# Anyone know how many month battery is standard in the 2012 cruze w/turbo engine?



## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

I'm at 35 months on my ECO MT as well. As far as I can tell from watching the alternator voltage readout my battery is probably still at 90 to 95% of it's new condition. What I look for is the voltage after running the engine for five minutes after the car has been sitting all day. In the mornings the voltage will be higher because the alternator is working to compensate for a cold battery but in the afternoons the battery is normally not cold enough to cause chemical reaction based power drops.

The other way to determine if your battery is starting to get weak is to pay attention to cold morning starts. If they're taking longer this means the battery isn't providing as many amps to the starter motor. This is also a sign of a weakening battery.


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

Have it load tested at an auto parts store.

I have had terrible luck with my AC Delco batteries; others seem to have gotten good ones.

Before starting the car in the morning, turn the key to "run" and flip through the dash options until you see Battery Voltage. It should be ABOVE 12.0 volts - if you see anything lower, replace your battery.


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## 2012LTZPRETTYLIGHTBLUE (Dec 13, 2011)

Hi and thanks for the response. I have the keyless ignition in the LTZ. You can hit the start button without your foot on the brake (so the engine doesn't start) and you get "auxiliary". However, I can't see the battery information without the engine on as the Driver Info Center doesn't work in auxiliary. I wonder if there's a way around this.


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

Oh right, LTZ.

Try this:
*Service Only Mode*
This power mode is available for
service and diagnostics, and to
verify the proper operation of the
malfunction indicator lamp as may
be required for emission inspection
purposes. With the vehicle off,
and the brake pedal not applied,
pressing and holding the button for
more than five seconds will place
the vehicle in Service Only Mode


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## 2012LTZPRETTYLIGHTBLUE (Dec 13, 2011)

Thanks. I'll try it in the morning. When I went out to try to do this and ended up starting it, it was cranking 14.7 but that was after it was started. So, I'll let it sit overnight and try the service mode in the morning. Thanks for letting me know how to do that.


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## ChevyGuy (Dec 13, 2014)

Well, according to the manual, <evil grin>, If you hold the button down for more than 5 seconds it will switch to "on" but not start the engine.

Edit: I've never used this, but it sounds like a good idea: Nuts&Volts Battery Marvel. Among other things it watches how low the voltage goes while cranking. If it drops too low, it beeps, indicating time to replace the battery. It effectively does a load test (using the starter) every time you start your car. (Standard disclaimers - I'm not even a subscriber to that magazine, much less have a financial interest in the product.)


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## ChevyGuy (Dec 13, 2014)

Sorry, more info. I'm not sure as the "length" of the battery has much to do with how long it lasts. One rumor I'd heard is that one manufacturer would sell different month batteries - but in reality they were exactly the same battery. The manufacturer just charged a higher price and figured it would have to give some money back for those batteries that didn't make it. (Ever notice that the warranty is only good for getting another battery of the same brand?)

I hadn't had much luck with AC Delco batteries either. But then they were the side terminal ones that were notorious for leaking and would go dead from that. Maybe the top mounts are OK. But I've had good luck with the Interstate. As for Sears, the Die-hards were die-weirds. They might start fine in the morning, but fail to start when making a quick stop.


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## Merc6 (Jun 8, 2013)

My red top lasted 4 cars and 3 sound systems starting from June 2003 to about November of 2009. Don't think they make em like that anymore.


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

ChevyGuy said:


> As for Sears, the Die-hards were die-weirds. They might start fine in the morning, but fail to start when making a quick stop.


Haha my interstate did that at the end of its life. But it was 7 years old, well past its end of life anyway.


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## Sunline Fan (Jul 29, 2012)

I put mine in service mode all the time at the gas station. It shows the full DIC like the car were running, so it should show voltage although I haven't tried. I do it that way to record my past tank stats after I've filled up. Why should I sit there and burn gas when I'm writing/taking a picture and not moving...


Vote for Carly for December COTM and Ashley for MOTM!!


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## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

Had my battery replaced under the bumper to bumper warranty about two months ago. The warranty on this battery is only good for the duration of the bumper to bumper warranty that for me, ended 12 days ago.

