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Piston Slap: Change Batteries Like Oil. Or Not.
by
Sajeev Mehta
(IC: employee)
Published: October 28th, 2009
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Jonathon writes:
Sajeev, I grew up and still live in Chicago. Following the habits of my parents, I always replace a battery after four Chicago winters. Can modern batteries withstand the cold climates better than their predecessors, or should I replace that 4 year old battery this fall?
I do not know if car batteries evolved like their internal combustion
But more importantly, none of this matters: only replace a battery
[Send your queries to mehta@ttac.com]
Sajeev Mehta
More by Sajeev Mehta
Published October 28th, 2009 1:13 PM
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An additional point of interest: I read somewhere (CR?) that the difference between the battery with a 2 year free replacement and 3 year free replacement warranty is simply an insurance policy. There is no material difference in the batteries, the extra cost is simply the insurance premium for the additional warranty time. Can the Best and Brightest confirm as fact?
Sajeev, My dad has run an auto electric shop for 30 years. He says to replace every 4 years. An old battery may start the car, but will put undo stain on the alternator. A weak battery is the number one cause for alternator failure.
Once I bought one of those "premium" Autozone batteries with a three year full replacement warranty when I was living in California. Then I moved to Indiana. Exactly three years after buying it, the battery died.. 2 days after the full replacement warranty expires. Fortunately, Autozone was nice enough to replace it for free.
I still live in Indiana. A few years later I will come back to report how long the second Duralast battery lasted.