# Battery Life?



## eedwards (Mar 20, 2013)

I bought my 2013 Cruze in March, 2013, brand new.

Now that the weather has gotten cold, my battery will not hold a charge overnight. I was able to get a jump start and drive to work, where I put it on a "smart" charger for about 7 hours. When I got off work and went to my car, the charger was displaying a "F03" code, which indicates the battery is sulfated and can't be charged. I called the dealer and the battery is covered under the 3 years/36,000 mile warranty....and, of course, I'm now at slightly over 38,000 miles, so the battery is out of warranty.

Is it normal for a new battery to last 2 years or less?

Thanks.


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## danielp23 (May 14, 2013)

Similar thing happened to me this weekend, I've had the car for 3yrs but only put 30k miles on it, going to the dealer tomorrow to get it checked out.


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## Robby (Mar 1, 2013)

Not normal but not unheard of either.

Batteries don't follow a particular time line......like us, they begin to die the minute they are first energized with acid.
And, like us, some of get old and crusty and some don't make it too far.

Having been in the biz for over 50 years, this is one that has never been answered.

Possibilities: While on the lot the battery might have been allowed, due to sitting, to have become deeply discharged.
When at the dealer, the battery of each vehicle is to be recharged every 60 days......this to prevent the above and shorten its lifespan due to sulfation.

Most cars get sold within 60 days......yours may have sat far longer and I can almost gaurantee you it was never fully charged.
And, no matter how much you drive it it will never fully charge.
The odds are, your battery has been operating at 70% capacity for the 38 months you've owned the car.

There are other potental life shortening events such as dropping an entire pallet of batteries.....I've seen it and those that don't crack get restacked and shipped..severe vibration really shortens a batterys lifespan...saw this at a Interstate warehouse near my home a couple years ago.

Employee mindset.....ship em....can't see it from my house.

The possibilities go on and on......darn shame your went 38 months instead of 35.

Hopefully the replacement will be a good'n and go at least the industry standard of 51 months.

Rob


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## spacedout (Dec 7, 2010)

Battery life can range from a couple years to close to ten, the average is 3-5 years.


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## TDCruze (Sep 26, 2014)

If it was drained completely it can contribute to a shortened battery life, especially if the battery goes completely dead in cold weather as it can freeze and damage the battery permanently.


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## Patman (May 7, 2011)

> The odds are, your battery has been operating at 70% capacity for the 38 months you've owned the car.


 He did not have the car for 38 months he only had the car for a little less than 24 mos it was 38 K miles. I would think and hope the dealer would take the battery back in good faith and will since it was only 2K over the mileage. Depends on the dealer. If you tell them you can give a good word on a very popular car forum they may be more inclined to do so also.


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## Robby (Mar 1, 2013)

Patman said:


> He did not have the car for 38 months he only had the car for a little less than 24 mos it was 38 K miles. I would think and hope the dealer would take the battery back in good faith and will since it was only 2K over the mileage. Depends on the dealer. If you tell them you can give a good word on a very popular car forum they may be more inclined to do so also.


Opps, yeah, 38 thousand miles.....2 years

As far as warranty extension......the dealer could, if so inclined, try to get an override.......my own experience with any manufacturer though is it seems like they will do just about anything to avoid a battery claim.

But, like I said, the dealer could ask.

I wouldn't try to strongarm though......usually backfires.

Rob


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## ChevyGuy (Dec 13, 2014)

TDCruze said:


> If it was drained completely it can contribute to a shortened battery life,


Or if there are any aftermarket devices that could be drawing power while the car is off.


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## spacedout (Dec 7, 2010)

ChevyGuy said:


> Or if there are any aftermarket devices that could be drawing power while the car is off.


If you leave your car sit for more than 2 weeks, your suppose to disconnect the battery so even the standard factory installed systems don't drain the battery dead.


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## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

Kind of tantamount to human life, wife working at a hospital tells me about kids not making it to their first birthday.

Find a dealer with a Midtronics GR-8 with a print out, most should have one, but the big deal is, are they smart enough to plug it in and switch it on. 

Want a Delco battery that has a 6 or 7 year warranty? You have to buy one, but the one that you already paid for that came with your car only carries a 36,000 mile or a 36 month warranty, whichever comes first.

Can wonder wonder about the guy that came up with this, but willing to bet he would screw his own mother and cheat on his wife.


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## TDCruze (Sep 26, 2014)

Battery warranties are prorated anyways, so after 3 years you don't get much towards the new one.


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## eedwards (Mar 20, 2013)

I called the dealer yesterday but was told that GM won't help them replace the battery since I am over 36K miles. It was worth a try, anyway.

No, the car is as I bought it.... no after-market additions.


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## Patman (May 7, 2011)

Unless the part is cost inhibitive, I typically find it easier and better to find a better aftermarket replacement. I this case I would opt to purchase an Interstate Battery or even a Diehard(even though sometimes they "Die Hard") depending on cost and availability Just IMO


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## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

I favor Johnson Controls because of my success with them. Then the name on the battery is the same company that made it.

But do not follow my advice, you may get a bad one, then I will be responsible.


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## eedwards (Mar 20, 2013)

Well, I went to AutoZone yesterday and bought a DuraLast Gold....3yr full replacement followed by 2 yr prorated replacement. Worth it, to me


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## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

Major killer of a battery is time, and a vehicle driven 20K miles per year should have a much longer lasting battery than one that sits idle most of the time.

Ha, my Fleet Farm store gets in three pallet loads of riding lawn mower batteries every spring. This is the kind of battery that remains idle most of the time.

But how to you fight city hall with a crazy 36K mile limit on a battery?


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