On the other hand, if this battery was purchased with cash, would have a six year prorated warranty that doesn't seem quite fair, I did purchase the original battery in the purchase price of the vehicle.

Every battery company is different, some offer a two year free replacement warranty, others are prorated, so with a six year warranty you will only get about 2/3rds back for your original battery cost and have to save the receipt.

Battery ratings are extremely confusing, have high discharge rate, should be able to deliver CCA for a specified period of time and at the rated temperature. And generally down to a loaded voltage of 9 volts. Doesn't tell a darn thing about the remaining capacity of the battery that practically most batteries don't even specify anymore.

But the capacity of a battery can really diminish over time, and what really kills them is a couple of full discharges. And the capacity varies considerably with the rated discharge. For example a 60 ampere-hour battery will be a 60 AH rating with a one amp load. Meaning it will deliver one amp for 60 hours before becoming fully discharged. But if that load current is increased to 20 amps, may discharge in two hours instead of three hours. 2 times 20 amps is 40 AH, 3 times 20 amps is 60 AH!

Then the temperature these tests are conducted at makes a huge difference in capacity. Testing a 60 AH battery with this so called reserve capacity where the battery must maintain a 20 amp output at room temperature for 80 minutes down to 11 volts is only 1.333 times 20 A or about 27 AH. Same battery rated at 600 CCA for 30 seconds is 600 times 0.00333 or 5 AH capacity. High load testing only shows the resistance of the battery, lots of connections inside the battery that can corrode, but says nothing about capacity.

Yet another parameter is the self discharge rate, should well under 0.05 amps at room temperature. Mine was around 1.1 amperes and they said it was good. Until I found a dealer with a bit more brains. 

Somehow got the feeling this post is confusing to the non-electrical engineers. And even made more confusing by marketing guys that love to use the specifications most desirable to them.


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## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

Have to say the Midtronics GR-8 is a good battery tester with an optional printer to show the customer the exact status of your battery.










Many use a POS battery tester that does a completely worthless impedance test, like Walmart for example. Said a dead battery was good. Could only reply, I would never purchase a battery from Walmart again.

Only place in my town that has a good battery tester is at my NAPA store. My two GM dealers have he Midtronics, but lie like crazy. So they lost a customer for life. 

Walk into a cave and something beats the crap out of you, you are ignorant. Walk in again for the same thing, you are stupid.


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## Robby (Mar 1, 2013)

Short answer......the battery installed is warranteed for the 3yr/36000 mile basic coverage.

The Midtronics tester Nick sent the photo of and the printout it creates are the determining factor if a battery is having a problem during the warranty period.

From a percentage standpoint, many owners experience battery failures within 60 months......this period of time is generally considered the normal service life for a battery in a vehicle with a properly operating charging system and normal parasitic draw (5 to 25 mah).
Often, if a battery fails prematurely, it can be traced back to something that is never taken into account.

There is no date easily understood that tells you when the battery was originally activated and pre-charged.
The battery in your new to you car may have been riding around on a pallet for 3 months or more.
Add to this, the period of time between when the battery was installed (your build date) and the date the car was actually put in service.
Going further, while waiting for you to buy the car, that battery may have been allowed to deeply discharge......that really shortens the potental lifespan.

Each of these variables are why folks have varying success with original equipment batteries.......and why original equipment battery manufacturers often get a bad rap.

The battery you purchass to replace the original, regardless of brand, is very likely 'Fresher' than the one removed so the odds are you will get reports of different brands being better than the original.

My Cruze was on the lot for 6 months before I purchassed, so the odds of the battery making the full 60 month average lifespan for me is, at best, poor.

After many, many cars and trucks I have developed replacement schedules for various components that I know are affected by time.

Just like us, a battery is dieing the day it is born.....not knowing when the original battery was 'Born' I consider four years from delivery the replacement date.
I only use factory batteries......G.M. gets Delco branded, Fords get Motorcraft branded, and only because I know Interstate is the OE manufacturer for Chrysler, and I consider Interstate a substandard supplier, my Mopars get Delco.

