When Do You Need to Change Your Car Battery

The battery is a part of the larger system of the car. It connected to different parts of the car. If something is wrong with the working battery it may provide less electricity than normal. Dead battery is the most obvious sign in the battery problems.

  • Life of the battery: In normal conditions car battery lifespan is four years. Here normal means many conditions have to satisfy. In the real world we use GPS, MP3 players, and other devices that depends on the battery. The other factors like short trips, vibration, temperatures etc. are also effect. We can easily identify how these factors affect on normal battery life with a typical lead acid maintenance free battery. The chemical reaction that helps produce electricity in the battery can be disturbed by a host factor.

A poorly secured battery or vibrations caused by the rough travel can damage or loose the battery plates. The extreme heat can speed up the chemical reaction and shorten the batter life. Extreme cold can slow down the chemical reaction and sometimes it prolongs battery life. The driving habits also impact on the battery. If you are going for a short trips, you need to start every time with your battery. It takes a big jolt to start every time and the battery needs to recharge. In short trips driving the battery don’t get recharge.

  • Check these before changing battery:
    • Measure the car battery strength by using voltmeter. First remove the negative wire and then positive wire. Follow the same order to avoid short circuit. Touch the voltmeter’s red wire to positive end of the battery and black wire to the negative end of the battery. If the volt meter is showing your battery strength is less than 12 volts, you need to replace the battery.
    • If the battery is damaged in an accident, you should replace the battery immediately. Don’t neglect to replace the battery, it will lead to dangerous chemical leaks.
    • If you left your car battery lights either interior or headlights turned on for a long period, the battery will be drained.
    • You can recharge your battery by using jumper cables and other vehicle’s working battery. It will helpful to you in short run. If your car battery needs it constantly, replace the battery.
    • Sometimes a white substance (sulfate) builds up on the battery terminals. Clean it by using water baking soda solution. Make sure the car engine is off while you are cleaning.

You can test your battery at every oil change. It will help you avoid the problems suddenly on a happy trip or an urgent work. It will take very short time and saves your money, time and rid off from a lot of discomfort in the trip.

Updated: March 18, 2015 — 5:22 am