car is 5 years old, no problems so far. I am not sure though if the battery will last another winter though, I would hate to get a call from wife complaining that the car doesn't start and she has to wait for AAA. If it were my car I would not worry. But with wife and kid, different story.

So, what is the average lifetime of OEM batteries in Civics? This is normal gasoline engine, not hybrid. Is a 6th year pushing it?

Replace it for your own peace of mind. Batteries are fairly cheap - I just replaced the battery in the wife's 2001 Escape last week.

I have a '91. I call it the "beater". I upgraded the stereo when I first got it and basically replace the battery every couple of years. When my alarm starts to "chirp" for no reason, I know it is time. Two other gentlemen I work with also have '91's. One original battery lasted 6 years, and the second almost 8! The guy who almost got 8 also has 200k miles on the odometer and is still on the original clutch. Have you priced the battery? They can be had for $50 on sale. (sometimes cheaper) Cheap insurance if you dont want to get caught out one morning. Oh, I have tried everything from Kmart to Gel cells, with the Kmart battery doing very well for alot less $$$$$. Good luck.

Get one of those batteries with a reserve that you can switch to--that way when it finally goes out, you can pop the hood, move the switch, and get yourself going.

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OK guys, I will probably get a new one, and keep this one around the house, maybe I'll hook it up to my UPS and get some more juice out if it.

As my parents are fond of saying, "once a battery starts going bad, it goes quickly"

They're very planned out people. They believe in being proactive about everything. In the case of car batteries, I agree with them.

Oh, and just to illustrate HOW thought out they are, when they bought a new car, they gave me their old one so that I would have 2 cars. That way, if one of my cars breaks down, I'll still have a "spare".

in all my hondas, i've detected a slightly struggled start in the starts before the battery goes. when you hear that, head for the store to get the battery.

i had a civic go 390,000 miles with a single battery change .... (and an alternator, one clutch, some timing belts and seemingly countless CV joints)

Quote
TheToddler
i had a civic go 390,000 miles with a single battery change .... (and an alternator, one clutch, some timing belts and seemingly countless CV joints)

Now try that with a Chevy!

easy, if it is all freeway miles in just a few years.

time and number of starting cycles is what will do in a car battery (that and an abnormally stiff suspension shaking the crap out of the battery)

One ferocious pothole 3 blocks from the dealership the day of sale can kill off a battery.

get a decent one like an Interstate - or spend the bucks and get an Optima.

I think you're being paranoid. As Racer X points out, the lifetime of the battery is completely a function of how it is used. If you're driving habits keep it fully charged without too many starting cycles, then it could last a real long time. Take it in to a battery specialty store and have it checked out. If it's OK, don't waste your money buying something you don't need.

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I don't think you're being a bit paranoid. It may be a little premature to replace the battery just yet, but how knows your wife's driving conditions better than you. That battery *could* have a solid two years left. Or not.

I say do at least 20min of freeway driving once a week, if one doesn't get out of stop and go traffic very often. Short trips to the store and back are tough on batteries and exhaust systems.

A load test should be a little revealing about your battery. Inspect the battery cables and connections. They can be trouble more quickly than the battery.

I wouldn't get a battery with a "Rescue" partition. Save that for your HDs. But there are several different devices such as the [www.batterybrain.com] that will perform a similar function with any battery.

The one I linked to has a version that operates via a wireless remote. Never have to pop the hood.

Preventive maintenance is a good thing, and you don't seem to be retentive about it. Most cars die because of lack of attention.

A friend had the radiator and thermostat replaced in his daughter's Ranger at 80,000mi. The shop didn't think it was necessary (except for the hoses, which they had just replaced).

Because his daughter does some regular driving through the Santa Cruz mountains during the summer, he said put in a new radiator. His daughter noticed that the Temp gauge read much lower under all conditions, and barely rose on Hwy 17, where one routinely sees cars pulled over, overheated.

Cautions, yes. Paranoid, hardly.

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