Battery in my '69 lasted 17 years !!

[stangs-R-me 120]

Back in 2006 Checker Auto Parts was marketing "84 Month Autolite" brand car batteries.

Logo on the side of the case had a classic look to it, so I bought one for my '69 Mustang and one for my '67 Fairlane in early December 2006.

Sold the Fairlane in 2010, so I don't know how long that battery lasted but the one in my '69 was still cranking strong this summer.   Not a ton of miles in the past 17 years but it has always been plugged into the same classic 1.75A Battery Tender year-round.   Cleaned up terminals once a year and topped off with distilled water when needed.

Well, it was last driven sometime in September~October with no issues and this past weekend it was time to put it to bed for the winter and "no-crank".   Cleaned up the terminals, and still no-go.   Put it on my bigger charger and got it up to 80%, dropped it back in and it cranked but very slowly.   

This battery finally gave up the ghost ... I don't think I've ever had a car battery last this long !! 

I now work at a CarQuest auto parts store so a DieHard Gold replaced it.   Never was a huge DieHard fan when it was part of Sears, but it is now just a name owned by Advanced Auto Parts (as is CarQuest) and the batteries are still made in the same factory as the former CarQuest brand batteries were.

Doug    

 

 

 

[Ridge Runner 1,113]

I had a Nascar select by interstate in my 78 ford pickup got 9 years out of it and i was very happy with that ,most batteries today if you get 4 years you are lucky 

[JayEstes 172]

Well that is amazing.  But prep yourself, because the new Diehard will die very near to the warranty period and not longer.  This last time I bought an AGM (absorbent glass mat) battery rather than the regular lead acid battery design.  So far, I have had it hold charge much better between starts (which can be a month or so between sometimes).  Good luck with your new battery, but save your pennies for about 3 yrs down the road - it will almost surely be time to replace the one you just put in....

[Mach1 Driver 560]

I had an Optima yellow top last for 10 years, it was on a trickle charger when the car was in the garage.

[RPM 1,190]

Wow! The best until today I'd heard of was my neighbor who got 12 years out of his OE on his Toyota pickup.

 

[Ridge Runner 1,113]

Actually my 2014 Challenger got 8 years on its factory battery ,but it croaked just a few months after i bought the car ,it survived the previous owner 

[stangs-R-me 120]

Wow all impressive results guys ... all of you beat me by a long shot as far as actual miles driven & usage.

Never had to replace a battery in any of the 5 Mustang daily drivers that I bought new since 1994.    I kept them for 4-6 years and drove 100-130k miles. 

Found a runner up in years, but again beat me as far as miles & usage:

A friend bought a 2003 Chevy S10 brand new and he replaced the factory Delco battery around 2018 so he got 15~16 years out of this one.

Doug

 

[JayEstes 172]

Damn.  It must be my "wicked ways", but I've bought batts for several cars, and rarely get more than 4 yrs out of anything.  Momma always said I needed to behave better....

[RPM 1,190]

I'm witcha Jay. If I get four years out of a battery I go buy a lotto ticket. 

[maxum96 32]

The Optima red top in my Mustang is almost 15 years old.  It's on the Battery Tender whenever the car is in the garage.  I will say there was an 8 year period where the car sat and was never started. 

[stangs-R-me 120]

Looks like OE Ford Autolite batteries are again available as a reproduction ...

https://turbostart.com/product/s24f/

Pretty pricy for a driver but maybe not to those in the "concours" crowd.

Doug