Maintaining Your Car Battery

It always seems to happen at the worst possible time: You’re late for work on a day when you have a big meeting with a client. Or, you are running to pick up your kids from school to get them to soccer practice. You hop into your car and turn the key. Silence. Your car battery has left you in an all too familiar jam.

People often ask how long a car battery will last and while 4 years is a general average, there is no concrete answer to give, especially with the variety of brands and models. It would be wise to do your research and consult with your mechanic when choosing a new battery to make sure that you are getting the best battery for your budget and set up a schedule to have your battery checked every so often.

The truth is that your battery is one of the most vital components of any vehicle and often the most unappreciated and neglected. You can help your battery (and your wallet) by understanding the factors that affect the life of your battery.

1. Extreme Weather

Most batteries are manufactured to operate best within a certain temperature range. When temperatures dip to extreme lows, it requires more energy to get a car started and it takes longer for a battery to charge. The same goes for extremely high temperatures.

It is important that you pay attention to your battery during the coldest and hottest months for this reason.

2. Driving Style

How you drive affects the life of your battery. Your battery is primarily used to start your vehicle and recharges while the car is running. Short, quick trips and frequent stops and starts will drain a battery’s life quickly.

3. Technology

Today’s cars have more electronics and accessories than ever. GPS, Bluetooth and heated seats are all fantastic additions to our cars, but they drain our batteries. The more ‘bells and whistles’ you have, the more care (and investment) you will have to make on your car battery.

BBack Car Care Tip: Did you know that we can service any type of repairs including on board technology and electrical issues? Read a recent blog, Meet Today’s Mechanic, to learn more.

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Now that you know what impacts your battery and you want to avoid being the person running around in a parking lot with a pair of jumper cables, here are a few tips on what to look for when your battery seems to be failing.

1. It drags

One clue that your battery may need some TLC is that it works fine until your car needs to use extra power, such as turning on headlights or trying to charge or use other devices. If your headlights seem a bit low or if they dim when trying to do things like raise and lower your window, it’s a sign that your battery might be low on energy.

2. Unstable Power

If your car turns a bit longer than it used to before ignition or it takes a couple tries to get your car started, you might need to look at either the battery or other components such as battery cables or spark plugs.

3. Ticking

If you turn your key and you get a ticking before or during the ignition process, your battery is likely very weak. If all you hear is ticking, your car battery is dead. Time to get the jumper cables…

BBack Car Care is happy to check your battery levels upon request to ensure that you are good to go. We also have a wide variety of batteries to suit any budget. To learn more about our battery selection and service, click here.