Just curious:

My 2005 X-Type Estate still has the original battery. Is this a normal situation, or do I have something from the 'anti-Lucas gods'?

Cheers,

Bruce

 

It's on borrowed time!

 

Ditto above but I had a Motocraft original battery last over 10 yrs in my Ford van.

 

start saving for a new one!!
Some batteries seem to last well guess it all depends on the life its had and the Make?

 

Mine lasted over 12 years, dropped a Walmart replacement in $150.. If you can find their 'Everstart MAXX platinum' its the AGM version.. much much better and only $164

 

ahrbruz, batteries can last for as long as yours has. I got 10+ years out of my factory battery in my truck. A lot of it depends on how you treat the battery (ie, don't leave the headlights on and kill the battery, have an alternator that over charges the battery, etc). Part of it just comes down to dumb luck. The other factor (which you are in a good spot for this) is the ambient temperature that the battery sees. In mild climates, the battery will last a lot longer than somewhere that sees extreme cold or extreme heat.

Like others have said, the battery is running on borrowed time and before the battery starts giving you grief, you may want to get a new battery when they are on sale. A simple check that you can do is to pay attention to how well the car starts. It will be more pronounce this time of year where you live as the temperatures will be colder. But you simply turn the key to the RUN position, wait a few seconds and then roll the key to the start position. Does the motor start immediately or does it take say 2-3 seconds of cranking to start. With a new battery, the motor will start almost instantaneously. With a battery on its last legs, the motor may take a few seconds to finally start. It isn't a big thing, but it is something that you can use as a "gauge". The other issue that you may see is as the battery starts to get weak, you will start to see more check engine lights for silly emissions issues that seem to go away on their own.

 

Last post was about the original battery, in my 2005 Estate; I posted in 2016. Three years later, no problems. Fourteen years out of an original battery is amazing!

Cheers,

Bruce

 

People in FL can have half-dead (50% power) battery and it will still work fine.
If your battery starts your car every time, it doesn't mean it is a good battery. You need to do load test to check it. Go to Autozone and ask them or buy load battery tester
https://www.harborfreight.com/100-am...RoC1ukQAvD_BwE
I bought "new" battery for my X for $30. I got it from junk yard but it had sticker 2019

 

My original battery lasted nine years, Was still quite good but had lost it's edge. A diesel needs a smart crank to fire it up.