At age 65, I have never had a replacement Delco or Motorcraft fail earlier than five years......and that represents my replacement battery schedule.....five years and out.

Just throwing my $.02 into the fray.......Happy Holidays Friends!

Rob


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## neile300c (Jul 8, 2014)

I don't think that the new batteries in our cars are rated by "months".


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

neile300c said:


> I don't think that the new batteries in our cars are rated by "months".


No car battery is rated by months. Instead they're actually rated by normal discharge cycles which the battery manufacturers convert to months based on average driving patterns.


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## fj5gtx (Sep 1, 2014)

Want to get more battery life? I've been using this for 15 years. I treated my 04 Ram with this when new, and reapplied every other oil change. 135k miles, 10 years old, killer negative temps last winter.... still going on the original equipment. I got turned onto this stuff on a GM I had, that the battery kept dying every couple years. It took care of that problem for me, and I've been a customer ever since. 

Its cheap as well, can lasts years. Take off your cables, clean them well, reinstall.. then spray this stuff over them. At oil change, just wipe it off with a paper towel... reapply. No need to clean.

CRC Battery Terminal Protect 7.5 oz 05046: Choose the best Battery Chemicals at Advance Auto Parts


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## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

Voltage is only good to determine the state of charge of a battery and this is after the surface charge is remove, like with a ten amp load of ten seconds. At 25*C, a fully charged battery would show 12.95 volts, discharged, 11.9 volts.

Yet another variable is the capacitance of the battery that is directly related to the ampere-hour capacity of the battery. This capacitance is extremely important in filtering out the output voltage of the alternator. Some alternators when switch can output 150 V spikes that can cause severe damage to the electronic parts. While others are clamped to a much more safer 22 volts.

Just switching on the ignition with everything else turned off puts a load on the battery, so the state of charge is not accurate. When looking at the DCT. Plus looking at all the voltage drops in the wires with copper saving wire.

So you can measure 12.95 volts no load on a battery to show its fully charged. Put even a 50 amp load on it and that voltage will drop to nothing due to loss of capacity.


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## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

fj5gtx said:


> Want to get more battery life? I've been using this for 15 years. I treated my 04 Ram with this when new, and reapplied every other oil change. 135k miles, 10 years old, killer negative temps last winter.... still going on the original equipment. I got turned onto this stuff on a GM I had, that the battery kept dying every couple years. It took care of that problem for me, and I've been a customer ever since.
> 
> Its cheap as well, can lasts years. Take off your cables, clean them well, reinstall.. then spray this stuff over them. At oil change, just wipe it off with a paper towel... reapply. No need to clean.
> 
> CRC Battery Terminal Protect 7.5 oz 05046: Choose the best Battery Chemicals at Advance Auto Parts


Ha, read the safety sheet on this stuff:

https://www.psdschools.org/webfm/6421/view

Been using dielectric silicone grease on my batteries for over 50 years now, just a thin coating on the terminals and the connectors. Lasts a long time and provides a protective coating. Also use it on other electrical connections, in particular, grounds.


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

fj5gtx said:


> Want to get more battery life? I've been using this for 15 years. I treated my 04 Ram with this when new, and reapplied every other oil change. 135k miles, 10 years old, killer negative temps last winter.... still going on the original equipment. I got turned onto this stuff on a GM I had, that the battery kept dying every couple years. It took care of that problem for me, and I've been a customer ever since.
> 
> Its cheap as well, can lasts years. Take off your cables, clean them well, reinstall.. then spray this stuff over them. At oil change, just wipe it off with a paper towel... reapply. No need to clean.
> 
> CRC Battery Terminal Protect 7.5 oz 05046: Choose the best Battery Chemicals at Advance Auto Parts


Thanks. I'll pick up some this weekend and clean my wife's Solara's battery terminals. I've already used baking soda on them but was looking for something to help keep them clean.


