New battery

[iluvJesus]

My kids played with the rear interior light and left them on overnight, the battery drained after a few days. Battery totally flat, changed battery and everything seems ok. May I ask if I need to reset any computer system after the battery change? Thank you very much in advance.

[Redline_Me]

You don't need to do anything. The ECU resets itself.

[iluvJesus]

Thank you for your reassurance.

[Yazovets]

Why did you have to change the battery? How old is your car? You would probably have gotten away with boosting it. I've had my battery boosted 4 or 5 times during its lifetime.

Then, at 70000KM I had a new one put in because the old battery would die each time with just 10 minutes of radio playing. My mechanic put in some sort of AC Delco battery now and it runs perfectly again.

Back to your question...the only things I had to reset were my FM radio and XM Sat radio presets and the system time on the dash. All of the engine and safety systems were not affected by the new battery (or at least they reset themselves).

[iluvJesus]

Thank you Yozovets, I was told that the battery is dead, and it is safer to just get a new one. The main reason I asked is that we know some European cars require resetting for examples the windows, sunroof, etc besides putting in the radio code after changing the battery.

[JohnGD]

It's a good idea to replace an old battery, especially when close to it's prorated life (e.g., 6-year battery, 7-year battery, etc). It's more convenient than stranded somewhere when you're in a hurry. And it can help save an alternator from working to death trying to charge a weak battery.

The capacity gradually decreases, I don't know at the same rate as AGM batteries. But after 4-years or so these batteries have ~50% of capacity left!

Originally Posted by iluvJesus

Thank you Yozovets, I was told that the battery is dead, and it is safer to just get a new one. The main reason I asked is that we know some European cars require resetting for examples the windows, sunroof, etc besides putting in the radio code after changing the battery.

[workerant]

Car battery is good for about 3 years.

Anyway, it's safer to have a booster just in case.

[iluvJesus]

Thank you, I will not change it so soon next time. Thank you all for the advises.

[gdanaher]

Just to put a bow on the package, the OP noted that the car was a 2007 as is my own. Automotive batteries are not like deep cycling marine batteries that can take repeated severe drains followed by full recharging. The typical automotive battery is good for about three years be it an oem or a seven year Die Hard. The OP and his mechanic recognized that on average the battery was 'due' in the near future and with the total drain, it was likely that there would be permanent damage to an already weakened battery. Hence the replacement. Nobody should rag on him for not having simply recharged the thing.

[iluvJesus]

Thanks gdanaher. All advises and opinions are helpful to me, as I always want to learn more about my car. In fact, I will try to change the brake pad soon. I saw some video in youtube and they are helpful too. Thank you again. Question answered precisely and promptly in this forum. People here are knowledge and nice.

[2kX4SE]

Piece of mind goes a long way AND having it go completely dead probably did take a bunch of life off the battery, so I do not fault the OP for changing it. Besides, in relation to other repairs a battery is quite cheap.

That being said, I do not accept that batteries only last 3 years - not even as an average. I have never had a battery fail in less than 5 1/2 years out of 24 different cars and on my last car (1999 BMW 3 series "E46") the original lasted 8 years and 127,000 miles.

After researching this a bit it seems the average is more like 5 years and this heavily depends on the climate the car lives in - warmer being worse. This seems to be the factor that matters because all other factors can be found anywhere such as draining the battery while the car is not running, how many miles you put on and in how short a time frame, etc.

So I wonder as far as 6th Gen Camry's go, who has replaced their battery because it would not hold a charge? And how old was it at the time?

[gdanaher]

My extremes with battery life range from 3 months (a 1974 VW Bus, went totally dead sitting overnight in the driveway with nothing running. Not even an idiot light came on) to 7 years (1967 Ford Falcon--finally just gave up)..

I have lived from Southern California to Texas during those years. It is usually hot. Or very cold. Only the oem batteries from Toyota and some others seem to have the little green eye. My 2007 Toyota had a nice bright green eye. It is now faded to nothing but the car still starts just fine. Battery will be 3 in September. My wife's 2006 Rav4's battery died suddenly last year after 26 months of use. Pulled into the garage and all was well. Needed to leave again in 40 minutes and sure enough, not even the oil light would come on. Really dead.

The battery manufacturers probably have statistical information regarding the longevity of their products and not having access to it, I won't argue whether the average battery lives 36 months or 60 months, but I can say with the experience of a lifetime that at 36 months you are on the edge of borrowed time. If you live around the corner from a parts store, have access to a second vehicle, then it isn't as critical. If you are planning a trip to Big Bend in August, then you want a good battery.

[workerant]

gdanaher, most car batteries have the warranty for about 70 months. Ask the seller about it when you buy and keep your receipt. Anyway, I recommend the power pack as a backup.

[gdanaher]

This thread is getting old now, but warranty periods are only relevant to a point. If you have a 84 month battery, the initial cost might exceed the value for the presupposed longevity of the unit. An 84 month battery might have a meant time between failure somewhat longer than a 36 to 48 month battery, but they will have some that fail right out of the factory and a few that will go a decade or longer. In the end, you get what you pay for only to a point, and then you discover tht you have paid up front for the partial cost of a second battery tht you might or might not need down the road. Every used battery that fails before its time is prorated against the cost of a new one. Hence, the manufacturer has a built in future buyer and it demands brand loyalty.

[workerant]

Thread never too old.. just don't start a new one.

And that warranty.. it's prorated. So if you pay for a 70months battery and it fail before, you get that discount.

Also to measure the cca the battery need to be fully charge.