i went to this shop to get my oil changed (shameful, i can't do it myself) but he opens my hood and see's all this acid stuff coming out of the sockets and he says that this is happening cause my battery is dieing and i need to change it. I still have same battery nissan gave me wit my car and it's a 95 vehicle. I do see problems with my batteries sometimes..for instance, when i am using indiglo's at night when low beams are on, and if i turn on my digital climate control, my indiglos will dim a little, not too noticeable but you can tell...and a few months ago, my battery died cause of my fathers incompetance, leaving my lights on and i had to get a jump...

i always thought you never had to change battery cause they recharged themselves when car is on...is this guy telling the truth and am i past due for a battery change, or is he just trying to make money????

 

Do the batteries in your remote control last forever? I think not. 5 years is avg. life for a car battery, I would assume. In Minnesota where it is bitter cold you often get less than that. Drop the 80 bucks and buy the battery. You save yourself a lot of time and at least 50 bucks later if you can't get a jump and need a tow.

 

The statement the "mechanic" made is totally false. Batteries need replacing when they die, i.e. don't start the car anymore. A car battery's main purpose is to start the car, after that the alternator takes over. The white residue that is on the posts and the terminals have absolutely nothing to do with the condition of the battery. The corrosion is caused by other things, none of which is battery status. If your battery is still starting the car, then leave it alone. You will definetly know when you need a new one. As for the corrosion, to do it correctly, take a mixture of water and baking soda in a cup and take a wire brush and clean the corrosion out. Put a little vaseline on the terminals once cleaned and connected. If you want a poor mans solution, pour a can of Sprite over the terminals and shut the hood.

 

Thenip and Jaime both make good points, and I'd like to consolidate them:
1. Corrosion doesn't occur becuase your battery is dying.
2. You may need a new battery anyway, it's now 7 years old right?
3. Batteries (even rechargable ones) do wear out after years of use... especially out in extreme temperatures, under your hood).
4. Most car batteries are good for 4-7 years. Why do most car batteries have a 60 month warranty? Maybe because that's how long they usually last?

Just go get the new battery and save yourself the hassle of a car that won't start when you're late for work or class or whatever, but don't go to that idiot mechanic... take your business elsewhere.

 

Justin is the man.

 

Ding Ding Ding....we have a winner!!!!

 

Thank you gentlemen.

 

I just wanted to add. I've noticed in my Maxima after only 3 years the battery will start to go.

The starter will crank a bit slower. It's hard to notice because usually the Max starts after only a couple of revolutions.

The lower voltage to the starter motor will cause the windings to heat up and shorten its life.

IMHO the time to replace the battery is probably every 3-4 years or as soon as it begins to degrade. Doing so will prevent a costly breakdown.

 

Mine lasted 4 years and a bit.

 

My 94 Altima bought new still has the original battery, so does my 96 Maxima bought new. Max's battery is slowly getting weak. If I played some music or left headlight on for a short while after engine turned off, then next morning starter would crank one or two more turns to start engine. It never refuses to start but I know it's time to get a new battery. I measured the battery's standby current with everything off. It is like 200 mA, don't remember exactly.

During one service the dealer put a sponge type of washer around the two battery terminals. The washer holds some wet and lihgt oily thing. After that I don't see anything like white stuff coming out.

 

mine is 7 years old and still runnin strong

 

The white stuff is actually led suplhate that leaked through the posts, the washer thing probably just sealed the opening between the posts and the terminals.

I've done a battery teardown once as part of work, and the main things that kill a battery are low fluid levels and heat. Check your fluid level.

 

Or you oculd drop $159-$199 on an Optima Deep Cycle Yellow Top battery, and that should last you as long as you own the car. Your Engine will die before that thing does

IanS

 

if you get RECHARGABLE BATTERIES and you take care of them, they can last forever. You seem to forget that a car battery is different from a remote control battery. But I guess you are supposed to change it.

 

ok, after reading all posts, i've decided that i'm gonna keep my bad boy until I see a BIG problem with my car (takes a good 4 seconds for engine to start) or something of that sort. My car still starts right away or during cold times, in 1 second max...so i don't have a problem...thanks guys, this info not only helped me but will help others that do like I should and hit that "search" button

 

if anybody wants to read: http://www.uuhome.de/william.darden/

 

I was only trying to get a point across, nothing more. A battery is a battery and will degrade over time --rechargeable or not. I must also say I agree with iansw who made the post about the Optima Yellow Top.The Optima Yellow top is your best bet if you constantly have high loads on your charging system. I have one to handle my beast of stereo system. They are costly, but worth it. In meccanoble's case however I would go with the Optima Red Top because he doesn't seem to have much load on the system. Just the standard starting, lighting and accesories.

 

I've had a bad experience with that cheap *** Nissan Battery. Mine died about 8 months after i took delivery of my NEW 98 Max SE. Had to call a tow truck and have the pushed out of the garage. The dealership paid for a new battery. But this is just a sign of what nissan loves to do...CUT COSTS.

 

True...I'm running nearly 2000 watts.

So I got the Yellow Top.