Car battery died and I lost settings. Can I replace it myself?

I started my car several times yesterday running errands as well as driving about 80 miles. Each time I started it, the engine turned over less vigorously before catching. Finally, the last time, it made a partial rotation and the starter solenoid started fluttering. Since I was already pointed downhill, I just coasted and then let the clutch out to start it.

But I see settings are lost on things like the clock and various displays. Looking online I worry this could be a can of worms.

Can I go out and buy a replacement battery and swap it in, as in years past? Or have they made cars so finicky that I have to get a mechanic involved anyway (in which case I’ll probably just wait for Monday and have a wrecker come take it away)?

It’s a 2017 Subaru Forester. The battery is 3 1/2 years old and I’m driving less than daily now, so I can imagine it’s just an aged battery. All the other times my cars have acted this way it was just the battery being old and not some other problem.

I think it won’t help to use temporary power supplies while changing the battery, as settings are already lost before replacing the battery.

Thanks!!

You can replace the battery yourself. You’ll be able to search online how to reset all the car settings and will probably find YouTube videos to walk you through it. Even on a Prius it wasn’t that bad and that battery is hidden in the hatch area.

3.5 years for a battery is pretty short, you might want to look into checking that the terminals are clean on the battery and the connections tight on the battery and alternator if you can find the alternator. It is generally a lot tougher now than on older cars. It is possible the battery is OK and just not getting charged.

No problem swapping out batteries, but that’s an awfully young battery to die. I’d worry about the alternator, but that’s an awfully young alternator to die.

I’d echo the above comment… when your battery goes out after only 3.5 years, suspect the alternator.

Going back to the OP, I think most mass-market car batteries are still user-serviceable, but some recent cars (including regular gas-powered ones) have tighter tolerances for the type of battery they’ll accept. I’d make sure and meet the manufacturer spec instead of throwing in whatever 12V 650 CCA battery they’re selling at Costco this weekend.

Hmmm… Not liking this. The car’s actually 3 years 5 months old and has 49,500 miles on it. I’m not in much of a mood to start diagnosing things and trying fixes. 48 years ago I pulled a VW squareback engine and replaced the jugs, but today, not so much. As it is I’m wondering how my surgical back will feel about pulling a battery out.

I’m guessing poor-quality battery + parasitic loads.

Are finances okay enough that you wanted to DIY this (vs. needed to) ?

The electrical system diagnostics are pretty easy and straightforward for your local mechanic on that car … and … batteries are heavy and awkwardly placed if you’re post-op and a wee bit fragile.

Might be worth taking it in … if you can get a jump and safely make the trip. I’d be sure not to have ‘anything’ electrical on while I drove it to the shop.

Either way … if you could … I’d put in a battery that’s better than OEM (eg, Interstate, Optima).

You’re not alone:

I really think that I’d get a battery charger and charge the battery overnight before I just replaced it. That is awfully young for a new car battery to die and I wouldn’t be surprised to find that there is some other issue that is draining the battery and it will charge up just fine. If you park in a garage, this is easy, and a decent, small battery charger can be had for less than $30.

Thinking I was perhaps a bit hasty just throwing my hands up about the whole affair, I decided that this suggestion is really the least I could do. I tried wiggling every connection on or near the battery, and then tried tightening all the fasteners, but nothing moved, so I don’t think that’s it. As to the alternator, well, I looked things over quickly and didn’t see any other connections or fasteners to check. I forgot about looking for the alternator in particular, but if it had been really apparent I think I’d have noticed it.

I can afford having the dealer deal with everything, even hauling the car from my driveway to their shop, with no hardship at all. If it takes more than 4 days from this moment to deal with I will have to cancel one appointment, and the next thing I’d have to cancel is two weeks from yesterday, so it’s not even inconvenient. And I don’t feel like working on it myself, not in the slightest. Maaaaaybeee it is worth it to drive the car there, but that risks stalling somewhere along the 15 mile drive, or even failing to get it started by rolling down my driveway, so I’m even doubtful about that.

i’d be subscribing to DavidNRockies’s prognosis … the ‘parasitic’ loads seem to weigh heavily on the electrical system. my battery lasted only 3 years (2015 honda) … almost all was highway mileage. and, likewise, keep loads off … 'specially radio and hvac. as for battery replacement … i’ve always gone oem.

Yes, see, that’s very much an issue. I’m post-op for lower back and also post-op for neck, and have paralysis and gradually increasing disability, so it’s not such a casual thing to just dive in.

