What parts and systems of a vehicle do you think are particularly important for its operation? Perhaps many motorists will have different points of view about this. But it is impossible to argue with the fact that a serviceable battery is a key to comfortable and safe driving. Therefore, any car owner should know how to check whether the battery is functioning properly. Read our article to find out all the necessary information on this topic.
What should be done first of all if we are talking about efficient maintenance of the car battery?According to antiqueautobattery.com even if you are not a very experienced driver, you need to understand the principle of operation of the main systems of the vehicle. A large percentage of the entire battery energy is spent on turning on the starter. Explaining in simple language, with each of your trips and during the direct start of the engine, the battery is discharged.
Is it possible to calculate the approximate service life of a car battery? For most vehicles, a period of 4-6 years will be considered a normal indicator. But it should be borne in mind that a lot depends on factors such as driving style, climate and weather conditions, car model.
How to understand that it’s time to change the car battery? It is necessary to focus on the age of the vehicle and the battery itself. If you bought a used car not so long ago and do not know these details, click here to use the vin checker and get all the necessary information. It may also be time for you to consult with a professional mechanic soon.
You should be alerted if you regularly notice small problems when you start the car in the parking lot. For example, you may notice that the glowing battery indicator on the dashboard has stopped turning off. In the dark, it may seem to you that the headlights are not as bright as they were before. This is due to the fact that the battery has run out and its charge is not enough to ensure proper operation of the lights. Obviously, such situations reduce safety on the road, because in the dark, the driver’s reaction speed and good visibility are especially important.
Another bad sign is that after turning on the ignition, your vehicle starts too slowly. In a serviceable car, the engine should start almost instantly. In addition, it should not make extraneous clicks and other strange sounds that distinguish a weak battery.
Remember that there are factors that affect the condition of the car battery, but do not depend on the driver himself. For example, you should take into account the climate in your region and the usual weather conditions. Extremely low temperatures, as well as scorching heat, in any case, lead to a reduction in battery life.
All these processes are easy enough to explain. In conditions of abnormal heat, the liquid quickly evaporates under the hood of your vehicle, so the car suffers from corrosion. With regular exposure to high temperatures, corrosion accelerates, which causes irreparable damage to the battery.
On cold winter days, you are haunted by the opposite problems. The engine oil thickens noticeably, the electrical resistance increases, so the battery suffers due to an increase in the usual load. If the car battery had some malfunctions in the summer season, in winter their number will only increase.
Before visiting a mechanic, you can try to independently assess the condition of your car’s battery. To do this, you will need a device called a multimeter. If you do not have this device at home, we advise you to purchase it. The multimeter is very cheap, but you can quickly identify a problem with the battery and save a large amount of money in the future.
What exactly is the multimeter designed for? It helps the car owner to find out what voltage is currently contained in the car battery. The main rule is never to check the battery directly at the time of operation. Such a check does not make sense, since the multimeter will then evaluate the charge not from the battery, but from the generator.
Don’t forget that an old car can actually have serious engine problems. Then even a new battery will not fix the situation. Use the vin decoder services to understand exactly which vehicle system is most in need of repair and supervision.
You can certainly determine how often you drive a car. Surprisingly, the less your car is idle in the garage, the longer the car battery will last. If you drive a car every day, the battery is charging at this time. Even if you love walking, try not to let the vehicle spend too much time in the parking lot. Even a short trip can make a difference since the regularity of driving in this issue is a key factor.
By the way, you should pay attention to another factor that can shorten the life of the car battery. If you use a faulty charging system, your car will discharge very often over time.
The bad news is also waiting for those who are not used to regularly taking care of the cleanliness and serviceability of their car. Dirt and rust have a negative effect on the electrical circuits around the car battery, then the electric current begins to flow worse. As a result, the battery starts working too intensively and because of this, it fails ahead of time.
And the last tip is to adequately assess your driving style. If you want to extend the battery life, avoid unnecessary sudden maneuvers on the road. By the way, such maneuvers negatively affect most elements and systems of the car. Therefore, try to stick to a constant speed and take care of braking at traffic lights in advance. This will not only have a positive impact on road safety but will also allow you not to spend money on buying a new car battery for a longer time.