You used to be able to buy "85 month" batteries that would actually last 7+ years with normal use and without being on a maintainer.
Today it seems you're lucky to get 2 or 3 years out of them. I've read where industry people claim the shortened lifespan of modern batteries is due to the huge amount of electrical accessories found on modern vehicles. The batteries, they say, are the same as they've always been but are just being asked to do more than they used to.
That excuse sounds plausible until you look at someone like me who owns and drives no modern vehicles. The newest vehicle in the fleet is 43 years old. Absolutely no modern batteries in any of my vehicles will last more than a few years unless they're on a maintainer. That pretty much puts the lie to the industry's claim that battery life is shortened because modern cars overtax the battery.
I keep all my vehicles on Battery Tenders since 2019. So far , so good.
As a side note, my mom has a friend with a 1957 Thunderbird that has a battery purchased in 1993. It's been on a Battery Tender since new and never gives him trouble.
As for maintainers, my mom keeps her three vehicles and a tractor on battery maintainers. Two of her Shumacher maintainers have failed in just a couple years while the Battery Tenders soldier on. The dead Shumachers have been replaced with Battery Tenders. Battery Tenders are guaranteed for 10 years.
This is just my own anecdotal experience. Your mileage may vary.
Last edited by Otto Skorzeny; 06/07/2022 5:11 PM.
