[Scalded Dog]

Last week, the battery in my Blazer was dead... turns out, my wife had left the dome lights on for a full day. I jumped it, got it going again. But, I got to thinking about the battery, and whether or not it was time to get a new one.

It's an Optima Red Top... their website suggests that these could--- under the right circumstances--- last up to five, even six years. Holy crap... that's a long time for a battery! Of course, that's if the battery is treated well, under good conditions: cooler climates, daily use, etc... Unfortunately, THIS battery has spent most of its life in the ungaraged heat of Riverside, CA, scorching under the sun. And, it has often gone weeks, even months, without being used at all. The battery has been ALMOST fully discharged at least twice: once the other when my wife left the light on, and once a few months ago when I left an accessory on for a week while the rig was parked.

I checked the date on the battery. It was manufactured in June of 2010! Yep... it's seventh birthday is in a few days.

I took the thing to AutoZone to have it checked out. They hooked up their battery testing equipment, and I waited for the bad news. However, the equipment showed that the thing is like a brand new battery: It's fully amped and volted and deep cycling or whatever it is that batteries do... it does everything perfectly.

So, seven years old, abused and tortured... and it's still performing like a new battery.

I suppose only time will tell how long it will last, but you bet that my NEXT battery will also be an Optima.