One of the batteries on my Ram is junk. They are 39 months old. I took them back to the store expecting to have to pay a pro-rated amount on the warranty left, only to find they are covered for 36 months and that’s all.

When did this kind of warranty start?

Kinda sucks, 3 months out of warranty. There is another 400 bucks down the drain. 😡😡

 

I don't understand your question, a 36 month battery is only warrantied for 36 months on a prorated basis. The warranty started the day you purchased it.

 

I remember batteries have a free replacement for the first 2 years, then after the 2 years the amount of coverage dropped each month after that.

If you had a 5 year battery that failed after 39 months, you paid for the equivalent of 21 months of use.

 

I think the warranty is what it says in the fine print, which we read for the first time after the battery goes defunked What yous to doesn't count anymore... Tedd

 

Battery warranties have changed a lot over the past several years. Same as you I recall warranties were much longer in the past, but they have decreased dramatically over the past decade or so.

 

Cheap batteries are warrantied 36 months.
Better ones are warrantied 48 months.
Expensive ones are warrantied 60 months.
If you got 3 years out of a 3 year battery, you did good.

 

Realistically, determining battery longevity based upon time is B.S. anyways. Consumers and auto manufacturers aren’t measuring more critical aspects to begin with. Total number of start cycles is far more important in gauging longevity than time measured in years/months. It’s a convenience notion more than anything and they try to manage life span across millions of various vehicles to arrive at some form of warranty. It takes lots of cranking amps from both of my 800 CCA batteries to turn over a 16:1 compression ratio diesel than a pip squeak sewing box Miata. How many start cycles is far more meaningful and not all vehicles are going to demonstrate same start cycles. Warranties on batteries are a convenience.

 

Yeah, you have to pay big bucks for more than a 3 year warranty. I also noticed that when I bought a Remy Gold alternator and thought about buying another for a different vehicle. Mine had a lifetime warranty, after 2020, a 2 year warranty. It just died at around 3 years old but is the cheapest one on Amazon. I will try and get the one that died replaced through Rock Auto.

 

It's always been prorated by the month for batteries.

 

It’s an interesting discussion, I guess, but it’s convenience & I suppose lack of understanding by consumers which necessitates convenience. You get idiot gauges or you pay for real gauges to measure meaningful parameters. Consumers aren’t going to be bothered with an hour meter, amperage, voltage, start cycles, etc. so, we don’t measure battery “duty cycles” which is far more meaningful. Instead the battery industry provides a warranty based upon “time”. Nearly meaningless.

 

Agreed, but in years past the prorated time period may have been up to 72 months whereas these days it may be a much shorter time. My original Optima had a free replacement warranty of 3 years then a prorated warranty beyond that. The replacement had a 36 month warranty then nothing after that.

 

And I've wondered whether the internals of these batteries are that much different, or does the higher price just buy you more warranty.

 

I've gotten 9 years (changed due to precaution) out of the last Walmart battery and the current one is 8 years old. I'll probably replace it next spring.

 

The 6 year batteries in my Ford F250 are at 6 years now. I always use this battery tender on my diesel truck and my Oldsmobile.

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/dtn-021-0123

BTW, Eric what was that 9 year battery rated for? Do you use a tender?

 

Walmart

• EverStart Value: Free replacement within ONE year of purchase
  
• EverStart Plus: Free replacement within TWO years of purchase
  
• EverStart Maxx: Free replacement within THREE years of purchase
  

 

One of our maintenance technicians has a friend in the battery business who told him the longer warranty batteries have more room between the bottom of the case and the plates. That space fills up with sediment over time and eventually shorts the plates together.

 

Other than equipped factory batteries, we never get 9 years out of a battery up here. I am pretty sure I got 3 years out of my last Walmart battery and get a year or two out of the deep cycle batteries from Walmart.

 

They are the Everstart MAX and no I don't use a tender. The Everstart MAX from my understanding comes with a 3 year replacement warrantee and an additional 2 year prorated.

 

I got 8 years out of the factory batteries in the Ram. I was shocked. I came out from work after sitting all night in below zero temperatures to find the engines cranked slow, but it did start. I have the mindset that I would rather replace them at my convenience, than in an emergency. I replaced them the next day.

The second pair lasted 6, the replacements for those lasted 39 months. Both times they would go dead after sitting overnight, regardless if the CS les we’re on or not.

 

Glad someone else noticed.

 

there are at least a dozen of these youtubes on this technique / I've never tried it
some use Battery Chargers with 100 amp ouput and some use welders
5.6 Million Views & 74,000 Likes

How To RENEW CAR & TRUCK Batteries at Home & SAVE BIG MONEY DO THIS ONE

You Tube

 

Good point. I've heard that even though a battery tender will extend the life of your battery once they decide to die they'll be DEAD!

Click bait and hokum!

I would caution you against trying to use a welder to rejuvenate a battery. It would undoubtedly end badly.

 

My first winter near Amarillo, our plant had a shallow drain pipe, from a sink to a ditch, that froze up. I still remember welding leads being attached, the rumble, and then ice torpedos shooting across the praire.

 

After 350 bucks in batteries, I’m back in business. Wonder how long these will last? I