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## spacedout (Dec 7, 2010)

fj5gtx said:


> Its cheap as well, can lasts years. Take off your cables, clean them well, reinstall.. then spray this stuff over them. At oil change, just wipe it off with a paper towel... reapply. No need to clean.
> 
> CRC Battery Terminal Protect 7.5 oz 05046: Choose the best Battery Chemicals at Advance Auto Parts


I've also been using this stuff for years, did my cruze when I installed the new battery last fall. However I do not clean or reapply until the next battery goes in or some corrosion is present.


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## 2012LTZPRETTYLIGHTBLUE (Dec 13, 2011)

jblackburn said:


> Have it load tested at an auto parts store.
> 
> I have had terrible luck with my AC Delco batteries; others seem to have gotten good ones.
> 
> Before starting the car in the morning, turn the key to "run" and flip through the dash options until you see Battery Voltage. It should be ABOVE 12.0 volts - if you see anything lower, replace your battery.


Ok, here's the results of my test on my Cruze this morning. In the "Service" Mode, the battery volts read 12.0. After running a few minutes, it stayed consistently at 14.7 volts for the entire time it was running. What do you think?


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

Might be nearing the end of its life. I would have it tested and/or charged since that is pretty low (full charge is 12.8; you've got about a 25% charge there).


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## ChevyGuy (Dec 13, 2014)

The voltage when the car's running is a test of the charging system and says nothing about the health of the battery.


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## fj5gtx (Sep 1, 2014)

NickD said:


> Ha, read the safety sheet on this stuff:


Yep, don't spray it in your eyes, huff it, or wear it as cologne. I suspect the Cruze battery problems are more about badly manufactured cables, than a bad battery.



NickD said:


> Been using dielectric silicone grease on my batteries for over 50 years now, just a thin coating on the terminals and the connectors. Lasts a long time and provides a protective coating. Also use it on other electrical connections, in particular, grounds.


That may work, but I'm sticking with what I have long history with. I had to repair a circuit board on that 10 year old truck a couple weeks ago. So the battery had to come out. The Cable/Terminal connection looked brand new.

I'll see if I have the same luck with the cruze. It had about 100 miles on it when I sprayed it off with the CRC stuff. Hope that widespread cable problem doesn't do me in...


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

ChevyGuy said:


> The voltage when the car's running is a test of the charging system and says nothing about the health of the battery.


Which is why you use service mode to check the battery voltage.


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## fj5gtx (Sep 1, 2014)

2012LTZPRETTYLIGHTBLUE said:


> Ok, here's the results of my test on my Cruze this morning. In the "Service" Mode, the battery volts read 12.0. After running a few minutes, it stayed consistently at 14.7 volts for the entire time it was running. What do you think?


Sounds like the charging system is working to spec. I'd test for a key off discharge.


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## Eddy Cruze (Jan 10, 2014)

You can have a perfectly good Alternator yet a bad battery that wont hold a charge or just plain short out? I actually though my battery died at Del Taco yesterday when the car was already on and running as the starter doesn't crank in the CRUZE once running. All starters should be like that! I had a 3 year el cheapo Walmart battery on the Hyundai (now only available with a two year warranty) and they gave me an incredible 75% credit although there was only a month or two left on the warranty, very impressive for a pro rated battery warranty!


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## Robby (Mar 1, 2013)

Trouble with these suggestions is by entering the service mode you are seeing what voltage the battery has AFTER it is feeding all the various relays and whatever else is powered with the key on......and that incudes any resistance to the DIS itself.

That and I would hardly consider the meter in the instrunent panel a high quality piece to provide valid measurements with.

This is why, to get a accurate test, it is taken at the battery terminals..........currently you may as well test available voltage at the brake light socket......thats about how accurate the service mode would be.

Earlier Nick sent a photo of a battery tester made by Midtronics......all GM dealers have this unit but they also have at least one Midtronics hand held tester.
Why not just stop by your dealer for a quicky battery test????? Here in the Chicago area the dealer just sends a mechanic outside to do the test.....takes less than a minute and you will have a printout about the size of a credit card slip showing the results.

The printout will show if the battery is good, needs a charge, reaching the end of its service life, or a full fail and will provide available voltage and amperage.

