Battery Life??

[sant6236]

Anyone know what the typical battery life is for the Panasonic batteries?

I have a 2008 with 54k....and I have a feeling it might be going.

 

[sonerick]

The factory Panasonic batteries have been known to last a long time, 5+ years. I have a 2005 with the original battery, 110k.

 

[snowbrdr033]

^^ +1. They last a pretty long time.

 

[Sungod]

Battery life is determined mostly from the temperature extremes you subject it to. Heat is probably worse for batteries than cold, but bitter cold can shorten battery life. Mileage has nothing to do with longevity. Batteries last the longest in areas without big temp swings.

 

[greenmonkey]

I just replaced my original with an optima but it wasn't ever dead yet and I have a 04 with 107k and in live in Wenatchee WA. Pretty good weather swings.

 

[ToolmanJohn]

Mine OE Panasonic Lasted over 6 years

Replaced the battery before it got bad. It was taking a little more time to turn over in the dead of Winter so I replaced it. It was almost 7 years old when I bought a new one. I went to the Toyota dealership for an identical Panasonic replacement battery, but they only carried some other aftermarket brand, I forget which. I ended up getting a NAPA Legend battery. It has the same AGM (Advanced Glass Mat) construction and had very similar electrical specs. It's been fine now for almost 2 years.

ALso, Sears DieHard batteries seem to be extremely well rated in Consumer Reports. I would have gotten one of those, but NAPA is about 10 minutes walk from my house, and i think it came with a 72 month warranty.

 

[message]

2004 with 130k now and still the original battery.
Did some searching and as far as I can tell you can only get the Panasonic batteries in Japan.
Would be great if we could track down someone stateside that carries them...

 

[big04runner]

My Panasonic battery lasted me 8 years and was still getting the job done. '04 4Runner with 110,000+ miles on it. Although still working, I had it tested and it was around 440 CCA left. Replaced with the Toyota true start battery.

Battery life can be affected by the climate you live in and your driving habits. In my case, I'm in Western Washington, park in it my garage, and don't make many short trips when I drive.

Wish we could all buy Panasonic replacements!

eace:

 

[Mark86]

Mine failed a load test after 3 years. My truck is subjected to cold temperature throughout the winter.

 

[mmjmeade]

2004 80k miles still factory battery. knock on wood.

 

[williamZ]

My 2007 has 92K and on the original Panasonic battery. Wish I could replace it with another one when this one dies.

 

[CrimsonCountry]

I actually just replaced my factory battery on Sunday. It was 7 years old and had ~108,000 miles on it. It was still cranking fine but it failed the load test with only 400CCA.

 

[gptoy96]

My 04's original is finally getting tired, on cold days (like today) it's noticeably slower cranking over. Time to try a DieHard.

 

[MikeInNH]

What actually kills a battery is HEAT. The more the battery is subject to high temperatures the less life expectancy it'll have. Cold will tell you when the battery is weak.

Here in the North East it's I usually get 7+ years out of the OEM battery. Then I usually replace it with any battery I find on sale (Usually a Sears Diehard - they're ALWAYS on sale). That will be the last battery I buy for the vehicle. Usually sell vehicles after 300k miles.

 

[Pritchnakoff]

Time for a thread resurrection...

'04 with OEM Panasonic; came home from an 8 day business trip a couple weeks ago and couldn't get the motor to turn over. A quick jump start from the roving long term parking attendant and I was back on the road. Has been fine for the last 18 days albeit noticeably longer crank time.

Went out to take my daughter to school this morning, low and behold it had finally died. RIP Panasonic; 11 years and never gave me as much as a scare. Sure do wish we could replace with the same!

 

[kobresia]

I guess they have to go eventually, my original battery (2004, 144k) is still going strong, though occasionally, when it's rather cold, the truck itself doesn't feel like starting in a timely manner and has to go through a few cranking cycles.

What I'll probably do when it finally dies is check the salvage yards for used, OEM made-in-Japan Panasonic batteries from newer Tacos or T4Rs which have been demolished, hopefully just not in the front.

I have not been all that impressed with recently manufactured Diehard or any other aftermarket batteries sold in the USA at any price, the longest any of them has lasted for me has been about 4 years, most don't even last that long.

 

[strathcona]

My 03's battery lasted 10 years.

 

[morphious]

Mine finally died 2 months ago (in service since 12/5/03). I agree, wish we could get those batteries here.

 

[Robs08Runner]

No doubt that the Panasonic's are great batteries. What I'm wondering is if it's the group size and the 700+ CCAS that they come with? They're the same batteries that go into the V8 Tundras. Shouldn't another battery the same group size and amperage perform about the same?

 

[Atlanta_man]

since new 2/2005 I'm on my 4th one having put in a new one a couple weeks ago. 2nd one was from Toyota dealer and lasted a month or two...
GA and TX heat and cold I suppose.