Well, I decided to get a new battery today since the present one appeared to be getting a bit soft. It just doesn't have the cranking vigor it used to have. Got an Interstate (just like what was there when I got the Aero over eight years ago) and am ready for the next eight years.

The shop guy took a good look at the date code that was imbedded in the plastic case and said that this battery is actually 12 years old. He said that this was "one of a kind" and that it would draw some special attention form the Interstate battery people! Well, we'll see if that really happens!

I don't know if Ford has some kind of connection to Interstate, but I have noted that many of the Aero pictures show this brand.

 

Twelve years is pretty remarkable for something that gets used every day. If you live in a really cold or hot climate, that's downright amazing.

Lead acid batteries like to be kept fully charged, so if you let the car sit for too long, it will slowly die. But the charging system in most cars tend to overcharge them, which can also accelerate their death. I think there is a perfect amount of driving that keeps batteries perfectly charged. Or use a battery tender on cars you don't drive much.

 

12 years is great going for a battery. I've had many cars that I've kept for a long time and the most service I've got from a battery is about 6 years.

My aero is on its second Interstate battery (3rd battery in total - 8 years) and if I get 5 years out of it, I'll be happy. The first one only lasted me 2 years, and because of Interstate's warranty, I got a bit of a discount on the replacement one last year.

 

I bought a datsun truck with a 4 year old "dead" diehard battery. i added water to it and drove it another 8 years. I just replaced a cheap auto zone battery a couple of years ago in my f150 and it had 11 years on it. The new valuecraft battery failed in under 2 years. I've got about 3 batteries getting awful weak to the point I'm worried about putting my family in the cars. All of 'em have 10 years on them. My batteries under 5 years have been failing left and right! They sure don't make 'em like they used to!