Rob


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## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

Ha, back in the not so good old days, not only had to drain the radiator and block because minimum wage was 50 cents per hour and alcohol antifreeze cost six bucks per gallon. Also had to remove the battery and bring it into the house so it would stay warm. Or you never would start your car in the morning.

Didn't think much about it, was a part of life, and sure beat walking. 

Seems like since "they" listed lead as a hazardous material, the price of batteries is skyrocketing. Darn near twice the price as it even was 3-4 years ago. May have to go back to removing the battery at night and bringing into your home at night.

As long as I can remember, the core refund for an old battery was five bucks, now 15-20 bucks, suddenly. And most vendors are listing prices assuming you have an old battery to turn in to make the prices look lower.


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## 2012LTZPRETTYLIGHTBLUE (Dec 13, 2011)

Just as a follow up - I took my Cruze in to the dealer and they did the load test, the charging system test, etc. Their conclusion - my battery is fine as is my charging system. Augh. You watch, it will konk out the day after my 36 month warranty ends. 
The service advisor told me that this battery should last 4 to 5 years. HUH? He must not have read this forum. 

Thanks to everyone for your input. I'll keep an eye on the volts via the "service mode" to make sure it keeps me on the road instead of in a parking lot somewhere swearing! LOL


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## ChevyGuy (Dec 13, 2014)

You might want to consider a battery jump pack. That way you can jump start yourself when that day comes. Either that or subscribe to something like AAA. Breakdowns happen. The key is to have a plan to deal with it.

Or, if it gives you peace of mind, you could just have the battery replaced as soon as the warranty expires.


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## spacedout (Dec 7, 2010)

2012LTZPRETTYLIGHTBLUE said:


> The service advisor told me that this battery should last 4 to 5 years. HUH? He must not have read this forum.


I would just replace out of pocket, better than getting stranded. I also would not buy another acdelco battery as the ones this car use seem to be of low quality. Batteries don't last a set number of months, its dependent on environment and use. Lots of hot weather and short trips will kill a battery within 2-3 years. 



ChevyGuy said:


> You might want to consider a battery jump pack. That way you can jump start yourself when that day comes. Either that or subscribe to something like AAA. Breakdowns happen. The key is to have a plan to deal with it.
> 
> Or, if it gives you peace of mind, you could just have the battery replaced as soon as the warranty expires.


All GM cars come with free roadside assistance for 5years/100K. See the section marked Roadside Assistance. 
Chevy Warranty Information | Owners | Chevrolet


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## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

2012LTZPRETTYLIGHTBLUE said:


> Just as a follow up - I took my Cruze in to the dealer and they did the load test, the charging system test, etc. Their conclusion - my battery is fine as is my charging system. Augh. You watch, it will konk out the day after my 36 month warranty ends.
> The service advisor told me that this battery should last 4 to 5 years. HUH? He must not have read this forum.
> 
> Thanks to everyone for your input. I'll keep an eye on the volts via the "service mode" to make sure it keeps me on the road instead of in a parking lot somewhere swearing! LOL


What is your concern? The three year warranty on your battery, or did you go out, remote wouldn't open the doors. Put the key in the ignition, switch to start and nothing?

I had a no start problem with my 04 Cavalier, battery was stone dead, but this occurred when the battery was nearly nine years old. With this Cruze, was only 33 months. But it did happen in September of this year when the temperature was still warm. So would take a charge to get me home.

If it happened today with these cold temperatures due to a high self discharge rate and a low charge. It would have froze up, have a budge on the sides and would be completely worthless. The lower the charge on a battery, the higher the temperature will be when it freezes up.

But when it would take a charge, two Chevy dealers said it was good, the idiots, this was not my complaint. My complaint was if I didn't put a charger on it, or at least start it within 24 hours, it would be dead again.

Had some batteries lasting over 20 years, kept a maintenance charger on it, 13.5 V pure DC voltage. Other new batteries only lasting a month. Really know way of telling how long they will last. 

My new Cruze battery is barely three months old, but the warranty on it ended December 12, 2014. If this one goes bad, will have to lay out cash to buy a new one. If I stick with Delco, will have a six year warranty. But Delco does not make batteries anymore, have no idea who makes them now.


