Archived from the Tools In Action forum (Makita). This thread is read-only.
Hello! Exactly 3 months ago I bought a pair of 6.0ah BL1860B batteries, brand new, and sealed off eBay from a reputable seller. Somehow I forgot I had these 2 batteries still sealed in the garage, so I opened one after 3 months, and used it for a day at work. It would charge rather quickly, and felt weaker than my very old 4.0ah batteries, which are still going strong.
The next day, the battery stopped charging altogether, blinking red, and green on the charger. I would take it out, and back in quickly, since that seems to work when my old batteries don’t want to charge, but no dice.
I contacted the seller asking about if Makita could help me out, but no answer from the seller anymore.
Can I get any help from Makita? I’ve never had to use their 3 year warranty after owning a lot of batteries, and tools, so this is a first for me.
I didn’t open the other battery from its pack just in case.
PS: I remember long long ago reading about the Star on their batteries, and how it was not recommended to store these batteries unused for long periods of time; not sure if this applies to me.
If you look near the battery terminals, there is a number above the QR code, and I believe the first 2 digits represent the year the battery was manufactured. You should be good if you are within 3 years; however, let an authorized Makita service center make that determination:
https://www.service-center-locator.com/makita/makita-service-center.htm
Even if you are outside the 3 years, the worse they can say is “no.”