After helping a friend replace a radiator on his NA miata, I got to checking things under the hood of the Z. I decided to take a peak at when the battery is due for replacement, as I've never replaced it and bought the car back in 2014.
These are the markings I found:



If this is accurate, the battery is going on 10+ years! I have my doubts to its accuracy, as 10 years seems excessive, but perhaps I've just got the luck of the draw (get it? battery draw? I'll see myself out). Now, it would be pertinent to go ahead and replace it, as I know it is at absolute minimum 3 years old, but I feel like Kramer in Seinfeld when he test drives the Saab, and should see how far past "empty" I can go. Of course they break down a couple of miles from the dealer, I will very likely break down in the middle of nowhere.

 

I bought my Z on July 1, 2003. I replaced the battery in November, 2011 because it was getting "old". I bought the battery at a Nissan dealer. The battery worked perfectly and according to the dealer didn't really need to be replaced at that time. I thought I should replace it because of the age. The replacement battery has been in the car since November, 2011 so will be 6 years old pretty soon. The OEM Nissan batteries seem to have exceptionally long lives.

 

I replaced my battery after 7 years just to be safe, but I kept the original and it still takes a charge fine (I use it to bench test audio gear and keep it charged on a trickle charger.) My car's a 2008, but was assembled in 2007, so yeah, the battery's 10 years old. Sometimes, you just luck out.

 

That's not the OEM battery I think those were made by panasonic or someone odd in japan and they have a reputation for lasting 7-10 years. That's just a nissan branded battery probably make by johnson controls. Should be a fine battery that you should only replace once you start to see issues.

 

That looks exactly like the battery that came with my car when I bought it new off the lot.

 

...Made in Mexico.

 

2006 here, original battery

 

Original panasonic battery. Seems kind of odd for a car made in japan to have a mexican battery. I would guess if you got a nissan branded battery the dealer swapped it early in its life.


Yea thats why I don't think this is orginal probably replaced by the dealer very early on.

Anyways still seems to be a good battery wonder how much it is over an auto store battery. It's still going to be johnson controls though and that's who supplies basically all the auto parts stores.

 

Yup. You guys are right. I checked my original battery this morning. The new battery has the Nissan logo on it. The original's pretty sparse. I'm losing my memory in my old age.

 

Maybe the parts were shipped to Mexico for cheaper assembly. Going to check mine today. Not downing Mexico or anything, but I hope that's the only place I see those words.

 

So does this mean that I can't chase after a child or does it mean I can't line dance with one? Either way, I don't see what that has to do with the battery.

 

lolll Yeah really.. No running away from the battery during a hazard. You're supposed to stand there and let it kill you.. and your child.

 

Two kids okay, but not a kid and an adult - and defiantly no skipping.

Who dreamt that up and who the heck agreed to put that label on there? Amazing...

 

lol.. Some 14 year old in a sweatbox in Mexico.

 

I know it's not the original, since the car is an 05.
If you look at the sticker, it has "7" punched out, implying that the battery was bought in 2007

 

The original batteries didn't even bother with the punch out date codes. I was kind of surprised that the replacement Nissan battery was as inexpensive as it was. It has a slightly higher CCA rating than the original, as well.

 

The car just turned over 12,000 miles. Low miles for a battery,...BUT the car is an '05. 13 years on the OEM battery. As you can see from the photo, it does NOT say made in Mexico.