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How old is my Deka (East Penn) car battery?
Type the date code from the Deka (East Penn) label to see when it was built. Deka (East Penn) units are built by East Penn Manufacturing, so the serials follow that company's format.
Example
- 3Month: 3 = March
- 23Year: 23 = 2023
Built March 2023
3 years, 7 months old
In replacement window. Inside the usual 3 to 5 year lifespan, so replacement could come any time. Worth budgeting for it.
How this was read
- The first number, 3, is the month: March.
- The second number, 23, is the year: 2023.
Format: Month and year sticker. Sources: East Penn: Group 48 recall FAQ (date code on the side), Batteries In A Flash: how to read battery date codes, Car Battery FAQ, quoting Interstate (archived).
Reading a Deka (East Penn) serial number
East Penn’s recall notice shows the side date code as month and year, like 3/23 for March 2023.
Some East Penn batteries use a month letter instead, from A for January to M for December with I skipped, then the year. D24 means April 2024.
About Deka (East Penn)
- DeLight Breidegam Jr. and his father started East Penn in 1946 by rebuilding old batteries.
- The Deka name joins DeLight with Karl, for Karl Gasche, an engineer who became a partner in 1947.
- East Penn is family owned and builds its batteries at one large site in Lyon Station, Pennsylvania.
Source: East Penn Manufacturing Co., Inc. - Company Profile, Information, Business Description, History
Month letter and year
Used since at least 2000. Example: D24
A month letter (A is January, I is skipped, M is December) is followed by the year. D24 means April 2024.
Worked example: D24 was built April 2024, so it is 2 years, 6 months old as of October 2026.
| Letter | Month |
|---|---|
| A | January |
| B | February |
| C | March |
| D | April |
| E | May |
| F | June |
| G | July |
| H | August |
| J | September |
| K | October |
| L | November |
| M | December |
Sources: East Penn: Group 48 recall FAQ (date code on the side), Batteries In A Flash: how to read battery date codes, Car Battery FAQ, quoting Interstate (archived)
Month and year sticker
Used current East Penn labels. Example: 3/23
A sticker on the side shows the month and the two-digit year, like 3/23 for March 2023.
Worked example: 3/23 was built March 2023, so it is 3 years, 7 months old as of October 2026.
Sources: East Penn: Group 48 recall FAQ (date code on the side), Batteries In A Flash: how to read battery date codes, Car Battery FAQ, quoting Interstate (archived)