Kizashi Club

One thing I must say is I'm glad the Kiz doesn't have stop/start technology. If battery life is sus, stop/start would surely test a standard battery. I can't see how the life of the starter, ring gear, and battery could not be affected by constantly placing strain on these components and how this would offset the margin fuel economy gain. My previous car had the original battery for 11 years. I can't remember the last time a new battery failed after such a short life as experienced by some of you. Maybe Melb. (Aus.) has weather ( and water ) that is condusive to long life. Hope mine lasts longer than at least 5~6 years.

Battery life is not the fault of the car, it's the battery.

I have heard that original batteries from the factory aren't as good as the ones sold aftermarket. I recall that my original battery in my former Mazda was actually smaller in size than the specified aftermarket battery.

Keep in mind that if you recently bought your car, then the battery is likely to be weaker than a battery of the same age in a car driven regularly. This is because batteries in cars sitting on dealer lots discharge over time. They also don't get to recharge often as the cars aren't driven regularly. This causes the battery to get weaker and not last as long. It's actually common for cars that have been on lots for a while to have dead batteries or drain quickly from leaving the radio or lights on without the engine running. This is also why long term parking lots at airports often offer complimentary jump starting services.

Basically, the more you drive your car, the stronger the battery will get from the alternator charging it more frequently. If your factory battery is still no good, replace it with a new battery from a reputable brand.

I also had a battery that lasted over 10 years. It was in an used car I bought. Roughly 100,000 miles and about ten years later, I sold the car with the same battery in it. It was an Interstate battery which I consider among the best.

It can be a car's fault that a battery is draining.....an unexpected faulty component/wiring can cause a constant drain on the system. If the alternator is not putting out 13.5 - 14 volts that wouldn't be helping. With the car totally "switched off" ie not power being drained by interior lights etc an ammeter in series with the lead and battery terminal would establish how much is constantly being drawn.Should be minimual. An auto elec can determine this for you if you don't have the tools. A 5 minute job....literally.

I believe vehicles equipped with stop-start technology have beefed up batteries and starter components to address the increased wear and stress. There are also various conditions that must be met before the system functions, one of them being the charge state of the battery.

The electronics on the Kizashi are pretty standard so I can easily see 5-7 years of life out of the battery, assuming normal conditions and no accidental drains. I've had a car where dirty grounding points would drain the battery overnight!

Normal life expectancy for a factory battery is 5 years. A good aftermarket battery will often last longer. Kizashi has a small battery for a car with so many gadgets, I'm thinking about getting a new one before winter comes, just as a precaution.

Any short lived batteries would be as KuroNekko suggested - from long periods sitting around in a semi discharged state. Sulphur deposits built up on the lead plates which limits the batteries ability to charge and store charge. For maximum life span any lead acid battery must be kept in a fully charged state (ie. using a "float charging" system.)

Production line batteries could be sitting around for months before being installed. Wet cell batteries have a high self discharge rate compared to other newer battery technologies. Then they're subjected to many extremely short "start/ stop" trips as the vehicle is moved around the factory, storage yards, wharves, ship, transport trucks, dealers etc. This drains the battery further and doesn't fully recharge it.

It's a wonder there aren't more battery related issues with "new" vehicles really!