Check and see if the battery is swollen-- are the sides bulging out? or does it seem pretty square? Bulging sides is the classic sign of a bad battery. If it’s bulging, then you just got unlucky, and got one to the left of the bell curve. It happens. You didn’t say where you live, but if you have had some very cold winters (last winter was very cold in the Mid-West, and then was followed by a period-- the COVID shutdown-- when lots of cars sat idle for long periods of time), and the battery isn’t designed for especially cold weather, then it could have gone out early.

My brother brought a car from S. California to Indiana, and it had a pretty new battery in it, but it didn’t have high “cold-cranking amps,” and two Indiana winters (one especially cold one) were all it could take. It might have lasted years in California, but it just wasn’t designed for the Mid-west.

Anyway-- if the sides are NOT bulging, then you probably want to take the car and get the alternator tested. You can have it done at a shop, but most auto parts stores can do it as well. They just can’t replace it for you, and get you a shuttle home, if it’s bad.

If you go to an auto parts store, don’t forget that you will need to exchange the old battery for the core charge. It will significantly reduce the price.

An easy test you can do is to put a volt meter across the battery terminals to check the voltage. It should read about 12.5V, +/- 0.2. If it’s below 12V the battery is pretty low. Then start the car and check the voltage again. It should be well above 13V. Possibly around 14V if the engine is above idle. Get someone to depress the accelerator to about 2000RPM to see if the voltage goes up. If you see the voltage changing as described, chances are your alternator is charging but the battery is not holding a charge. Which means it can either be “reconditioned” or needs replacing. I suggest just replacing.

Given your physical restrictions, you probably should not fuss with replacing it. The test above will simply tell you what the repair will likely be needed when you get to the repair shop.

Replace the battery. Have the mechanic check the charging system to rule out the alternator/connections. Even if you could recharge the battery to start, it won’t be reliable and you’ll worry about being stranded again in the next few months. 3-1/2 years is a bit young but not that out of the ordinary. If it makes you feel better, car batteries are very recyclable, >97% in the US.

I don’t know your location but both high temperatures (Phoenix) or extended cold temps shorten battery life along with frequent short hops.

I agree that location has a lot to do with battery life. Four years is average for me. Our temperature range annually is +35 C to - 35 C, and some years it’s +40 to -40 C. That heat and cold is hard on a battery.

I’m a bit surprised at all of the comments describing 3.5 years as worryingly short for battery life. That’s pretty typical, in my experience.

Here are the battery replacement dates for my 2006 Accord:
6/13/2010
4/7/2014
6/6/2017
8/14/2020

And for our 2009 Odyssey:
4/22/2012
11/15/2013
8/8/2017
7/5/2020

I got a free warranty replacement on that Odyssey battery that failed after a year and a half.

I live in a warm climate (Southern California).

I live between Philadelphia and Washington, DC. We haven’t had a frost yet, though it’ll be any day now. Last winter was mild and we had a half inch snow once. I think the temp extremes have been 0 F to maybe 98 F. This isn’t a part of the US that people think of as especially hard on batteries, hot or cold.

The battery looks pretty new, no bulging, no visible corrosion. For example after I tried wiggling all the connections and tightening all the fasteners, I didn’t have to wash my hands.

I don’t use many electrical options in my car, for whatever that’s worth. I’ve never even used the radio. It’s been a while since I drove at night, so the headlights aren’t on much. I do use the fan, though.

Yep. Batteries don’t last much beyond 3 years here in Tucson. I got new spark plugs in August; the garage tested my not quite 3 year old battery as a matter of course and said “it’s almost dead”.

Batteries are relatively heavy and awkward to deal with. Last year my pontoon batteries needed to be charged at the start of the boating season. I removed both and carried them ~200 yards to my vehicle.

I drove them to my house and charged them, then took them back to the Marina, carried them back, installed them, and saw that they still didn’t work. Turns out my very old charger had died.

Carried them back to my car, bought a new charger, charged them, took them back to the boat and I was good for the season. I later saw I’d gotten battery juice on three different pairs of shorts, burning holes in them. I also twinged my neck/shoulder.

Yeah, 3.5 years isn’t that unusual in my experience. I sometimes make 5 years on a battery, but that’s rare and 3.5 years is probably pretty close to the average life of my batteries.

I had the battery on my Subaru BRZ die in 9 months. It wasn’t bulging, but after letting it sit for a few weeks, it was totally flat, wouldn’t even unlock the doors. I could start it by jumping it, but while driving it around the radio was rebooting and generally the car was wonky as hell with that battery. After driving it around for about half an hour and returning home, it was totally flat again. I replaced it a couple of weeks ago, and haven’t had a problem since. I think the Panasonic batteries used by Subaru may not be the most reliable ones on the market.