What To Know Before Replacing Your Car Battery
A car battery is imperative for your vehicle to function. There is a lot to learn about it besides it has to be replaced sometime in the future. Here are certain things to know before your car battery is close to an end and will need replacement. We explain them in detail below!
Always Check Your Car Battery’s Life
Before your battery goes utterly dead in the middle of the road, keep an eye on how old it is. With the appropriate care, your battery can last a few more years down the road. If you are giving your car battery proper use and maintenance, you may be able to use it for a few more years. Always consider advice from your mechanic.
Still, a car battery can last from 3 to 7 years. So when you are nearing that time, it is best to have it replaced after the proper diagnosis.
Can You Save Your Car Battery?
Recognizing when your battery can be salvaged and does not need replacement is great for saving money since the price is lower than getting a new one. However, this only applies to some instances. There are specific car battery measurements with which will determine your options:
- Electrolyte Levels: The sulfuric acid concentration in your battery will tell if you can fix it (anything between 1.21 and 1.28) or is ready to be discarded (anything below 1.175).
- Battery Output: The multimeters are a standard tool used to inspect a car battery. Their readings also let you know about its state. If you have a reading above 1.2, you are safe with your current battery.
- Load Test: A load test is an excellent option to measure the battery’s voltage.
- . The tester shows the voltage load with colored sections like a traffic light. Your battery should be in the green area.
Get A Professional For Diagnosis
Perhaps you have spotted the signs of a dying battery. Still, before you rush to buy a new one, you should take it to a professional first for diagnosis. Like we mentioned before, sometimes a car battery can be repaired, and sometimes not. A reliable mechanic will tell and provide a solution.
Suppose you require a car battery diagnostic service in Etobicoke at Amarz Auto Service. In that case, you can get a thorough and accurate diagnosis and solutions when you visit our shop.
Prevent Battery Repair & Replacement Altogether
Ideally, we wouldn’t have our car systems and components fail to have more control over our finances. Still, the truth is, you never know when you might need a car battery or any other auto repairs and replacements.
Even when we can’t control or avoid things such as extreme hot or cold weather, you can do these things to help your car battery go a few more years. We share the three main things you can do to avoid a trip to the auto shop and paying high costs:
Driving & Daily Use Best Habits:
- Frequency of use is essential since a car battery will drain if you don’t drive your car too frequently.
- However, you should beware of only taking short trips. Any trip less than 20 minutes long is terrible because that is the amount of time it takes the alternator (whose function is to recharge the battery and distribute electricity to your vehicle) to recharge your battery. Take a walk whenever you can, which will be great for your health.
- Forgetting to turn off your car lights or using the radio and charging when the engine is off are critical mistakes that will drain your battery. Make sure you avoid doing them.
- Even when you can’t control the weather, there are certain things that you can do to ensure minimum weather damage to your car battery. To avoid the heat from evaporating the fluids, always try to park your car where there is shade. In the case of the cold, which makes the liquids thicker, your car battery needs to work harder. Therefore, it will require insulation.
Car Battery Inspections:
Many problems and issues can be detected and prevented on time when you check your car battery regularly. You can include it on your regular car inspection. Your mechanic will inspect acid levels, perform battery load tests, and do other things to ensure its well-functioning.
Car Battery Maintenance:
Part of a good car battery service is not only inspection but adequate maintenance. This includes addressing everything out of line and some preventive actions to keep your car battery in tip-top shape. A car battery service or maintenance will typically include:
- Cleaning the ports and terminals
- Charging the battery (beware of over-charging when you do it manually)
- Tightening the hold-downs
- Checking fluid levels & refilling them
- tying the cables if you haven’t done so already & More.
With all this information, now you can take action to prevent car battery repair or replacement. If necessary, your mechanic will let you know which is the best of both options for you. Visit our shop for car battery services, and please share this blog if you found it helpful!