When to change battery

[Dumb]

I always drive till my battery flat and then call AA to change. The last time I changed was 4 Mar 2010 when mileage was 116k. Had a 45ah battery for $133. Now mileage 205k and last servicing at 200k TCM said my battery ok. But I got a $10 battery voucher from AA that would expire end Jun. Should I change or wait till it is flat? Till now, there is still no sign that the battery would up lorry. How long more will it go?

 

As usual I would wait till it is flat. But recently, I have been frequenting JB at least once a month and I am concerned that I might be caught with a flat battery with no help from AA and I cant use the voucher.

 

 

 

 

[Happily1986]

I always drive till my battery flat and then call AA to change. The last time I changed was 4 Mar 2010 when mileage was 116k. Had a 45ah battery for $133. Now mileage 205k and last servicing at 200k TCM said my battery ok. But I got a $10 battery voucher from AA that would expire end Jun. Should I change or wait till it is flat? Till now, there is still no sign that the battery would up lorry. How long more will it go?

 

As usual I would wait till it is flat. But recently, I have been frequenting JB at least once a month and I am concerned that I might be caught with a flat battery with no help from AA and I cant use the voucher.

 

Best way is to take a preventive stance and measure your battery's EMF using a multimeter. If the EMF hovers and start to dip below 12V, then it is time to shop for a new one.

[Nicholas]

Get a voltmeter from those "closing sale" shops to test the battery. Around 12.6V and above when engine is off means the battery still healthy.

 

Get a jump start cable ($10 from ntuc) so even if you are stuck in JB, you can still get someone to jump start the car.

 

Can see youtube vids to learn how to do the above.

[Dumb]

Last servicing on 21 Jan at 201k mileage. AD tested battery as ok. They also said they will do a "cold start" and confirmed ok. But I have been waiting for my battery to die since it reached 2 years and now 3 years still dont die.

Edited February 26, 2013 by Dumb

[Sky61]

just change every 2 yrs, regardless of usage

[5936]

size matters for jump start cable.not one size fit all type.get the thicker inner core.

 

[Torquemonster]

just change every 2 yrs, regardless of usage

 

sure or not? the gs yuasa battery on my toyota axio is already 5 years(came original with my car) and still haven change yet. It's still going strong, no slow cranking whatsoever, starts right up every morning. needs a bit of maintenance though, topping up with battery water.

[Ilmw]

batt came original with the car is very difficult to die, cos it is from japan.

 

above statement came from uncle who drives to your doorstep 24x7 to replace yr dead batt.

 

anything else, even branded like vanta, change every 2 yrs. esp in singapore's heat.

 

if dead batt still ok .... in my case, when my batt go, it took out my amplifier too. dunno what happen.

park in shopping mall basement, came back, batt dead, audio amp dead.

 

[Dumb]

sure or not? the gs yuasa battery on my toyota axio is already 5 years(came original with my car) and still haven change yet. It's still going strong, no slow cranking whatsoever, starts right up every morning. needs a bit of maintenance though, topping up with battery water.

 

That is indeed long and surprising. What is your mileage?

[Nicholas]

size matters for jump start cable.not one size fit all type.get the thicker inner core.

 

I used on mine to jump start and have helped others jump start before.

On cover it says 12V so maybe not suitable for 24V vehicles.

 

 

sure or not? the gs yuasa battery on my toyota axio is already 5 years(came original with my car) and still haven change yet. It's still going strong, no slow cranking whatsoever, starts right up every morning. needs a bit of maintenance though, topping up with battery water.

 

Non-maintenace free batts last longer. But troublesome to keep topping up... last time I top up until overflow then my battery mount corroded, lol.

[Dumb]

Get a voltmeter from those "closing sale" shops to test the battery. Around 12.6V and above when engine is off means the battery still healthy.

 

Get a jump start cable ($10 from ntuc) so even if you are stuck in JB, you can still get someone to jump start the car.

 

Can see youtube vids to learn how to do the above.

 

 

When AA came to jump start my car, I showed him the cable that I bought from NTUC. One look and he told me to throw away the cable as it won't help to jump the car.

 

On another ocassion, I had a flat battery and called my colleagues. They came with those electrical black and red cable. Fixed it to my car battery and theirs with their car engine running. After a few minutes, they told me to start me car. It works!!! Unbelievable!!! That was in the third world country.

[Dafansu]

I changed every 3 years, only my last set lasted me for 2.5 years.

[Kb27]

When AA came to jump start my car, I showed him the cable that I bought from NTUC. One look and he told me to throw away the cable as it won't help to jump the car.

 

On another ocassion, I had a flat battery and called my colleagues. They came with those electrical black and red cable. Fixed it to my car battery and theirs with their car engine running. After a few minutes, they told me to start me car. It works!!! Unbelievable!!! That was in the third world country.

It depends on the state of the battery.

 

In your other occasion, your battery was flat. Using thin cable and letting it charge from another car for a few minutes, you are using your battery to start the engine after it was charged.

 

If your battery is not flat but BAD, due to sulphation, which means it cannot hold charge; using the same method of thin cable and charging will not work. This is when you need the current coming from the other good battery and you will need a thick cable to prevent voltage drop.

 

A good cable to prevent too much voltage drop due to large current is about the size of 4 AWG, which is roughly 5 mm in diameter of copper wire, not counting the insulation. And the longer the cable, the worse is the voltage drop.

 

So those thin $20 wires from petrol station or supermart, will not work with a bad battery.

[TVT]

As usual I would wait till it is flat. But recently, I have been frequenting JB at least once a month and I am concerned that I might be caught with a flat battery with no help from AA and I cant use the voucher.

I tot if you are AA member here, you can activate AA in Malaysia to assist you if need help in JB?

 

Anyway, if you frequent Malaysia often, its better you change your old battery.

 

Besides its already coming to 3 years old, meaning you have fully get your money worth's of the current battery, so can change liao.....

[Cartrek]

Battery voltage is not the only criteria. You need adequate amp-hour (AH) to start a vehicle. The battery shop uses this to check car batteries. I'm sure you can buy an AH meter but probably not worth paying for it.

[Emmamayle]

Change your car battery when essential is an important part of your car care. You can get a new battery, specifically for your make and model of car, from a local auto parts store or a car repair shop.

[Chucky2007]

If cabin light seems very dim, or headlight looks very dim, and also crank start is not immediately, its almost anytime car batt is dying. That's my personal experience.

[ER-3682]

If cabin light seems very dim, or headlight looks very dim, and also crank start is not immediately, its almost anytime car batt is dying. That's my personal experience.

By the time the cabin lights are dim,car already cannot start.!