(Since search is still disabled, ugh!)
How long have people's OEM batteries lasted before they needed replacement? I wanted to head somewhere in my Max yesterday but it wouldn't start. Starter wouldn't turn and I heard a nasty rapid clatter from some really when it was trying to crank. I wasn't sure if clatter was part of the car itself or part of my alarm.

Since I was in a hurry and late, I had to just take off on my Z. I later came by and checked to find that the water was low in the batt. Adding water then jump starting it worked. I drove it around a whole bunch on the (at least 60 mins on highway + 25+ mins city) and all was well, car was able to start back up twice w/no prob.

My Max doesn't get much use since I have the Z now. I do drive it at least once a week and try to put on at least 10-15 miles on each trip, but sometimes it gets really only very short drives. So, I'm not sure if it's just my trips don't charge the batt enough or I've got an electrical prob or batt is going bad or it was just the low water.

(As a side note... our old 91 Toyota Camry seemed to go through batts fairly often... maybe every 3 years or so... while our American cars w/OEM batts wouldn't go bad till maybe 5 years.)

 

Mine JUST died, and i mean DIED at like 95K....it started to go a while back but it finally got to the point where i would have to jump start my car everytime i turned it off. So mine lasted a WHILE.

 

Mine died around 50k. It was leaking and needed jumped anytime it would stall
before starting.

 

mine died a month ago at 2 years/30K miles, sucks.

 

yeah that's what i usually hear..oem batteries dying at 2 years

 

Mine got replaced by dealer at 2 1/2 years. Approximately 20k miles.

 

Well, you got 2 things going on here...

1) water was low. This so often is overlooked, and so often the reason the battery dies.

2) you drive at least once a week. Believe it or not, sometimes that's actually harder on the battery then driving everyday. By the time you drive it, it may have very little juice stored, compounded by not having sufficient water.

Sounds like you pretty-much allready knew this, but you'll be allright. You just need to (more than most) make sure your battery always has enough water. Then the rest is out of your hands...