Battery Life

[barry hanna]

Battery is 5 years old but truck has 12,000 miles, so not that many starts and kept on CTEK when not used for a few days. Replace or not. It seems OK ... but I’ve always replaced at 5 years.

 

[17CrewCab1500]

I'd love to get more than 3 years out of batteries here in Arizona.

These trucks act really weird with bad batteries. It's not the voltage you need to worry about, but it's the amperage you need to pay attention to.

If you feel it needs replace and you don't want to be stuck this summer.. might be a good idea to do some preventative maintenance.

 

[Burla]

I just got 8 years from mine, but most tire shops can test the battery, make sure cold crank amps are good and also test the alternator. Once you have an issue, they die quick. I mean I had a slow crank and even with driving it lasted like 2 days before zero cranking. You can turn the lights on, but it wont crank, because when starting is when you use the most battery by a lot.

 

[daveray9]

Mine is 6 years old now.... been debating this myself.

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

 

[sandawilliams]

I don't worry about yrs of battery life. My 2014 ram battery quit at 3.5 years but my mustang battery is now 8 years old. I always carry either jumper cables or my antigravity jumper pack with me. I just hate replacing things when they still work fine.

 

[Flip-er]

Good topic
This Aug. will be 5 yrs for mine, I may start thinking about replacement then.
Each time it is checked tho, its tests good.

 

[Nystagmus]

And when did batteries get so expensive ??? Replaced mine a couple months ago and it was over $200 !!!

 

[barry hanna]

Thanks guys, gett’n ready for a road trip to Chicago, sooo ... the new battery will go in.

 

[barry hanna]

Here’s the rest of the story. Bought a new Mopar battery, took it home and thought I’d give it a “top-off” from my CTEK charger since the battery showed a 12-17 date. Six hours later I saw the green light on the charger. Went to take a look and the battery was bubbling the electrolyte onto the floor! Never had a problem with CTEK ... until now! Dealer swapped out the battery with no hassle. They said it was probably a bad cell and that could account for the overcharge. But still, not so good. I’ve sent the charger in for testing...will advise.

 

[17CrewCab1500]

And when did batteries get so expensive ??? Replaced mine a couple months ago and it was over $200 !!!

I know right! Diesel has 2 batteries! I had to spend over $450 last time!

 

[averageguy]

I replace batteries when they fail. The one in my 2003 was 11 years old when I sold the truck. Mopar doesn't make batteries btw, your buying someone else's battery with a mark up to pay for the Mopar label.

 

[autokraftgt]

I just got 8 years from mine, but most tire shops can test the battery, make sure cold crank amps are good and also test the alternator. Once you have an issue, they die quick. I mean I had a slow crank and even with driving it lasted like 2 days before zero cranking. You can turn the lights on, but it wont crank, because when starting is when you use the most battery by a lot.

Yep, this is how mine behaved. 6 years old with zero issues, then one morning it hesitated just a bit but I took notice. Bout three days later it didn't have the juice to start the truck.
They just don't make batteries like they use to. And yea, they're not cheap and don't dent a fender when putting that heavy b**ch in.

 

[Casper]

Mine is original, 2012 with 67K miles, but at the last tire service they told me its dying.
So far no problems with cold starts even after sitting at the airport over spring break.

As to cost, COSTCO sells Interstate batteries for about $100 for a Ram. I see no need to pay FCA for a German made battery at Bosch prices that comes without the Interstate warranty.

 

[Burla]

My Costco didn't have my size, chapped my ass. I did get my wife's there though.

Oh yeah btw, if you have lead acid battery and most of us do, you can use epson salt to recondition the battery and not even need a new battery.

 

[sandawilliams]

Mine is original, 2012 with 67K miles, but at the last tire service they told me its dying.
So far no problems with cold starts even after sitting at the airport over spring break.

As to cost, COSTCO sells Interstate batteries for about $100 for a Ram. I see no need to pay FCA for a German made battery at Bosch prices that comes without the Interstate warranty.

4 years ago Ford tested my battery and said it was failing on my Mustang. Here 4 years later it still fires up after sitting in -0 temps for 3 weeks at a time.

 

[McBroom]

And when did batteries get so expensive ??? Replaced mine a couple months ago and it was over $200 !!!

WOW


I Love My 2018 RAM 2500HD 4x4 6.4L

 

[Casper]

My Costco didn't have my size, chapped my ass. I did get my wife's there though.

Oh yeah btw, if you have lead acid battery and most of us do, you can use epson salt to recondition the battery and not even need a new battery.

xxxxxxxxx
Goggles and rubber gloves highly advised!!!

 

[barry hanna]

Update. CTEK tested the charger and said it was OK. So they said the most likely cause of the overcharge was a bad cell in the Mopar battery. I’m still nervous about leaving the charger connected for any length of time unattended. CTEK did send me a new charger at no cost. They said that was cheaper than sending the old one back from the testing laboratory in Sweden or Denmark. Seems like a righteous company.

 

[Truck Fun]

My experience is that batteries no longer go bad over time but instead die very quickly. Construction? Draw from computer/electronics? If a battery starts to display any symptoms of going bad, I replace it asap. If it hasn't displayed any symptoms, but gets to the 5-year old mark, I may replace it anyway. Batteries may not be cheap but getting stranded somewhere isn't good either.

 

[BiGMERF]

My experience is that batteries no longer go bad over time but instead die very quickly. Construction? Draw from computer/electronics? If a battery starts to display any symptoms of going bad, I replace it asap. If it hasn't displayed any symptoms, but gets to the 5-year old mark, I may replace it anyway. Batteries may not be cheap but getting stranded somewhere isn't good either.

Getting stranded is also more expensive. Lol. Preventive peace of mind is pricelss