How long do the original batteries last in a Dodge 2500 diesel? My truck was made in Oct, 06, so the batteries are a little over three and one half years old. Is it time to go ahead and replace them? If so, what is a good battery to replace them with? I am living out of the trailer and truck for the next 4 months and doing some dry camping and just don't want to have a battery problem up here in the mountains.

 

Battery life depends upon several things. I still have the OEM batteries in my 03 and have no issues with them. I have load tested them and they check out fine. Perhaps you should have the batteries load tested before making the decision. It is also very important to make sure that the terminals, grounds and cables are corrosion free.

 

I replace my '03s original batteries last winter. They had worked fine all summer but the Canadian frigid temps set in they started to sound a little slow.

I replaced them with a set of Delco's.

 

I replaced mine this past Spring 6yrs. 154k.. I went with Sear Diehard platinums group-65.

 

Mine lasted 3yrs. Replaced with Interstate Megatron Plus.

 

Just replaced mine at 4Yrs. One crapped out,but replaced both.Walmart had batteries with 850cca and 1000ca.Three yr free replacement,$77.00 each.Not a bad deal.Made by Johnson Controls.

 

Still running on my factory batteries with just over 70,000 miles on the truck. I do run the truck every week but this is not my daily driver. It gets an 104 mile trip once every two weeks when I slide by the feed store on my way back from work. It is on the way and instead of having to come back on Saturday and drive an extra 60 miles.

 

275k on my factory batteries. Truck build date of April 2003. I did notice this past winter they were getting a little slow spinning the motor over. Waiting for the heat to zap the rest of the life out of them.

 

Well here in AZ 2 years is max I lost one first year I had my truck now after four years I'm on my 3 battery.

 

Different truck, same principle. I have a Bronco down in Haiti, and the relentless heat just kills a battery, regardless of brand or how much it is driven. Two years seems to be the life of them...

 

I live in the desert where it gets over 100 degrees most of the summer and my 05 with 53,000 miles is still going strong with original batteries.

 

I've an April '03 with 193K and still have original batteries. I keep terminals cleaned and lubricated and check the water often. It set up this past winter for several weeks and I had to jump start it (temp was in the low 20's). No problems since. Maintenance on batteries is like any other maintenance. Need to keep it up so it will keep you going.

 

I can attest to the heat being an issue here in the desert, although the last 2 trucks I had, the OEM batteries went 4+ years, whereas we usually see the 2 yr limit on anything else..

This is the reason I refuse to spend big bucks on batteries here, since it buys you little.. I get the Costco variety with the 36mth warranty...

 

In 2 months my batteries will be 8 years old with 101k miles. Still working strong and there is no corrosion any where.

I keep testing the voltage after it sets for a while, if it drops below 12.4v will replace them both. Just havn't decided what brand.

 

My OEM batteries made it almost 8 years from the build date before one died.

MikeyB