How long does the 2017 original equipment battery remain trouble free?

It depends.....biggest killer is low state of charge which brings sulfation from frequent low SoC and also second one is water/acid levels dropping below critical.
Although the mazda oem battery is very well sealed and designed + the smart car alternators nowadays rarely charge above 14+V to prevent water escaping at fast pace.
But that brings sulfation on frequent short drives (less than an hour a drive, etc.) and speculatively the battery eventually dies in 3-4 years.

Mine gets to only 85% max state of charge and is sulfated a bit. Also had to put some water even though it wasnt under critical levels. That is for almost 2 years.

Its hard to keep it in high charge nowadays unless you put it on a charger frequently, one that also has regulated desulfation option. Which is too much hassle for everyday users.

Good way I think to estimate when it may start to die is to check water level every oil change and test regularly with a cheap battery tester to see its degradation over time.

Car electronics nowadays has a min voltage under which it wont work.
Back in the days, you could fire up the engine even at very low SoC battery but no more nowadays with all those computers.

A "dead" battery sometimes may just need to be taken out, desulfated if possible and charged properly (not just for 30 minutes but much more) and in many cases can last year or two more.

I have tested quite a few lead acid batteries now, all on new cars 2-3 years old and you would be surprised in how bad state they were. 10+ years ago used to be not normal for lead acid batteries to last 3-4 years but that seems the new norm.
 
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A new battery at Costco is less than $100 and they recycle the old one and re-use the bad stuff.
 
It's Russian roulette to keep a battery more than 4 years. You might luck out and get away with it but it's a crap shoot. And they always fail at the worst times. It's better to bite the bullet an replace it on your terms. I replace mine at 36 months regardless. Since today batteries don't give you any indication they're about to die it makes sense to treat them as a preventive maintenance item and replace at a certain interval.
 
The oem batteries are very well made.
Mine has lost some but it was minimal for 2 years.
I added just top it up but pain in the butt to add water in a clean way because under the 6x caps there is lots of dust and its hard to see the max level :) its doable though.

ideally not needed in the 3 years span.
 
ralf11 said:
Lead acid starting batteries are challenged when heavily discharged or with excess vibration such as off-road racing.

If the car sits more than a week or so, put it on a 'smart' trickle charger. If used for multiple short trips in winter, do the same.

Otherwise, a decent brand-name battery should last at least 10-12 years, like mine do.
Click to expand...
Not anymore. Older cars without all the electronics can last a while. I have a 2011 base model Tacoma (crank windows, manual door locks). Its OEM battery lasted until 2019 then died suddenly. In my 2006 BMW M Roadster, the batteries last about 5yrs before dying. As others have said - 4-5yrs is a pretty good life for batteries these days.
 
ralf11 said:
well, mine has only lasted 19 years - so far

Like I said - use a smart 'trickle' charger
Click to expand...
So you are putting a trickle charger on every time you get home? I use a smart charger on my 2006 M Roadster once a month as I don't drive it often (20k on the clock). It still dies with regularity every 5yrs (AGM or Lead Acid).
 
use a smart charger if it sits over a week

if you drive very short distances in Minnesota or Greenland, do it more frequently
 
I've read that a big part of a typical battery lifespan is according to the location. Hot climates have the shortest lifespan because the heat kills them.
 
ralf11 said:
.....

Otherwise, a decent brand-name battery should last at least 10-12 years, like mine do.
Click to expand...

Please share brand-name batteries that are used in consumer vehicles that last 10-12 years. Living in Arizona I would love to be informed about something that lasts longer than 4 years.
 
No battery is likely to last 10-12 years. Yes there will be exceptions, especially if carefully looked-after, but the reality is that there are only three battery manufacturers in the US - Johnson Controls, Exide and East Penn - that make all the batteries for the various 'brand names'. Admittedly, many of the private brands may be built to a cost, but even that means little in terms of reliability.

My advice (which I follow myself) is buy the cheapest battery you can find and accept that you may have to replace it more often. You'll still likely find that it's cheaper overall than buying more expensive 'brands' and having them last 10-20% longer.
 
RedBaron said:
..... the reality is that there are only three battery manufacturers in the US - Johnson Controls, Exide and East Penn - that make all the batteries for the various 'brand names'.
Click to expand...

yep - this is correct about 10 years ago:

FYI Johnson Controls for batteries (energy storage) is now Clarios: https://www.clarios.com/

more recent info about battery brands (spoiler alert there is more than 3 depending on the use case):

Lead-Acid Battery Manufacturers and Brand Names List 2022

Car & Deep Cycle battery hyperlinks to manufacturer's Web sites, brand names & private labeling, and replacement selectors & fitment guides.
jgdarden.com
 
ralf11 said:
use a smart charger if it sits over a week

if you drive very short distances in Minnesota or Greenland, do it more frequently
Click to expand...

If you have a battery which lasted 19yrs I am assuming it is in a VERY old car? Care to share what it is? I suspect it isn't a car with many electronic niceities. I would love to hear what kind of life you are getting out of your late model Mazda battery.
 
When replacing the OEM battery I have always used an AGM battery (optima red top). They lasted over 5 years and I never had to replace them before selling the car (we keep our cars for 10 years usually). Johnson Controls (now clarios) makes them:

AGM

www.clarios.com www.clarios.com
 
Since I retired last year my driving is curtailed substantially. I go into town about 3 times per week to pick up my mail and do a little grocery shopping. That is less than a 10 mile round trip. I try to do an Italian Tuneup about once a month when I get down from the mountains and onto the freeway but have some concerns now about keeping the battery charged at the optimum level.
I have one of the Harbor Freight battery chargers:

Harbor Freight Tools – Quality Tools at Discount Prices Since 1977

Harbor Freight buys their top quality tools from the same factories that supply our competitors. We cut out the middleman and pass the savings to you!
www.harborfreight.com www.harborfreight.com

Is that a good device to use every couple of weeks or so, or am I better to buy one of these and hook it up every time I know the car is going to sit for a few days ?

Harbor Freight Tools – Quality Tools at Discount Prices Since 1977

Harbor Freight buys their top quality tools from the same factories that supply our competitors. We cut out the middleman and pass the savings to you!
www.harborfreight.com www.harborfreight.com
 
DwightFrye said:
Since I retired last year my driving is curtailed substantially. I go into town about 3 times per week to pick up my mail and do a little grocery shopping. That is less than a 10 mile round trip. I try to do an Italian Tuneup about once a month when I get down from the mountains and onto the freeway but have some concerns now about keeping the battery charged at the optimum level.
I have one of the Harbor Freight battery chargers:

Harbor Freight Tools – Quality Tools at Discount Prices Since 1977

Harbor Freight buys their top quality tools from the same factories that supply our competitors. We cut out the middleman and pass the savings to you!
www.harborfreight.com www.harborfreight.com

Is that a good device to use every couple of weeks or so, or am I better to buy one of these and hook it up every time I know the car is going to sit for a few days ?

Harbor Freight Tools – Quality Tools at Discount Prices Since 1977

Harbor Freight buys their top quality tools from the same factories that supply our competitors. We cut out the middleman and pass the savings to you!
www.harborfreight.com www.harborfreight.com
Click to expand...
I would suggest the second type of charger you listed. I have been happy with my CTEK and Genius chargers.
 
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