Car battery life question

[Jose]

Haven't driven my 2012 truck in over a week and go to start it today and the battery is dead. Pull it out and it looks to be the original battery (Motorcraft) which shouldn't be to surprising. Take it to AutoZone and they say it was at like 11.25 volts or something like that. They are charging it right now and going to test it again.

Should I even bother and just get a new battery or wait and see what they say? About to head out on a week long road trip and I'm leaning towards just buying a new battery but definitely didn't want to spend the money on it right now either

[cool cat]

Once its charged, they will run a load test on it, but I bet its time for a new one. If you don't use your vehicle very much you should keep a battery tender on it to keep it maintained.

[Rafa]

Week long road trip, I would buy a new one to be on safe side. 6 years on OEM Motocraft is pretty good. Depending on what kind of trip you're doing, you might need a good battery. Get a Battery Tender Plus Jr from autozone. Works like a champ.

[fordracing19]

Just replaced 2 in my 2015 f250 a few days ago. 50k miles. Was actually glad to replace them since they had been corroding for a few years. I replaced with Motorcraft from O'Reillys. 3 year free replacement and 120 months pro rated

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[Torinoman]

The factory battery went out in my 2011 F150 2 summers ago. I have an e34 wagon that had a autozone battery in it and it went out right before the warranty (5 year prorated) was fully expired.

It seems 5 years is about all you can expect from batteries these days.

[Jose]

I have a Battery Tender from my days of riding a bike. Didn't think it was necessary not having driven it for a week but I'll have to think about that next time. Working from home I don't drive the truck to often so it's not unusual for it to sit for a few days.

That being said, I think I'll be better off getting a new battery. I'll be camping out in Colorado and a long way off for help if it dies (although we will have another vehicle or to with us).

[helosailor]

Yeah, after that long, it's time for a new one. Clean any corrosion, and put dielectric grease on the terminals. If it sets for a week a more, the battery tender is a great idea. Also, unplug anything plugged into any of the power points, and look for anything else that might cause a slow draw on the battery. Even things like power mirror switches not being in the off/neutral position can be a slow draw.

[scootro]

Just replaced 2 in my 2015 f250 a few days ago. 50k miles. Was actually glad to replace them since they had been corroding for a few years. I replaced with Motorcraft from O'Reillys. 3 year free replacement and 120 months pro rated

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O'Reilly Auto Parts sell Motorcraft car batteries?

[Gasser64]

I wouldn't risk it even if I wasn't going on a road trip. But road trip? New battery for sure man.

[fordracing19]

O'Reilly Auto Parts sell Motorcraft car batteries?

Yup

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[red89notch]

Oddly enough, yesterday I decided I would take my 12 BOSS to work and the battery was dead. I didn't leave anything on and I usually just drive it on the weekends. It gave me no warning at all. No slow crank last weekend or anything.

[dcs13]

Its 102 out boys, heat freakin kills batteries. If you get more than 4 years out of one you're doing good. Definitely replace a bad battery. Your alternator will work overtime trying to charge if its bad, them puppies can get expensive..

[cool cat]

The battery in the wife’s 2016 Accord only lasted two years.

[The King]

We have a Chrysler that has the battery mounted such that you have to remove the left front tire and fender well liner to access it. I replaced the OEM one after about four years to be on the safe side. I liked how the sn95 Mustangs had the feature where the gauges would do a full sweep when starting them if the battery was about to take a dump.

[lowthreeohz]

^^ convertible sebring?