How To Check Car Battery Manufacture Date? – Guide

Have you ever wondered how old your cars’ battery is? Or are you planning on buying a new battery? If yes, then you would undoubtedly be eager to get your hands on that information, and we’ve got it all ready for you.

When it comes to the working of a car, its battery stands of paramount importance. A battery works longer and better if maintained well and vice versa. However, batteries tend to be short-lived and require changing every couple of years.

Though the battery brand matters a lot when buying one, the buyer’s primary concern should be its production date. The battery you purchase should be as new as possible. But not everyone knows how to check the car battery manufacture date.

We are here to help you find a solution to your problem. Let’s dig in together!

What Is A Car Battery Production Date?

The production date on a battery refers to the date when it was manufactured. It is an order of year, month, and date. Usually, the batteries come with a production date sticker on either of the sides. If so, it would include only two digits in the format: 6/10 means, June 2010.

If it doesn’t have one, then there are other methods to figure out whether your battery would go on or you better maintain a safe distance.

Why Is It Necessary To Know The Battery Manufacture Date?

Though the condition and usage of a battery are the most important things to check, the knowledge of its production date is similarly essential. In that way, you know how old your battery is and if it could give more time to the car or not. Also, it lets you know the expiry date of the battery.

If you know the battery’s expiry date beforehand, there are fewer chances of something unfortunate happening.

The average age of a car battery ranges from two years to five years at the most. Mostly batteries begin showing signs of wear out at the age of four, and that is when you should think about getting it replaced.

How To Find The Battery Manufacture Date?

Knowing the production date is essential, owing to many reasons. Not only will you know whether or not you should keep the battery anymore, but you will also learn to differentiate between a fresh battery and an old one while buying. Try to pick the newest battery available.

Once you figure out how to check a car battery production date, it’s not difficult to find out again. The production date of a car battery can be figured out with the help of a number of ways. Let’s explore a couple of methods to check the manufacture date below.

1. Inspect The Battery Receipt

Though the chances of the exact production date being on the receipt are less, it is possible for the date to be printed on it. Carefully examine the battery’s receipt and look for anything that indicates its date of production.

It might be printed in the center of the receipt and should be easy to find. If it doesn’t work, continue to the other method.

2. Production Date On The Battery

Every battery’s production date is etched on to it, usually on a side edge or negative terminal of the battery. The manufactory date contains 4-6 digits on average.

However, the production date happens to be a bit tricky. Instead of using plain dates, the manufacturers incorporate code like digits for the production date. And therefore, you need a basic knowledge of those codes to decipher what it means.

Note that this date is not stored on the label of the battery or around the corner.

3. What Do The Digits Stand For?

Of all the 4 or 6 digits, you only need to focus on the first two digits, i.e., a number and a letter or vice versa. It contains all the information you need to know regarding the manufacturing date of the battery. The additional digits manifest the actual place where the battery was manufactured.

The first digit of the code indicates the year of manufacture, and the second digit signifies its shipping month from the factory.

The letter can be any alphabet from ‘A’ till ‘L’. A stands for January, B stands for February, C stands for March, D stands for April, and E stands for May, and so on.

The last alphabet in this order, L, stands for December. However, in some places, you might see an ‘M’ instead of an ‘L’. That’s because some manufacturers often skip ‘L’.

Example

Let’s look into an example for better understanding. Say 6GD201 is a battery’s production code. In this case, the digit 6 refers to the year, and ‘G’ refers to the month. So, the manufacture date of this battery code is July 2016.

Also, note that sometimes manufacturers change places of the first two digits, which means that 6GD201 can also be written as G6D201. However, whatever the order may be, the date remains the same as the letter and number remain the same.

Conclusion

A car’s battery plays a significant role in its performance. And choosing the one that goes on for a long time is a difficult task in itself.

Mostly, when a person would visit a shop to purchase a battery, he would consider the condition of the battery and the production date told by the seller.

The date you get to know by the shopkeeper is when the battery arrived at the wholesale distributors’ store and then his shop. And this happens almost after three months of the battery being manufactured.

However, in this case, the shopkeeper is not faulty as he might not know the exact date. Therefore, one needs to have this basic knowledge regarding the production date. Also, it is commonplace for shopkeepers to try and sell you their oldest stock.

But now that you know how to check the car battery manufacture date, it should be easy for you to get your hands on the best battery available. Happy Reading!