OEM Battery Life

[brianf60]

I’m in the replace it now camp. Batteries tend to fail on the coldest morning of the year. Hey don’t fail on nice sunny days. Making it to work or home is important and I would rather change it before it fails. 

[redwngr]

14 hours ago, brianf60 said:

I’m in the replace it now camp. Batteries tend to fail on the coldest morning of the year. Hey don’t fail on nice sunny days. Making it to work or home is important and I would rather change it before it fails. 

 

I guess you should put in a new one at the start of every month?

 

[GN2018]

16 hours ago, brianf60 said:

I’m in the replace it now camp. Batteries tend to fail on the coldest morning of the year. Hey don’t fail on nice sunny days. Making it to work or home is important and I would rather change it before it fails. 

Being retired was a factor in my decision.  I don’t have to be at work any more.  I have plenty of time to deal with little problems like a dead battery.  I did, however, see the wisdom in having a jump start battery pack, not only for me, but in the case where I might be able to help someone else out.  My guess is that I’ll get some warning before it goes so dead that I can’t jump it to get home where I can deal with it in good time.

 

Plus, in my reading, I discovered that if you keep your vehicle hooked up to power (using the battery pack), you won’t have to get anything reprogrammed when you switch out the battery.  Not sure if that’s true, but if it allows me to do the battery replacement myself, then the jump starter will be even more worth it.

[KARNUT]

New jump pack designs and portability have helped with my treatment of changing the battery. One is always with me. My wife’s 2011 Genesis has had two. One didn’t go 4 years. The identical model battery is still in the car. That battery was over 400$. Imagine if I went by some peoples suggestion. How much batteries would have cost by now. Two years ago I asked the dealership how long a starter should last for an in town use vehicle. They said probably for the life of the car. Now that something that could really ruin your day. Shortly after it failed and it took two days to get one. Cars are expensive to maintain. The odyssey and Ridgline at 100K miles cost anywhere from 6-8k get past that mile stone. If you do proper maintenance. You probably need brakes and tires. About when most people paid them off. Usually people try to squeeze a little more then trade in. They’re about 8-10 years old. Worth half the money. So with the trade in minus the maintenance you’re in a new one for about half the cost of new. Because of the trade in. That’s why most people skimp on maintenance. Now start adding starters, alternators etc. Batteries are the least of my worries. How long will the starter last? That’s much higher.

[swathdiver]

On 9/20/2025 at 7:51 PM, GN2018 said:

Coming up on my 4th winter on my original battery and thinking about replacing it before winter cold sets in.  What's your opinion of changing out the OEM battery after four years.  Truck was put into service April of 2021.

 

This question came up on a retirement forum I visit and the consensus was to get a jumper battery pack.  If I go that route, is there a particular brand or size that you would recommend?

 

With the proper tools you can measure your battery's state of charge.  A battery with a state of charge below 65% is due for replacement.

 

A good scan tool can determine this or you can take a voltage reading in the morning with a multimeter and note the outside temperature.  Compare that data to this chart will give you an idea of it's current health:

 

 

A battery tender that can desulfate the plates can rejuvenate a worn battery.  I once got 48 months out of a 30 month battery that had been completely discharged twice.

Edited September 27, 2025 by swathdiver

[diyer2]

I have one of these, it can test battery resistance which indicates plate condition I think. Also tests state of charge in percentage. I think if you used it on a new battery to have a starting reading, then checked it regularly you could monitor a battery's condition.

[swathdiver]

16 hours ago, diyer2 said:

I have one of these, it can test battery resistance which indicates plate condition I think. Also tests state of charge in percentage. I think if you used it on a new battery to have a starting reading, then checked it regularly you could monitor a battery's condition.

 

I'd like to add to this post, in my example battery above, my truck's computer calculated its state of charge around 75% for almost the entire time it was in the truck.  My next one spent a couple years in the low 80s and then the mid 70s until it was ready for replacement.  That one exceeded its warranted life by one month!  

[JimCost2014]

I carry this in my truck at all times. Works great, have jumped cars, forklift at work, and my riding lawnmower.

 

[garagerog]

Just tested the resting voltage of the 9 year old AC-Delco lead-acid flooded battery in my '05 K1500 and my wife's 2 year old OEM AGM in her '24 Blazer this morning. Coincidentally they both tested @ 12.34V. Both vehicles see a lot of short trips although the Blazer did get a 100 mile+ drive last Thursday. Maybe about once a month or so I will throw my Schumacher battery charger on the Silvy's battery. No doubt the AGM will last past the 3yr/36mo B to B warranty but my guess is by not much. Any takers on whether that now 9yr old battery in my p/u will still be going when the AGM is sitting in the recyling yard?

[Bikerjon]

On 9/28/2025 at 7:22 PM, JimCost2014 said:

I carry this in my truck at all times. Works great, have jumped cars, forklift at work, and my riding lawnmower.

 

I have the same one. Have seen these for sale at various GM dealerships. 

[GETGONE]

GM sells rebranded Noco battery tenders as an option for Corvettes.

[Transient]

5 years and still going strong on my current battery.  Only issues I've had over the last few years was my wife's Traverse.  I have failed to purchase a battery tender for when she deploys, so he car just sits and the battery dies and can't be jumped.  My battery is the same one that came in 2020 from the factory.  I do carry a jump pack, but that's primarily to help others.  It's a NOCO.  You can get it at AutoZone or at the dealership via GM Accessories.