That would work... But it sucks that they put us in the position of having to lie in order to get a warranty on what we are trying to pay for in good faith. I'm starting to see this trend everywhere now about everything. I hate being put in the position where I have to lie to fully participate in society. We shouldn't be forced into this situation at all. Know what I mean?

 

If I pull it out of the car, I will just replace it. Easier.

 

Yeah - it's absurd. When it comes down to it, the warranty should only be for rare instances of manufacturing anomalies and we should pretty much never have to deal with it since the 5 year warranty battery should last 7 years, etc.
I think part of it is that the computer systems are too specific... The group size for my 95 is whatever it is, but physically I could fit other sizes in the space - when it comes down to it there's no real world difference, my Jeep doesn't know or care if the physical dimensions of the battery are one or another - it cares that it gets enough juice to run the starter and maintain the current and volt levels which are the same across all the 12v auto batteries.

 

Absolutely. This is all a "you didn't cross your "T" or dot your "i" to wiggle their way out of being responsible for the warranty they advertised. And you are right... The Jeep isn't smart enough to know the difference no matter what the computer says.

 

you got a lot of answers. The battery may last a couple more years or die tomorrow. I replace mine after X years. I'm not telling how many so as to stop more comments. If I get x years out of a battery, I consider I got my money's worth. I also do not want stuck out in the middle of nowhere trying to stretch a little more out of an old battery.

 

I currently have 2 frozen batteries possibly needing replacement as they were end of life. Batteries are not cheap but very often overlooked.

 

I usually replace them when I start to feel their capacity diminish. Usually this is when I am working on the inside of the XJ for a while, and it is slow to start after the interior lights have been on for a while.

So I usually eek as much life as I can out of my battery, but if you are running a heavy electrical load like a winch, you need a battery that is in good condition.

 

If it works fine, why the discussion?
Do you have some suspicions or some starting problems.
It's -20C here this morning (-5F), all the jeeps started (with 5yr or older batteries)

If you have doubts or concerns, Hit it with a battery tester to have some solid data on the battery condition. It is a good idea to be proactive and as you say, you don't want to wait till you have a battery failure.
If the battery load tester indicates good, then run it.
If the load tester indicates pooched, then replace it.

 

It's been pretty cold here in MA the last couple of days (sub-zero F early morning and late evening) and my 95 with a who-knows-how-old battery starts easier than my 2010 Corolla with a less than a year old Toyota battery. I think it helps that the Jeep doesn't have any fancy electronics that draw on the battery when it's off..

 

This. Hell, even my '01 VW will start up just fine after sitting for 2 months.

 

I don't replace batteries until they show signs of weakness during testing. Load testers are cheap. Test it once a month during the hottest and coldest months of the year.

 

5 years? i would replace it. if you feel dishonest about the warranty, then buy a battery outright. i have several spare batteries i replaced (on my own dime) before they were dead. i always find a use for them - help out a friend, batteries for the winch on the trailer, bench test/diagnosis equipment, etc.

 

First time it hesitates to crank, don't wait for complete failure, you'll be fine.