Should I replace my batteries?

2oldman wrote:

f150camper wrote:
Any recommendations here?

I like Trojan, tried and true. And I'd get the AGMs. Lifeline is good too. No maintenance, but yeah, more money.

I have been a big fan of Trojan for years. However, I recently got burned by them pretty hard.

I proactively replaced the battery in my boat with a Trojan battery in the fall of 2016. I went with the model recommended to my by the Trojan dealer in Portland, OR. This battery made it through two boating seasons before refusing to hold a charge in the fall of 2018. I think I was out a half dozen times each season - so this is not like something that was used every weekend.

For those who do not know battery codes, they are a mix of letters and numbers. A=January, B=February, and so forth. That letter will be followed by a one or two digit code indicating the year of manufacturer. I always check the codes to buy a fresh battery.



Notice the sticker which means this battery was made in August 2016. As I was buying this in the fall of 2016, it seemed to be a fresh battery. Since it was dead, I took it in for exchange. The other battery dealer pointed out the "D5" which is burned in to the battery, which indicates April 2015 as the manufacturer date. He said it is pretty common to some dealers to put a new sticker on an old battery, and count on the customer not noticing the burned in date code.

Yeah, I fell for it.

I put this Trojan battery in my boat because I had really good service (10 years) out of the Trojan in my camper. The old Interstate battery that was in my boat in 2016 now starts my tractor, and it is a good 13 years old - so it is not like my usage in this boat is hard on the battery. (Having my tractor not start because of an old battery is a different problem than when the boat is on the river and doesn't start).

Anyway, I have been a fan of Trojan Batteries for years, and I have spoken highly of them on this forum. I don't feel as strong about them now after this incident.

YMMV!
-Eric