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

Robby said:


> Trouble with these suggestions is by entering the service mode you are seeing what voltage the battery has AFTER it is feeding all the various relays and whatever else is powered with the key on......and that incudes any resistance to the DIS itself.


This is also the amount of power available to start the car. 12v simply isn't enough to simultaneously run all the electronics in a car anymore. My Montana would flicker the high beams when the ABS engaged - just not enough power.


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## Robby (Mar 1, 2013)

2012LTZPRETTYLIGHTBLUE said:


> Just as a follow up - I took my Cruze in to the dealer and they did the load test, the charging system test, etc. Their conclusion - my battery is fine as is my charging system. Augh. You watch, it will konk out the day after my 36 month warranty ends.
> The service advisor told me that this battery should last 4 to 5 years. HUH? He must not have read this forum.
> 
> Thanks to everyone for your input. I'll keep an eye on the volts via the "service mode" to make sure it keeps me on the road instead of in a parking lot somewhere swearing! LOL


I'll remind readers that forums tend to draw the pleased and the highly displeased owners.

Keeping in mind that on the factory tour we were quite impressed with the 25000 unit a month production number......that also means 25000 battery installations.
If the battery failures were as high as some posters think they are I don't think there would be much room on the forum for anything but battery failure discussions.

Truth be told, the odds of hitting the four year mark are exceedingly high.....the five year marker rather high also.

Average battery life, quoteing Interstate, is 51 months.......I think that is fairly accurate and says many make 60 months or more and many only make 45 months or, to a degree, less.

There are two mechanical failures of a battery that cannot be foreseen......no testing will uncover these failures as about to happen.
1. One of the six cells experiences a plate breakoff that falls to the bottom of the case and shorts the plates above it.
2. One of the six lead connector straps fractures and the battery goes open.....becomming nothing but a box of acid and lead plates.

The other occurences that preclude failure are generally picked up by those who pay attention to the car....for example:

1. Seems to not be cranking with the same speed as it was a few days ago and, doesn't start immediatly.
2. Headlamps appear to dim more than you remember while waiting for a light to change.
3. While stopped and idling the HVAC blower seems to be running slower and picks up as soon as you apply throttle.

These are signs that the battery capacity is falling off......the car is becomming more dependent on the alternator for power while stopped because the battery ain't gettin it.
If the battery is in the 50 month range of use, reduce your brain damage and replace it.....or you will be walking and cursing on a cold, usually late, Sunday afternoon.

Rob


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

All batteries have a shelf life. This means that if your car battery sat on the shelf for a long time before being shipped to Lordstown you may see a shorter battery life. However, I suspect the Lordstown installed batteries are most likely less than a month old when installed. This means that other than the internal failures Robby mentioned your battery is highly likely to go at least four years and I wouldn't be surprised to see five years from the assembly date on the door sticker.

Did your dealer replace the negative battery cable? A good battery can be defeated by bad cables.


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## 2012LTZPRETTYLIGHTBLUE (Dec 13, 2011)

No, the dealer didn't change out the negative cable. They just told me everything was working fine We'll keep an eye on it or buy a new battery myself as was suggested above. That's probably a real good idea.


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## ChevyGuy (Dec 13, 2014)

obermd said:


> All batteries have a shelf life.


I was under the impression that at least some batteries where shipped "dry" and the clock doesn't start ticking until they are filled with acid.


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

ChevyGuy said:


> I was under the impression that at least some batteries where shipped "dry" and the clock doesn't start ticking until they are filled with acid.


In this case they aren't a battery until they're filled. My actual point was that at the rate Lordstown is assembling Cruzen it is very unlikely that a battery is sitting around for more than a week to two weeks before being installed in a new Cruze.


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## ChevyGuy (Dec 13, 2014)

obermd said:


> My actual point was that at the rate Lordstown is assembling Cruzen it is very unlikely that a battery is sitting around for more than a week to two weeks before being installed in a new Cruze.


