My old lead-acid batteries would last almost a decade. I attribute this to low exposure to summer's heat.
Then they went to sealed acid batteries. I avoided them for years. Then the inevitable. Suddenly the warranties were shortened. Battery life plunged. My 5 year lead acid was underperforming last year. I wondered, how do you add water to it? Enough YouTube videos you can find anything. Peal the label with a hair dryer, add water. That sucker took more than 10 ounces of water in the 6 cells, some took more than others. The ones on the end, near the vents, tended to dry out.
The simple addition of distilled water has revived the battery. It charges to over 12.1V again.
I wonder, and think, this is what's going on. Modern cars with all the electronics drain a tremendous amount of power at rest. So the batteries wear out faster. So they shortened the warranties to the expected life of 3 years or so. Though some have 2 year or even 18 months. Sealed batteries were a solution. If you don't add water, yes, 3 years or so is about the life of the battery. So just toss them at that point.
Have you noticed the price of batteries? The $50 battery of 2010 is now $130-150! It costs THAT much more?? I feel like pricing is reaping the last windfall from lead-acid technology, perhaps to help pay for the more modern battery tech.
My point being we are told a pile of lies on a steady basis.
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