August 9, 2004

• Car Batteries

  
  

  Everyone should know this about car batteries: they die.  Not only that, but they have an expected lifetime, about the length of the warranty.  And if the battery dies before the warranty expires, then the amount you get back is prorated.  Meaning you only get back the part that wasn’t used, kind of like a magazine subscription.

  
  

  
  

  Example: Your battery had a 5-year warranty and costs $100.
  It dies after 4 years.  You get back the remainder — 1 year –
  in the form of a $20 rebate.

  
  

  So if you’re driving on a battery that’s past warranty, you’re living on borrowed time.  A low-quality battery can last an average of only 2.5 years.  A high-quality battery can last 5 years or more.  For this and more information than you ever wanted to know about car batteries, go to the Car Battery FAQ.

  
  

  This morning I found my battery dead, 10 minutes before I had a meeting at work.  AAA takes 20-60 minutes, and taxis are unreliable (that’s a whole ‘nother post).  So I walked to work and was 15 minutes late.    But I should have expected it; my battery came with the car, which is now 7 years old.

  
  

  Now I think I’ll replace my batteries every five years, before they die.  Except I don’t know if I’ll keep my car that long.  Or my Palm PDA which tracks my appointments.  Maybe with my next car, I’ll extrapolate how many miles I’ll drive in 5 years (about 40k), and put a post-it on my maintenance record booklet to replace the battery at the closest mileage service checkup.

  • 11:30 pm
  • 3 Comments