May I know those MAINTENANCE FREE Car Battery (no need to add battery water) usually last for how long ?
3 years ?

Friends told me these Maintenance Free Battery can last longer than those needed water types. Is this true ?
Last time I using those with Water last about 2 years.

Can Maintenance Free Car Battery last for 3 years ?

No such thing as far as i know. The only difference is you don't have to add battery water, that's all.....

Basically maintenence free n non-maintenence free batteries carry 1yr warranty. Only diff is 1 needs regular distilled water checking n topup.

So far I've heard feedback tat maintenence free lasts an average of 2-3 yrs. Myself hv been using normal type of battery all d while n average lifespan is 4-5yrs.

Wow, u can tahan for 4-5 years ? that's longest i heard.... Do u drive everyday or seldom drive ?

avg 2-3 years for MF

I'd say battery location plays a big part too since heat reduces the battery lifespan.

My car has the battery in the engine bay, my last MF lasted for 2-3 years.

My dad's car has it in the boot of the car, he's been using his for 4-5 years and still going.

Daily drive, no high power sucking components, check once in 2 wk n topup when necessary

i gave up on maintenance free batteries...really regret wasting my money on them...tried few different brands..not just any brands..but reputable brands...all oso hopeless coz all my maintenance free batteries die in about a year of usage....

previously i was running on a wet cell battery and it lasted 4 years with minimal checks and maintenance. n when i say minimal i mean mebbe 2-3 times only in that 4 years. and thats only to make sure the water level is ok and it was...never even top up in that 4 years. when i changed oso it was actually still ok...just gatal wanna use maintenance free so i changed.

worst part is that the maintenance free shows no signs of dying. itll just die. just like that. the indicators on the battery itself is useless.. and when it dies...jump starting is practically impossible no matter wat grade cable u use. everytime oso had to put another battery in to start the car

im sticking to wet cell from now....theyre cheaper. not really much to maintain... and supposedly has better, more stable power delivery compared to maintenance free batteries.

ive had a wet cell for about a year plus now and its still perfect. havent checked on it since the day i bought it.


as for electronics...i have an immobilizer, player, 2 amps pushing 4x6.5" speakers and 1x12" sub. never had any issue with the wet cell battery.

wow, i didn't know MF battery is that bad. now u said i only know.
I'm might considering back to wet type battery next time.
Thanks.

my regular battery lasts for roughly 4 yrs as well..but i top up roughly every 3-4 months..currently on MF for a year no probs..

i agree with madman, was using wet cell batteries, it just run flat few days ago after serving me for 3years+...btw,no sign of weak batteries for wet cell type too,it'll just run flat straight away....i'll stick to wet cell due to it's cheaper and more durable

it's also depend on what car.. bigger cc required higher load of batt when start-up.. eg my car wira 1.6 use FM batt 2 years n that's it, but when test on my friend's car wira 1.3 easily start..
n also, the higher compression engine also affect it..

me also got same experience with madman (i even use branded one which cost almost rm300) now using normal one, just regularly check that water level..
n the FM n non-FM batt both are wet cell (coz i can hear a water sound when shaking it) only it seal shut.. if dry cell maybe like AAA batt.. hehe (correct me if i wrong here)

Free maintenance battery only recommended for 1 years plus (driving everyday). For those who want to use till few years better avoid cos you don't want lose battery power in the morning when you want go to work. Alternative keep a jumper when you need it.

My previous battery lasted for almost 4 years, drove my car almost everyday. Just changed it couple of months ago when it gave me one second silence during cranking the engine in the morning, so it's the sign that you should never deny. On the evening, I changed it straight away.

I saw some sellers are selling some kind of 'battery life indicator' that to be put in the engine day, don't know how accurate it is.

My car is 1.5CC, just an aftermarket HU, and the previous battery serves me well. Even though it's a maintenance free battery, monitor the behaviour. I personally count how many cranks that it takes to start my car everyday.

For my brother, he's using wet battery, the one that requires owner to topup the water on periodical basis. His reason is, "I want to know what is going on in my battery".

So, my conclusion is, it's very subjective to judge about maintenance free battery and regular battery.

actualy we can detect if the battery in weak condition or not...

like example... when u switch on head lamp.. check the instrument indicator...
if light from indicator become dull.. it a sign ur battery are weak...
and after recharging and few days later become dull again... mean ur battery will flat soon..

so show the money...

My wet cell battery just died last week after a faithful 5 years of serving Switched to GShine MF type. Hope it don't dissapoint.

my enerlite died after 2 year usage. Seriosuly better go for water batteriy for longer usage.

Water battery last longer then MF.

MF is just for auntie or people who are too lazy.

MF battery inside also got water, just the top sealed so to let the auntie know that NO NEED MAINTAINANCE (until u cannot start, then buy new one).

You can make your own MF battery also, just buy a wet cell battery (cheaper) and seal off the top. When it died, just open the top, refill water, and re-charge it. If u lucky, still can use another year or two.

Is there any MF battery that is not entirely in a black case (which u cannot see inside?) how come they make all MF in a black casing ? Its for you to ponder, auntie.....

Well in some cases; like mine (dry cell). My battery is exactly 3 years and 4 months old and still in good running condition. It boils down to how heavy you use your vehicle's electrical appliance i.e. head lights, fog lamp, aircon and other ICE equipments.

This post has been edited by dub.helix: Oct 27 2009, 04:26 PM

mind to share about the performance for both type of battery?

if performance sure find the lightest one.. coz, once engine is running, the batt no function at all, all alternator function afterward.. if dont believe try unhook the batt terminal ur car still can run...
batt use only when start, after that alternator play the role then..

Hi .

Instead of creating new topic why not i ask some question here .

May I know actually how long it last for a dry cell ?

