Date of manufacture of the accumulator: how to learn?

In our country today, there are a huge number of drivers who try to follow their vehicle as best as possible. The date of manufacture of the battery is one of the most important indicators, which should be taken into consideration when buying a current source for the machine. The fact is that over time, the technical characteristics and ability to keep the charge in the battery deteriorate significantly, therefore, in order for the new battery to last as long as possible, you should only buy batteries that have been manufactured and put on sale relatively recently. At the same time, it is very important to be able to independently determine the release date, because not all sellers provide this information to their customers. Therefore, every car enthusiast should know where on the battery the date of manufacture is indicated.

general information

As practice shows, only a few motorists pay attention to the date of production of the battery when replacing this unit in its vehicle, as a result of which there are a lot of problems in the future. But the date when the battery was made is the main indicator of the suitability of the source of autonomous power to operate.

The whole problem is that the battery does not specify the number of the release, instead a certain code is knocked out, on the basis of which the decoding of the battery manufacturing date can be performed. In most cases, it is listed on the factory label. Ability to understand the marking of manufacturers of auto parts will allow you not only to determine in which year the battery was issued, but also in case of any problems to establish possible causes of the malfunction.

Battery useful life

Absolutely all batteries have a certain period of serviceability. If the battery was manufactured in accordance with all international standards and stored in full compliance with the factory recommendations, its useful life is:

• Dry-charged batteries - 2 years;
• For refueling batteries - no more than one and a half years;
• For charged uncharged batteries - 5 years.

Thus, if you know how to determine the date of manufacture of the battery, you can always buy only a quality and fully functional battery.

A few words about the European labeling

Nowadays in the market you can find car batteries of a huge number of European brands, so it is very important to be able to decipher the markings used in the EU countries. European manufacturers do not print any technical information on the factory sticker, but engrave it on the battery case. Thus the code can be both alphabetic, and numerical, here already all depends on the concrete manufacturer. Next, we'll figure out what format markers different manufacturers use, and how to find out the date of battery manufacturing by marking.

AKB from the manufacturer Varta

Varta is a world-renowned German company specializing in the production of automotive batteries. On their batteries, this brand indicates an alphanumeric marking, which is applied to the battery cover. The number of characters in the code depends on the year of release. For example, the date of manufacture of Varta batteries, produced before 2014, was prescribed as follows:

• The year was indicated by the last digit in the fourth position;
• The month was prescribed in the 5th and 6th positions;
• Day was indicated as a two-digit number in the 7th and 8th block of marking.

It is worth noting that the company until 2013 also used color marking. On the factory sticker there was a circle of a certain color, each of which corresponded to a specific quarter of the year.

Batteries from Bosch

The date of manufacture of the Bosch battery has a simplified form of recording compared to the Varta batteries. The year in which the battery was produced is indicated in two places - on the lid and on the front side. The marking thus has the form of a three-digit numerical code, the first digit of which means a month, and the next two are a year.

The relationship between the Bosch and Varta markings

Since 2014, both German concerns have changed their numerical codes, making them more standardized. How do you know the date of manufacture of the battery of these brands? This information is still included in the main marking and is in the fourth, fifth and sixth blocks of code. The first year of production, and then a month. Based on these figures, you can get information about when the battery was released after all, from a special table.

Mutlu Batteries

Turkish company Mutlu is another well-known manufacturer of automobile parts and components in the whole world. The battery "Mutlu", the date of manufacture of which is also sewn into the main marking, is the best solution for motorists looking for reliable and inexpensive car batteries. This brand uses a six-digit marking, the first of which stands for the model, the second indicates the year of manufacture, the fourth indicates the month, and the last two designate the day. Thus, when buying a battery for your vehicle, reading the marking type 350214, we can get information that this particular battery has come down from the factory conveyor on February 14, 2015.

It is worth noting that some modern manufacturers of automotive batteries, such as TAB, Topla and others, use a similar form of marking with Multu, so the date of manufacture of the battery from these companies is determined similarly.

Batteries Vesta

Ukrainian manufacturer of batteries Vesta produces its products under two trademarks, but the form of recording marks in both cases is absolutely the same. The only difference is the font size, which is not particularly important. The marking on the Vesta battery is on the front side, on the factory label, so there will be no problems with its search.

As for the form of marking, there are some differences. In batteries designed for passenger and light tonnage transport, the marking consists of two digital blocks, of which the first contains 4 digits and the second contains six digits. The first unit carries information about a team of workers who worked on a particular day, capacity of batteries and other technical information. The second block is the production date.

To make it easier for you to understand how the date of the Vesta battery is determined, let's look at everything on a concrete example. The second digital block of marking is formed as follows:

• The first two digits of the second block correspond to the year of issue;
• The second two send information about the ordinal number of the month;
• The last two correspond to a specific day.

It is worth noting that, regardless of what brand and manufacturer Vesta battery for a car was produced, the marking will look the same, so you can easily determine the exact year, month and day in which Battery is assembled.

Marking used by manufacturers for heavy batteries

Heavy accumulators are batteries with a large volume and are designed for trucks and passenger transport. The form of writing code on these batteries differs from their analogues, produced for cars, so they should be discussed separately.

In most cases, the labeling of heavy batteries is in the form of an eight-digit code, in which the 4th and 5th figures correspond to the year, and the seventh to the month. All other figures are used by manufacturers to transmit various technical information. However, it is very important to understand that different manufacturers can use different variants of marking. About how the date of manufacture of the battery from different brands is determined, we will go further.

Labeling form for heavy batteries

Most European companies involved in the release of power supplies for trucks and buses have long moved to a single standard for marking. These include FB, Forse, Uno, Vortex and many others. These manufacturers use a code consisting of ten digits for marking. The fifth and sixth digit indicate the year of issuance of the battery, the eighth month is the month, and the ninth and tenth are the exact day of the month.

The exception to the rule are the Japanese manufacturers of auto parts, which use the alphanumeric form of the entry to indicate the marking. In the Land of the Rising Sun, use the five-digit code, which is on the factory sticker, located on the battery cover. The first symbol in the marking corresponds to the day, the second and third to the serial number of the week, and the fourth to the year. However, it is worth noting that the year is indicated not by a digit, but by the letter of the Latin alphabet, therefore, in order to know the year of battery production, you need to contact the manufacturer and compare the information you are interested in with a special table.

Determining the date of production of batteries of other manufacturers

If you encounter an unknown manufacturer when buying a battery, then in order to determine the date of release of the battery, you need to read the information about the rules for reading the marking in a certain company. Trusting sellers in this matter is not worth it, since they themselves may not know such information or will provide you with knowingly incorrect data, as a result of which you simply get a low-quality battery for your car.

The choice of battery should be taken very seriously, since the quality of your vehicle depends on its quality. Before buying it is advisable to familiarize yourself with the products of different manufacturers and choose the most suitable for yourself. Moreover, for today the market of batteries for cars is incredibly diverse, the main thing is to choose a "fresh" battery.