There's nothing more frustrating than turning on your car, and it just won’t start. Maybe the dashboard doesn’t even light up. A likely cause: The car battery is dead.
While most car batteries have an expected lifespan of about three to five years, there are things you have to do to ensure they reach those set benchmarks. In this article, we get into 5 easy practical tips to help you prolong the life of your car battery.
- Limit Short Drives
Short trips take away the time your vehicle has to recharge. So, if you do this over and over, your car battery power will gradually drop until it can't fire up your vehicle anymore.
Recommendation: Try to take out your car for spins regularly and for longer periods. If you have to make a short trip, attempt to reduce the number of shorter rides you take to help preserve your car’s battery life.
- Get your battery checked regularly
Maintenance is key. Hence why, periodic testing can also tell you when the battery is due for replacement before it completely fails. In some cases, it might not be the battery that’s at fault. A trained automotive technician will help isolate the problem.
- Turn Off Accessories When Your Car Is Idle
When driving around, the electronic components such as radio/entertainment, lights, and air conditioner get their power from the car battery and alternator as long as your engine is running. But once you switch off the ignition, these accessories rely solely on the battery.
In this “accessory mode,” the car is using battery power without recharging.
Recommendation: It’s not enough to just turn the engine power off. Addons such as mobile phone charger can drain the battery faster. Hence if possible, unplugging them when the car is parked comes in handy.
- A Clean Battery Is a Happy Battery
The battery terminals corrode over time becoming unpleasant to look at and mess with how well the battery works. Luckily, keeping those terminals clean is a pretty easy task:
- Disconnect the cables.
- Combine two tablespoons of baking soda with the same amount of water in a small container to create a cleaning paste.
- Apply the paste to the terminals using a toothbrush, then scrub off any residue with a wire brush.
- Dry the terminals thoroughly with a clean towel before reattaching the cables.
- Remove and install batteries with care
It’s important to keep in mind as well that different batteries have different connection options. As such, should there be need to your car battery, then do it carefully to avoid exposing it to vibrations. Loose connections on the inside can lead to damage and result in short circuits.
Recommendation: Ensure the battery is well fixed, and the terminals are checked frequently, especially if you mostly ride on bad roads.
Conclusion
To extend battery life and avoid any surprising car troubles, it's a good idea to stick to your car maintenance plan and get your battery checked by professionals. When you drop by any Tire World Mobility Centres just let our technicians know you want them to give your battery a thorough check-up to ensure it is working well and charging properly.
Swing by or call us today for everything related to your car battery.
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