tgt40

Hmmm....my car starts up fine, but it's cranks a few times - wonder if my battery is getting longer in the tooth too.....Thanks for the story, glad you gout out of it with a new battery and happy birthday!

P.s. as for the sneers over a dead car - hey what a great way to show them that we're just average (grin - but not THAT average)

sjfehr

I don't think that's the battery tech changing, so much as the car masking the symptoms. (Modern absorbant glass matt (AGM) valve-regulated lead-acid (VRLA) batteries are better in nearly ever way than old gel-cell lead acids, and far less maintenance intensive than wet-cell lead acids.) It's extremely rare for a modern battery to fail without any warning at all. Usually, they have a steady and progressive increase in impedance, ending in an asymptotic curve at end of life. Unfortunately, as few of us have cell impedance monitors, it's rather difficult to use this method. They last 3-5 years typically; less if deep-cycled or subjected to a lot of heat (like being parked outside in Florida in summer, etc.)

What you can do, is monitor battery voltage. As batteries age, the plates deform and lose their surface area and they put out less power and don't hold their voltage as well. 12.5V is a key value; below 12.5V, sulfation forms. Above that, sulfation dissolves back into the electrolyte. Given enough time below 12.5V, the sulfation will get so thick it will insulate a cell, and the battery will go completely dead. (This is what usually kills batteries sitting over the winter- keep those voltages up!)

Pull out your voltmeter- everyone should have one- and take occasional readings of your battery terminals. Stay consistant; I like to take my readings in the morning before I go to work when the car has been sitting overnight. I'd check once a month or so as the battery approaches 3 years old. If the voltage starts dipping much below 12.5V sitting for one night, you're best to start looking for a new battery. When my last battery hit 12.3V after sitting for a week, I didn't wait for it to strand me- I went to Wal-Mart and picked up a new battery for $70.

BruceP

Good post.

I replace mine every four years for the reasons stated here, plus the particular need these cars have for a constant supply of consistent voltage. It's cheap insurance.

Chaos

Kids at school,or kids at the pool? Happy Birth Day!

Byprodriver

Today is my Birthday, I just ordered a new AOS for my Porsche. Good Times!

marriotm

I have had a dead battery as well and was not able to jump the car like the OP. Has anyone else had trouble jumping their dead battery??