GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

Hello all :....
Curious... Those of you who own (or owned) 2006 thru 2010 Vibes ... How many years you got out of your original-factory 65D23L Battery? ... and particularly if you live in the hot deep south.
mike in fla

We replaced the battery in my son's 06 back in 2010, which is a long time compared to what I usually get on batteries, ~ 3 yrs in the Houston heat. When I bought my 10 GT last December, it already had a new battery and the car was only used for about 18 months at that point, but had 36K miles. I think the battery was replaced by the selling dealer since it had a 10/11 date code on it.

I replaced my battery a couple of months ago. The car was built in June of 2008. I've owned it since July of 2009. I don't really live in the "deep south" but close enough.

My 2003 had the 310 CCA battery. Car was manufactured in October 2002 I think. Bought new in Jan. 2003. Replaced battery in Oct. 2007 (Costco $55) just as a precaution since it was 5 years old. My 2009 is over 3.5 years old and battery still tests o.k. [The battery in my 2007 Chrysler T&C is 5 years 8 months old and still o.k.]

I got about 4 years out of mine living in OK.

Thanks all. Just replaced mine today. I guess 59 months in Fla is long enough, right?

VibininFla wrote:Thanks all. Just replaced mine today. I guess 59 months in Fla is long enough, right?

I think you got your money's worth. My father in law always waited until the battery died - then it is a pain especially when you don't belong to AAA and if you (like him) have only one car. A lot easier to do that on a "preventive" basis on your own schedule.

I replaced the OEM batteries on our 2009 Vibe GTs back in May (just under 3 years old). We weren't having any issues with them or anything, I just couldn't pass up the $25.00 rebate Optima was offering on their Red Top batteries, so I figured better to replace them now before they die and leave us stranded somewhere, get $50.00 back from Optima and not have to think about the batteries for a long time to come. It was a win win win all the way around!

"I think you got your money's worth. My father in law always waited until the battery died - then it is a pain especially when you don't belong to AAA and if you (like him) have only one car. A lot easier to do that on a "preventive" basis on your own schedule."

It was time. I felt it getting weaker. I'm the second owner and I know this car got on the road Oct 07. Five years in Orlando-area heat is enough for any car battery.

mine get replaced every 4 years whether they are showing signs of fading or not. it's just not worth the $10-15 of pro-rated life i'd gain by pushing it until it dies at the wrong time/place. hell, it's not worth $10 for the inconvenience if it dies right in my driveway. i like to do work on my own terms.

Wow, I hope I get longer life than you people. On average my batteries last 7 years. With my car, van, motorcycles, tractor, and RVs, I have a lot of batteries. I am certainly not in the south but we have a thing here called winter. It takes a good battery to start a vehicle at below zero temperatures.

I always say most batteries die of abuse and neglect rather than wear out.

Anything over 3 years is good IMO, 7 years is great life on a battery. I know heat does hurt them more than cold cranking. Like I said, we only get about 3 years from our batteries, and that's in every car I've owned. Thinking back, Olds Cutlass, owned 5 yrs from new, replaced once. Villager minivan, owned 8yrs from new and replaced twice. Mustang, owned 25 yrs from new, and replaced at least 10 times, including one exploded battery and one that shorted out inside. That one could not even be jump started. Most of them were replaced under the 36 month full warranty. But luckily I could always push start the car. Explorer, owned 4 yrs and replaced once. 06 Vibe, owned 4 years and replaced once. That is why I always get the batteries with a 36 month free replacement warranty. Chances are I will get a free or maybe >$20 replacement. And I have jumper cables in every car, just in case!

I'm still cruising with the original battery in my 2006 Matrix.
However I only drive ~4000 miles a year, lots of short trips.
Also, I charge it overnight every 3 months to remove sulfation.

Mine's still kicking. Based on the manufacture date, it's a little over 4 years old.

I just checked the battery in my 04 and it appears to be the original battery (310CCA ACDelco)! There's no date stamped on the battery so I can't say for sure. I suppose the previous owner might have replaced the original with the same one. Being in the frigid upper midwest, no one in their right mind would put such a small battery. It seems to be doing alright though. I've had it through one winter and never had any trouble. Might be wise to replace it before it dies on a -30 degree day in some parking lot somewhere.

I replaced my 06's oem battery after putting 5 years 6 months and 120,000 miles on the OD.
It was a precautionary change due to the impending winter.