2004 4Runner still on OEM Panasonic battery
- Thread starter Jed
- Start date
spyne
New member
My '03 is still on the original battery, though I only have 61K on the truck. Wish we could get these batteries in the states. It's the only one I've owned in over than 35 years of driving that lasted more than 4 years!
Kmvreter
New member
'04 with over 185K Km (~115K mi).
Thought it was dying on me this winter with longer crank times but then there was a thread here http://www.toyota-4runner.org/general-discussions/39626-06-battery.htmlon discussing how it's not a sealed maintenance free. The indicator wasn't showing blue. There are ports on top plus low and full indicator lines on the front. I was almost at low so topped it up with distilled water. Once it charged up it was almost like new. I wasn't used to checking the battery and usually ran to failure because most are sealed units. Lesson learned and have added this to my checklist spring and fall.
Last edited:
eskimochaos
Banned
Just goes to show that the OEM suppliers for Japanese made Toyotas >>> USA suppliers.
Holy crap. Is that the same panasonic one that's in the 4th gens? Either way, that's very impressive.
Agreed.
That is amazing. I didn't even think that was possible...
Nuke
New member
I can't recall if it was my 2nd or 3rd gen T4R, but the OE Panasonic battery was 8 years old and I replaced it even though testing showed it was still good. I figured I had been pushing my luck and a northern winter was on close at-hand. Working 30 miles or more from civilization didn't help any.
Batteries will often die catastrophically. They will start the car and then destroy themselves from something as simple as a pothole. You'll never know the battery took a dump until the next time you try to start the car since the alternator was supplying the power while you're previously running.
Batteries will often die catastrophically. They will start the car and then destroy themselves from something as simple as a pothole. You'll never know the battery took a dump until the next time you try to start the car since the alternator was supplying the power while you're previously running.
When that happens, it's almost always because a plate came loose and shorted against another plate. That's a sure-fire way to immediately kill a regular lead/acid battery. It's also a big reason why some guys love those gel batteries as replacements....
Another '04 here with 83K miles and the original battery. I've never had a battery last longer than three years here in Phoenix. Like may others on this site, I've checked the battery to make sure that the water was at the appropriate level. The first time that I did this about a year ago it was low, so it's a good thing that I checked. I'm thinking of replacing the battery since it is exposed to high summer heat in the desert and low winter temperatures in the White Mountains of Arizona. I also wish that I could buy the same battery as a replacement.
Me too. Maybe the Toyota branded battery is just as good as the Panasonic... if nothing else, at least it is a perfect match in all specifications (including physical size) to the original.
I'm considering replacing mine before this winter, but I kinda want to see how long it can possibly last before it dies. So I'll probably just run it to failure.
PaulB-2006 T4R
New member
My wife drives a 2003 Camry SE and it still has the original Panasonic battery. Here in MPLS the temps range from -25*F to 95*F. I had the battery tested in the early spring 2010 thinking it was time but the guy at O'Reilly was amazed, it still maintains 95% of the CCA as new!
I bought my 2006 T4R in July 2009 from a small auto broker, to try and gain some sense of comfort I made the sale contingent on passing a Toyota Dealership cerified test. Well the dealer(stealer)ship said everything was perfect with the exception of the battery, it failed the load test. They wanted to replace it and they had a replacement battery in stock (salespitch!!). I told them I'd replace the battery myself but surprise surprise I took the T4R battery to O'Reilly and they said it was perfect for a 3 year old battery.
I bought my 2006 T4R in July 2009 from a small auto broker, to try and gain some sense of comfort I made the sale contingent on passing a Toyota Dealership cerified test. Well the dealer(stealer)ship said everything was perfect with the exception of the battery, it failed the load test. They wanted to replace it and they had a replacement battery in stock (salespitch!!). I told them I'd replace the battery myself but surprise surprise I took the T4R battery to O'Reilly and they said it was perfect for a 3 year old battery.
XJeepguy
Member
It says in big red letters TOYOTA . And except for the date code and acid warning decal it says nothing . There is no stamping into the plastic anywhere . I REALLY wanted to know who mfger'd this battery !! The truck has also been garaged 90% of the time since new so maybe not sitting outside in the winter has helped its longevity . Regardless , I think I will replace it before this winter comes along .