Currently I am using a GP dry cell battery ..

How last it can last ? Max 3 years ?

And ..

Just touch wood , if car broke down because of flat battery .

Seriously dry cell battery will not able to jump start ???

dry cell as in mf, then actually boleh jugak~

dry cell as in the freaking expensive real drycells im not sure

Hi guys / ladies .

-If you own multiple cars, it maybe worth it to buy these 7 step smart battery charger n repair. Cost around rm2xx (depend on model).

-Initially I bought one to charge 12v battery for my moblie radio/repeater rig. Lately been using it to charge several of my cars battery ( already pulang modal) infact save me almost more than rm1k already .

-The downside it's not the fastest option. Takes several hours to complete the cycle.

Drycell more expensive and lifespan depends on the product goods also. sometimes u just bad luck. maybe max 1~2.5yr.

Battery water type are last longer if u able to mange properly. it also depends on the brand. For last longer dont put normal distill water. go to those accessories shop which have acid sulfuric to top up the water.

terbalik bro

maintenance free last 2-3 years. while wet cell last up to 5 year with proper care

Use "Acid Sulfuric" better?
Petrol station not selling these? If want add battery water need purposely go Car Accessories shop add

yes. for multiple cars that are not driven constantly., a slow charger can save you huge sums of money.

DO NOT add anything other than distilled water into your battery (although i believe the "battery water" we get is not as pure as we like). anyway, adding sulphuric acid to your battery is the surefire way to kill it sooner. the battery works on the basis of a reversible reaction, remember le chatelier's principle from high school chemistry? that precisely what goes in your battery.

adding more sulphuric acid not only upsets the chemical balance and it is oxidation of the electrodes by sulphur that causes your battery to die, thus adding more sulphuric acid might actually speed up the process.

This post has been edited by Karenalvin: Jul 18 2016, 07:34 AM

i don't think there are such thing as 'dry cells' , that's normally used for the AA, AAA, D batteries

if you mean maintenance free batteries, my experience 1-2 years max.

i recently invested in a CTEK charger to boost the batteries to full once a year so let's see if it helps

I'm using Yoko MF battery, use it almost 2Y5M now.

No major problem so far, but sometimes it need two try to start the engine, other than that just normal. No major break down.

It that a sign to change for a new battery? Thinking changing to Amaron MF battery.

1.5 to 2 years max.

Don't waste money on MF batteries. Opt for cheaper wet type. Can last up to 3 to 4 years with regular top up of battery water.

get a wet type that can see water level from outer body, like GP

those can't see, based on guessing only always overfilled water then leak acid cause damage.

Usually when it starts to hesitate to start, that's a sign of the battery starting to weaken so be prepared.

Anyone know where to buy battery water for wet battery? I go car repair shop but they say no more selling..

Supermarkets have them in their automotive shelves. Or if you can't find it there, try finding "Distilled Water" in the water section.

Or just get them at your petrol station, popular petrol stations should have them. Hope this helps.

Edit: Bonus, automotive spare part stores should stock them too.

This post has been edited by LemonKnight: Apr 28 2017, 08:30 PM

Now there's a new brand called Amaron, already change for CX-5 with 2 years warranty provided.. let see how long will it last, before this at most is 2 years max..

OP in 2009 mention MF car battery last for 3 years.

Its 2017 now, and in the past few years, my MF batteries don't last much more than 1yr. Have had to change batteries for Kia Rondo, and Nissan Murano.
Latest battery bought from random tire and battery shop only lasted 9 months. Previous one just over 12 months.

Wanted to change to non-MF, but Nissan service center in JB only carries MF.

most of my MF last for 2-3yrs ....non of them less than 2yrs .

Yes mine too, BUT if the batteries left idle for say more than 5 days in my car then it will fall flat and need to jump start, then it goes back to normal.

I don't have this problems . left 4-5days sometime and can start smoothly ...

Depends on what car also, maybe my car has more electrical consumptions, plus a bit bigger engine to crank up. If on my wife's car, it can last more than a week or even up to 2 weeks before it goes flat.

Mark X using a Ns60 battery.
The holding charging and CCA is usually a bit low for some models.

Now Ns60 start to come with higher charging rate and CCA, can those batteries next time. Should do better

Yes, I think the battery is undersized, should've been NS70. So far my batteries can last 2+ years.
Now I'm trying the Century Ultramax rated at 434 CCA with 21 mths warranty, so we'll see how long will this last. Many recommends Amaron but a bit more expensive with shorter warranty so I try a cheaper one first.

My mf battery lasted for 3 years. Proton and kia. Actually I don't know how long it will last since I changed the battery after 3 years at the shop. Don't want nasty trouble.

New car battery usually mf since the bracket is small.

While on battery life, does the start stop feature destroy the battery or the alternator faster?

This post has been edited by mystvearn: Sep 10 2017, 10:09 PM

Start stop car needs special start stop battery type too, much more expensive than normal MF.

Ns70 is gone case nowadays.
55d23L is cheaper yet charging rate and CCA around the same.

434A? That should be a 46B24L or 50B24L

if you're daring, you can use super caps. they should last a lifetime. down side is you probably need a smaller battery to ensure there's not leakage or power lost if left not driven for a long time.

used 4nos MF batteries they all never lasted more than 2years. 1.5-1.8years max. switching back to wetcells next.

It's NS60L (46B24L if not mistaken).

True. Never able to get them last past 18months on Sonata. It seem like programmed to fail after every 18months. So consistent despite switching few brands already.

2 MF batteries on my 2002 Elantra died exactly after 1 year, just after warranty expired. So I switched to wet cells and now it's 1.5 years old, just topup the water, so far no problems.

On my City, the battery died less than a month before the car's first birthday, got replacement battery for free.