most amazing battery thread...
 

Not sure if anyone has started this one or can beat me (I'm sure someone will), but after last night's events I'm going on the record with an original battery.

1998 E300 turbodiesel
224,000 miles
original battery

Story- last night, left the headlights on when my date and I went out to a bar. 5 hours later - dead battery. No start. Drove home in her benz. This morning, she loaned me her 2007 C280. Jump start. Fires on the first crank, still can't take my hand off the key fast enough.

Amazing benz.
Love the car!!
and the girl.
and the girl's MB.

No, but I'm close. I had an '88 Suzuki Samurai once to which someone had fitted a rather oversized battery. When it finally died, I found the warranty paperwork still in a little plastic pouch stuck to the side. It was nine years old.

wow that pretty good. I replaced the pair in my 2001 excursion in spring 2008. the replacements went out on me about 2 months ago so I got depreciated warranty of half the value. the first and second set of replacements were Interstate batteries. the second set is already showing signs of weakness cranking the 7.3L

I asked my little brother about his 2000 F250 Powerstroke. He's on his 2nd or 3rd set of batteries at 180k miles. Granted he pulls a very big horse trailer so there may be some more battery use. All LEDs on the trailers though... Hmmm.

Deep down - lots of amazing stuff on this battery
age 11 years
Miles - 224,000
dramatic temperature fluctuations we have here in NY -24F to 109F on my camera phone

I just hit my 150,000 mile on it yesterday. I bought with 74,000 on 9/11/04.

A 7.3 Powerstroke has some pretty extensive electronics on it, and is huge needless to say. There's actually two batteries in one, as a matter of fact. There's even upwards of 100 DCV required from the IDM to drive the injectors. Most guys seem to last about 3-5 years.

That kind of mileage out of your battery is pretty awesome, though.

yes, when the batteries are bad, the starter turns but it just wont start. whent went the first time I almost towed it to the shop and on a whim I had the batteries tested. the second time I knew when it cranked and didnt start and threw no codes, it was most likely the batteries. when one goes it kills the second

My dad had an energizer brand Group 49 that came in his '83SD....it was from 1998....and lasted up until this past winter....so that's around/just over 10 years.

Great batteries ---
 

I just replaced my Energizer GP 49 in my 86 SDL after 8 years. It seemed fine, but I didn't want to trust it going into winter. The battery was made by Johnson Controls and is the third J.C. battery that I've owned , the other two died around 8 years. I replaced it with a J.C. from Auto Zone. Johnson Controls makes batteries for the following brands: Die Hard, Interstate, Auto Zone, Energizer, and a few Everstart (Wal Mart). I'm not saying that they make all the batteries for these brands. You have to check the fine print. For example, the group 49 at Wal Mart is an Exide.

I have a MB OEM battery in my 300SD....its almost 3 years old and still going strong.

My 300E, one of my dad's SD's, and my brother's 300D...all have a Durlast (J.C.) battery from autozone. My dad's other SD has a Die Hard....so also J.C.

If I had the dough I'd go with an Optima battery....I might consider it the next time I need one....but both of my cars have newer batteries....so it will be a while. The 300E battery is only 10 months old.....and my SD's is 2.7 years.....

Any of you guys use a desulphator?

Hooked mine up to some old heavy duty batteries which seemed to revive them from being 'tired'.

Difficult to measure though.

There is no advantage to making a battery "work overtime" and there is plenty of risk.

Lead-acid batteries are cheap (and highly recyclable). I replace mine every 6 years whether or not they are showing any signs of tiring. First of all, it's cheaper than a tow, and much less hassle than having to use jumper cables and then replace it when it unexpectedly dies on you.

Secondly, The alternator is dependent on a good battery that can absorb a proper charge. Drive around too long with a dead or dying battery and you will kill your alternator. Dead batteries kill alternators.

Any electrical engineers know...
 

Anyone know if running the battery down to dead is specifically bad?

after my date on Friday (left the headlights on for 5 hours for those of you jumping in late here) this is at least the 3rd time I remember a pretty full discharge or dead battery.

2005 - left radio, trunk lid & lights on all day while working in the shop
2008 - my brother left the key in the run position for 6-8 hours
2009 - left headlights on.

I'm aware of the dual batterys in most diesel trucks (Ford, Dodge & probably GM). 3-4 years of lifespan seems the norm with most of my trucks even with 2 batteries.

I have 11 years & 224,000 on this battery, so I'll probably keep it for a while just to see how much further it goes. I do have jumpers, a cell phone & several friends - only worry is the cold NY winters. Maybe I'll buy a new one and leave in the trunk for extra traction.

Agreed, I just replaced a year-old battery because I killed it flat several times due to an alternator problem. I was traveling at the time and I didn't want to recharge it then find out if I damaged it. There is no profit in trying to set battery longevity records.

This has nothing to do with batteries. 92497PMU is a smart man. He loves the girl and the car! He left the lights on in anticipation of the following day. Love conquers any battery trouble.

Huh?