Damn battery was stone dead this morning

[joegr]

Is there any valid battery test that shows near term battery failure? My battery in my '18 G80 with 18K on the meter is just past 5 years. No apparent problems, but don't want a dead battery while away from home.

I think that a load test would give you a pretty good idea, but some kinds of impending failure could sneak by. (A brand new battery might have one of those same failures the next day.)
With previous cars, I have noted that watching the battery voltage while cranking the engine seemed to be a pretty good indicator of battery condition. I think that you can buy monitoring devices now that watch that and other factors to help you guess about the battery's condition.

 

[EdP]

Is there any valid battery test that shows near term battery failure? My battery in my '18 G80 with 18K on the meter is just past 5 years. No apparent problems, but don't want a dead battery while away from home.

I got 5 out of mine, but I think of it as buying insurance. Most last 3 to 4 years in the past so I was not going to push too far. I learned to do that years ago in January with snow on the ground.

 

[lopedogg]

Running my OG battery on my 2015, so its at least 8yrs old, did die on me once after not running it for a week in cold weather, but I managed to resurrect it with some effort. Doesn't bother me to run it to the end I have back up vehicles to drive if I ever need to source a new one.

 

[EdP]

Running my OG battery on my 2015, so its at least 8yrs old, did die on me once after not running it for a week in cold weather, but I managed to resurrect it with some effort. Doesn't bother me to run it to the end I have back up vehicles to drive if I ever need to source a new one.

Yep, no problem when you come out in the morning, just hop in another car. Take care of it later.

Sucks though, if it dies when you are out to dinner 20 miles from home on a cold night. Good luck, maybe it will last forever.

 

[Ragnar]

Ed,
just yesterday while shopping at Sams club here in Az.parked next to a car with it hood upmost likely battery had given out, you can have a half doz. Cars at home and their not gonna help one iota!

 

[joegr]

Ed,
just yesterday while shopping at Sams club here in Az.parked next to a car with it hood upmost likely battery had given out, you can have a half doz. Cars at home and their not gonna help one iota!

Back in the 90s, My starter sounded weak when I started my car to leave work. I drove straight to SAM's Club and bought a battery. My intent was to install it when I got home. However, I had to install it in the Sam's parking lot because apparently that prior weak start was the very last start that battery had in it. It had not sounded weak before that.

 

[lopedogg]

Yep, no problem when you come out in the morning, just hop in another car. Take care of it later.

Sucks though, if it dies when you are out to dinner 20 miles from home on a cold night. Good luck, maybe it will last forever.

good thing im rarely more then 10min from home, worse comes to worse I have to call the wife and wait 10 min, I also carry a battery booster that can work in a pinch

 

[joegr]

good thing im rarely more then 10min from home, worse comes to worse I have to call the wife and wait 10 min, I also carry a battery booster that can work in a pinch

A good booster may be the best strategy here. My battery is only a year younger than yours. I too don't want to dispose of it before it is necessary. While it is very very likely that a new battery would well outlast my 5/6 year old battery, it is not a 100% certainty. My battery might last eight years. A new battery might have a defect that strands me in a month. (Yes, I know that this is really stretching the odds a ridiculous amount.)

 

[EdP]

good thing im rarely more then 10min from home, worse comes to worse I have to call the wife and wait 10 min, I also carry a battery booster that can work in a pinch

Good. 10 minutes is not long. Hope it is not raining hard.

 

[Kyser_Soze]

Does the car doors lock when the battery gets low? I park in my garage and don't lock the car. It seems the longer the car sits, the more likely it is that the doors are locked when I come out to it.

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[joegr]

Does the car doors lock when the battery gets low? I park in my garage and don't lock the car. It seems the longer the car sits, the more likely it is that the doors are locked when I come out to it.

No.
They can lock when someone accidentally presses the lock button on the remote. This has happened to me with it in my pocket when I bump my leg on a counter or something.

 

[lopedogg]

Good. 10 minutes is not long. Hope it is not raining hard.

Whelp I think that time might be up, had exactly that scenario play out last night. Going to do some load and alternator testing tonight, unfortunately getting OEM or even equivalent battery if very difficult where I live. Closest one in town is a H8 lead acid, ordering in the right one will be about $500. Fortunately I think I can keep this one going as long as I charge it up every Sunday, while I search for a replacement.

 

[smirn0ff]

I go trough battery change, but I didnt found any battery with same or better tech details and I bought a original one for around 500$

 

[lopedogg]

Yup def gone, after fully charging the battery TWICE, both times the resting voltage was 12.28, curiously it didn't do bad on the load test, was still able to crank the amps barely into the green zone. To anyone who did the battery change themselves, did you keep a trickle charger or something on the car to protect the electronics while doing the change?

 

[carguy75]

Yup def gone, after fully charging the battery TWICE, both times the resting voltage was 12.28, curiously it didn't do bad on the load test, was still able to crank the amps barely into the green zone. To anyone who did the battery change themselves, did you keep a trickle charger or something on the car to protect the electronics while doing the change?

Yes, I always use a trickle charger or 9v battery powered setting saver device when swapping car batteries to keep my system settings.