battery date

An old battery will tend to wear down the alternator more
quickly. From my reading, it is better to replace
pre-emptively rather than wait until it is completely dead.
I use the following clues to guide me:

1.
Many, including myself, can hear when a battery is
struggling to start a car. Pay attention to how long it
takes for the engine to "catch" (via the battery driving the
starting motor turning the crankshaft), and you might detect
when the battery is dying.

2.
Age. Five years or more, strongly consider replacing.

3.
How many jumpstarts? Running a battery down to the point
that it will not start the car decreases its life
exponentially.

4.
A simple multi-meter check with the engine off. Should read
at least 12 volts, and probably closer to 12.5 volts. My now
3.3 year old battery read 12.7 volts when new and read the
same last week.

I think Interstate batteries (which are OEM) are the way to
go, from reading here.



"riz" <riz RemoveThis @nospam.com> wrote
>I have an 02 Civic with the original battery. 85K miles.
>I'm not having any problems but I'm wondering if there is a
>"service life" expectancy. I can't seem to find anything on
>the battery. Should I have it replaced or wait for
>symptoms?
 >> Stay informed about: battery date 

Thanks for the info.


"riz" <riz.TakeThisOut@nospam.com> wrote in message
news:47738187$0$9114$607ed4bc@cv.net...
>I have an 02 Civic with the original battery. 85K miles. I'm not having any
>problems but I'm wondering if there is a "service life" expectancy. I can't
>seem to find anything on the battery. Should I have it replaced or wait
>for symptoms?
>
> Thank you.
>
>
 >> Stay informed about: battery date