Battery life for 2015 CX-5

calebian21

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2015 Subaru WRX
Okay so here's my story. I have a 2015 Mazda CX-5. I have 81,000 miles on it currently and my battery is surprisingly dead. Most Vehicles I've ever had have had a battery life of 5 to 7 years on average. Did my Mazda battery died prematurely? Or is this just typical for Mazda's factory battery?
 
Battery life is not only a function of time, but also usage. You have a high mileage 2 year old car with a ton of stops and starts on the battery. Plus, your CX-5 may have started life with a sub-optimal OEM battery.
 
Did you see what the electrolyte level looks like? There are lines on the side of the battery and the housing is clear so you can see the electrolyte level. You might just need to top off a low cell(s).
 
a flat battery at 80k is nothing out of the ordinary if you did a lot of stop and go traffic/frequent stops
 
Did you see what the electrolyte level looks like? There are lines on the side of the battery and the housing is clear so you can see the electrolyte level. You might just need to top off a low cell(s).

I took it to Advance and they tested it and the machine said it needed replaced. I didn't look at the electrolyte levels.
 
Did you see what the electrolyte level looks like? There are lines on the side of the battery and the housing is clear so you can see the electrolyte level. You might just need to top off a low cell(s).

a flat battery at 80k is nothing out of the ordinary if you did a lot of stop and go traffic/frequent stops

It was mostly commuting 30 miles each way to work each day with some 50 mile trips to our place in PA once or twice a week. I just feel like I've put more miles on other cars over roughly the same time and never had issues with the batteries.
 
Ill probably need to replace mine before winter had a couple tense start ups on a few low single digit mornings last winter..its 70k now on just 4 yr old 2014 so yeah its early but definitely something i want to deal with on a 5 degree morning @6am out of stubbornness
 
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My 2014 had 76k miles on it and I had to replace the battery right around then. I had been getting long cranks and a few failure to start on the first try before I replaced it. Finally replaced it after I came back from a couple day trip and it was dead in the airport garage. I had the occasional short trip but the majority of my driving was highway.
 
I took it to Advance and they tested it and the machine said it needed replaced. I didn't look at the electrolyte levels.
Hopefully they topped off the battery and charged it before they tested it?
 
^Easier cranks on the 2L? Mine has often gone week or more without a start but no issues when its warm, just seems to really labor in the deep freeze. I'll check before we head in and see how it looks
 
CX-5 Battery lasted 3+ years. Bought OEM replacement. Mazda6 battery lasted 2 1/2 year. Replaced under warranty for free.
 
Battery life has more to do with time and temperatures. Here in TX I replace them every 3 years - summer heat is hard on them. Often what happens is the plates swell in the heat and contract in the fall - eventually, one year, when the first fall cold snap occurs, a plate cracks and you have a dead battery. Very common here.

That said, its all probabilistic. Some will fail early and some will last a long time. Once has a GF who's OEM lasted 7 years in TX. For me the risk of being stranded is annoying enough to replace at 3 years whether it needs it or not.
 
I was just surprised that it didn't last longer than it did. I've driven other cars similar amounts of miles over similar time frames and the batteries have lasted 2 to 4 years more than they did on the Mazda. They were all non OEM batteries, however. This is the first car I've owned that I've replaced the OEM battery in so maybe they all kind of suck compared to non OEM ones.
 
I was just surprised that it didn't last longer than it did. I've driven other cars similar amounts of miles over similar time frames and the batteries have lasted 2 to 4 years more than they did on the Mazda. They were all non OEM batteries, however. This is the first car I've owned that I've replaced the OEM battery in so maybe they all kind of suck compared to non OEM ones.
I wouldn't jump to that kind of conclusion. You just drew the short straw.
BTW, my OE battery is still going strong after five years/38k miles.
 
I was just surprised that it didn't last longer than it did. I've driven other cars similar amounts of miles over similar time frames and the batteries have lasted 2 to 4 years more than they did on the Mazda. They were all non OEM batteries, however. This is the first car I've owned that I've replaced the OEM battery in so maybe they all kind of suck compared to non OEM ones.
This's not true. A friend of mine had a 2003 Lexus LX 470. He sold his 13-years-old LX with 100,000 miles last year in Connecticut before moving to the Bay Area for retirement. His LX had never had ANY issues since new and the battery is still OEM from factory survived 13 cold NE winters when he sold it. He owned several Mazda's before including MPV、626、and Millenia but since then he is getting nothing but Lexus' and Toyota's for daily driver.
 
This's not true. A friend of mine had a 2003 Lexus LX 470. He sold his 13-years-old LX with 100,000 miles last year in Connecticut before moving to the Bay Area for retirement. His LX had never had ANY issues since new and the battery is still OEM from factory survived 13 cold NE winters when he sold it. He owned several Mazda's before including MPV、626、and Millenia but since then he is getting nothing but Lexus' and Toyota's for daily driver.

Cold weather is a bit easier on the battery itself. A cold engine is harder to start and an undersized battery may struggle as it ages, but the chemistry lasts longer in lower temps. Hot climates are hard on them though.
 
This's not true. A friend of mine had a 2003 Lexus LX 470. He sold his 13-years-old LX with 100,000 miles last year in Connecticut before moving to the Bay Area for retirement. His LX had never had ANY issues since new and the battery is still OEM from factory survived 13 cold NE winters when he sold it. He owned several Mazda's before including MPV、626、and Millenia but since then he is getting nothing but Lexus' and Toyota's for daily driver.

I've replaced one single battery over the past 21 years... and that was in our 2005 Mazda 6. It had sat for a few months when we sold/bought our new house. The OEM battery in my 4Runner was still going strong after 13 years when I traded it in.
 
Cold weather is a bit easier on the battery itself. A cold engine is harder to start and an undersized battery may struggle as it ages, but the chemistry lasts longer in lower temps. Hot climates are hard on them though.
I agree. Texas weather (big swing between hot and cold temperatures) is the worst; and California (constant nice temperature) is the best for long battery life. May be that's why paris1's OEM battery is still going strong after 5 years/38k miles. ;)

Still, I was amazed an OEM battery from friend's Lexus can last 13 years no matter what kind of environment it was in.
 
I wouldn't jump to that kind of conclusion. You just drew the short straw.
BTW, my OE battery is still going strong after five years/38k miles.

It is not only use and environmental conditions that affects battery life, though.

Maintenance is critical as well.

Many of you will remember a similar thread a year or so ago where the poster, and indeed a number of others, thought that their CX5 had a totally "maintenance free" battery and had NEVER even checked the electrolite level, let alone topped it up.

The OP in this thread hasnt mentioned whether the battery was properly maintained. The only comment they offered on this issue was that when they took it to Advance to be tested/replaced, they:

"Didnt look at the electrolite levels".

Which makes me wonder..... checking that would have been the first thing I would have done, then given it a good charge up.
 
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