A good indication of a battery nearing the end of its life is when starting engine you notice the sound has changed and its turning slower, especially if the a/c compressor is engaged. Cold weather is when you might see this, which may explain the battery was good and one day its not. Thats just food for thought.

 

Bad cell(s) from usage.

 

5 years? Shit with Florida heat we are lucky to get 2 years from a battery. They roast in the engine bay.

 

I wouldn't even bother testing that 5 year old battery. Replace it and turn the carcass in for recycling.

 

I replace mine typically every 5 years... I believe that's the recommended interval.

 

Another vote for replacement.

I'm in a similar situation with my 2011. I'm going to replace mine at the 5yr. ownership mark. My truck sits at the airport while I travel for work. I'd like to avoid coming home and having a dead battery if possible. I'll look up the cold cranking amps and purchase a battery with those specs or higher.

Good luck.

 

Interstate batteries have been suggested to me several times throughout the years. All the audio heads use them considering they can get up to seven years out of a battery while bumping a system.

 

Threads like these always make me extremely nervous as I think I will jinx myself. But I seem to get long life from batteries, 2 different cars I had the original batteries for 11 years, my 2000 Tacoma was 8 years old when I traded it with original battery, my 08 that I just traded still had the original battery, and I can honestly only recall me needing to replace a dead battery only one time on a car I owned back in the 1980s. We get crazy temperature extremes here to boot, it was 104 degrees a couple Summers ago and -20 in the Winter.

 

A vehicle battery can typically last from 5-7 years. The climate (extreme hot and extreme cold) are the major determining factor in reducing battery life.

Given the high price of a good battery it seems silly to just replace it for no reason. I agree with everyone else here and say you should get it load tested. And if it tests good keep using it. But you could get 2-4 more years from your battery.

Yes, a car battery can last 9 years (not typical). Usually the "cold cranking" power degrades first. That is the battery ability to deliver a sufficient amount of amps in cold weather. All batteries perform much worse in cold weather. So, if you don't live in an area where it freezes you could get many more years of serviceable life out of your battery.

 

Man, I have a 2010 and have already replaced the battery twice. First replacement time it would hesitate on startup, so as prevention, I replaced the battery. Second time everything was fine one day and the next morning I tried to crank her up and nothing.( tested at autozone and it was a bad cell).

My truck has been housed in a garage too.

I would just replace the battery if you were already lucky enough to get 5 years out of her. Batteries are only like $120, and it'll give you piece of mind.

 

The first cold morning or leave your lights on for 15 mins. and if it cranks slower, change the battery. I would change it after 5 years any way its cheap insurance.........

 

If you are in doubt, and you can afford to change batteries right now, I'd be all over that! It's a huge inconvenience when a battery dies in the parking lot at work......It's a whole 'nuther ballgame when it decides to go belly up when you're out back in the woods somewhere.

 

Def load test it to be safe. I live WI and had nearly 9yrs on my last battery that was in the vehicle I traded for my Tacoma. The first 2yrs of that was before we owned a home with a garage. Test it for peace of mind....

 

Ill see if I eat my words now that winter is approaching, but Im still running what came with the truck Sept. 2006. *knock on wood*

Maybe Ill ask wifey for one for Xmas. Im sad to have to get rid of the amazing Japanese Panasonic...cant get the same ones here.

 

I did 9 years on the OEM battery in a Dodge 2500 QC 4wd I recently parted ways with. Then one rainy, cold, windy morning, I pulled in to a gas station to grab a bottle of water, and cl....cl....click... Dead battery. That morning, I would have joyfully said farewell to the old battery about 6 or 7 years earlier......No one wants to jump start you when it's 39 degrees, raining sideways, and you're late for work...