That would be a question of how they manage their inventory. But last I checked, manufacturers still leaned toward "just in time" delivery. Using the numbers given, storing a battery for a month means storing 25,000 batteries. Something management would prefer to avoid. They also know how many cars they plan to build, how fast they will build them and can manage the stock to match.

Contrast this to a typical battery store who has no idea when someone will walk in and ask "got a battery for a Cruze?" Some weeks they may get 5, others, none. Harder to manage that.


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## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

Could buy so-called maintenance free batteries with removable caps on them. Good luck in trying to find these anymore. Back in the old days, a six volt battery consisted of three individual cells with two screwed on straps between them. Didn't have to replace the entire battery, just the bad call. Surprised the Prius didn't take this route, one defective series cell, have to replace the entire thing.

Back in the 90's, was a kick to go with electric brakes, Dana claimed they had it, but for some strange reason called it a 48 volt system when it was only using 18 2 V cells. When I was in school, this was a 36 V battery. Wasted time developing a 12/36 volt alternator, actually outputted 42.5 V, but the battery engineers were expected to put 18 cells in a 6 cell sized box. They never got this far. Incandescent bulb guys said, they could never make a reliable 36 V bulb, the filament would be way too thin. So both 12V and 36V were required. 

Even back in the 60's, a used battery had a core value of 5 bucks, see within the last couple of years, finally raised this to 15 bucks. Want a miserable job, work as a battery stripper with sulfuric acid all over the place. Would get itchy just getting near these plants. OSHA and the EPA had a blast, good business to export and let some other poorer country slob get stuck with these nasty jobs. 

The battery claim to fame, is one of the very first throwaway products to be produced.


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

Out of curiosity I checked my battery this morning:

Key in run position but car not started - parking lights, stereo, and blower setting 2 on: 11.6v
Immediately after starting: 11.1v
Within a quarter mile the alternator had fully kicked in and it was at 15.3v
30 miles later - voltage had fluctuated between 15.0 and 15.3v
After turning off the engine: 11.6v

My car sat since the evening of the 23rd with the two start cycles with less than a mile of driving each on the morning of the 24th. Start this morning was a hare sluggish but nothing I would normally worry about given the car sat in freezing temperatures for five days without being run.


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## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

Battery charging voltage varies considerably with temperature, the colder the battery the higher the charging voltage required and vice-versa. Typical voltage regulator range is 12.9 to 15.5 V, is temperature compensated, and when we were permitted to. Could mount the voltage regulator next to the battery.

But those bean counters didn't want to lay out the cash for that extra wiring harness, so the VR had to be mounted inside of the alternator where the heat of the alternator really screws up the actual reading.

Most of the battery problems are down south, batteries are constantly being under charged and will sulfate leading to early battery failure. Battery guys were fooling around with the sulfuric acid ratio to try to help prevent this. 

Another 12 cent component that had to go was the diode trio, a separate positive rectifier to supply the field voltage. If the alternator is not turning, no voltage on the field. But the field transistor had to be made always hot, and if that shorts out, applies full field voltage and will wake up to a dead battery.

Now all automotive manufacturers are doing this, so if you are wondering why you are having problems, there is a reason, always a reason.


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## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

Another scenario, park you car at an airport for a couple of weeks, self discharge and the anti-thief discharges the battery. But may still have enough to start your engine if in good tune.

A battery will take all the current it can when partially discharged. A heck of a load augmented by cooling fans. So if you start your car and let it idle for about 20 minutes, charging current is low and will build up slowly. But if you switch on the AC, a big hurry to get home and rev your engine to around 4,000 rpm, this is when you will blow your main rectifier diodes.

If not and lucky, battery is taking a huge charge that can buckle the plates for a shorter life.

For some good reason, don't put this kind of stuff in your owners manual, and again, you wonder why you have problems. Can be solved by adding a cheap current limiting circuit to the battery. Try and get this approved my marketing.


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## spacedout (Dec 7, 2010)

NickD said:


> Another scenario, park you car at an airport for a couple of weeks, self discharge and the anti-thief discharges the battery.


If your leaving the car parked for more than a week I would disconnect the battery. Much rather go through the trouble of hooking it back up then having to call road side assistance for a jump.


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