Eh, I think 6 years is kind of average. My previous one lasted 10-11 years. My current one is 8. I had two others that were 4-5 years and still going strong. This was in a location that gets reasonably hot in the summer and reasonably cold in winter. If it's only lasting you 3-4 years, then it's a shitty brand, the battery was abused, or it wasn't maintained.