Battery Bad already? 14k miles .. 2011

[songsj]

Got 6 years out of my '08 Cobalt and it is still in there. Going to replace it this fall.

[tomlink]

Originally Posted by Comrando

I have never hesitated for a second to load a weeks worth of groceries into my Camaro so I misunderstood you.

Actually the folks at the grocery store by me are quite impressed by my car, and yes I use it for groceries all the time.

And I agree on the 5-year plan. My 2011 is going fine, but I have a stick so I really never worry about it.

[AdamEL]

Ironically enough, I've been thinking a lot about my battery lately. Mine's a 2010 with just 8,000 miles. I drive it once or twice a week, but I can't deny the fact that the battery is 5 years old. I was debating whether or not just to go to the dealer and have them throw another one in there before the Winter hits.

[Rock-It Man]

On my daily drivers, I replace the battery after 6 years as a precaution. The only time this wasn't soon enough was on a 2nd car that was used for short errands only. The battery died during year 5.

The Camaro has its original battery since June 2010. It's driven 3 to 4 times a week in season and is on a battery tender for the entire winter, 6 or 7 months.

[RJT RS]

So for those that are using the battery tenders, how are you hooking them up? Using clamps on the jump start terminals? or something else?

[joeybsyc]

Originally Posted by RJT RS

So for those that are using the battery tenders, how are you hooking them up? Using clamps on the jump start terminals? or something else?

That's all. One on the + jump clamp and the other on the ground post on the inner edge of the drivers side fender. That's all you need to do.

[mailclerk]

My suggestion is to have the new battery charged fully before it's installed. Most stores will just toss it in and expect it to recharge while you drive your car.

Personally once per month I take a nice long drive (maybe a couple hours) and return home. If you have the RS gage package you can monitor the charge rate. Most of the time mine always tells me it's charging so mine is low. If it was normal it should always be in the middle. This weekend for sure I'm gasing up my Camaro and taking a nice long drive for about 2 1/2 hours......About 140 miles. That should keep my bttery charged IF I must drive it more. So far I'm still using the factory battery that came with my 2013 RS.

On another note batteries can fail at any time. There wierd animals for sure. My suggestion all the time is to recharge fully a new battery before it's installed and replace it every 5 years IF it last that long. If you make it that far I usually know my battery is getty ready to go south!!!

Mail Clerk

[AdamEL]

I think I'm going to go ahead and replace mine before the weather gets cold. Why the heck not. It's not expensive, and it's a good preventative measure.

[=Stephens=]

Originally Posted by AdamEL

I think I'm going to go ahead and replace mine before the weather gets cold. Why the heck not. It's not expensive, and it's a good preventative measure.

You don't need to replace it, I have 75,000 miles on my original 2011. My battery died on my and it was my Viper alarm, my 1000 watt Alpine system. Your alternator charges but never gets to full potential because it is powering the car. Get a battery charger that has a digital readyout that tells you how much power it has. I got one from wal mart and had to charge mine in the winter, even though I drove it everyday. Now it works great, summer is better than winters.

[mailclerk]

Originally Posted by AdamEL

I think I'm going to go ahead and replace mine before the weather gets cold. Why the heck not. It's not expensive, and it's a good preventative measure.

AdamEL,

If your gonna go ahead and replace the battery ask the store to charge it fully before it's installed. That way your alternator won't need to labor so much.


Mail Clerk

[CamaroBody]

get a 12v battery tender and charge it up!

[Rock-It Man]

Originally Posted by mailclerk

My suggestion is to have the new battery charged fully before it's installed. Most stores will just toss it in and expect it to recharge while you drive your car.

Personally once per month I take a nice long drive (maybe a couple hours) and return home. If you have the RS gage package you can monitor the charge rate. Most of the time mine always tells me it's charging so mine is low. If it was normal it should always be in the middle. This weekend for sure I'm gasing up my Camaro and taking a nice long drive for about 2 1/2 hours......About 140 miles. That should keep my bttery charged IF I must drive it more. So far I'm still using the factory battery that came with my 2013 RS.

On another note batteries can fail at any time. There wierd animals for sure. My suggestion all the time is to recharge fully a new battery before it's installed and replace it every 5 years IF it last that long. If you make it that far I usually know my battery is getty ready to go south!!!

Mail Clerk

If your battery is charged, the charging voltage will still fluctuate. It will definitely not stay in the middle, even if you drive 100 miles a day for weeks on end.