Change your car battery?
Is it time to change your car’s battery?
Things to consider:
Vibration
Time
Heat
There are many factors to consider when evaluating charging your car’s battery. Among them, vibration, time, heat, as well as a few other factors, can play significant roles in the life of your car’s battery.
Battery Vibration
The internal battery parts can wear down over time due to vibration. Obviously some vibration cannot be avoided, as your car’s battery is always riding around in your car, hitting pot holes, and just daily usage. But some vibration can be avoided by ensuring that you have all of the proper clamps in place and tightened. If you are unsure how to check these clamps for tightness, if you think your battery clamps are loose, or if you do not have the tools to tighten your batteries clamps, stop by one of our Ace Car Care Center locations and let one of our battery change experts assist you with tightening your battery’s clamps. There is no charge for checking and tightening your car battery’s clamps. We are happy to assist ensure your stay safely on the road.
Battery Heat
While heat is important in helping the chemical reactions in your battery do what they are supposed to do, heat in your battery also increases the speed at which your battery will degrade. In climates where it is cooler all year round a battery may last as many of 4 to 6 years longer than a battery that is in a car in much warmer climates. In locations that are always hot, a batteries life may be as short as 2 to 4 years. Regardless of where your car is located, in the north where it is typically cooler, or in the south where it is typically hotter, when your car has been running for a certain period of time, it is ALWAYS hot under your cars hood, where your battery happens to live. Sometimes car and truck auto manufacturers will try to place your battery in an area that is more isolated. Sometimes the car’s battery is even mounted outside of the cars engine compartment, to keep it cooler and away from the car’s engine. A heat shield may also be used to shield the battery from excessive heat. Regardless of the measures that are taken to keep your battery cool, it will invariably become hot and degrade to some degree. Just be aware of the variables that face your battery to better understand how long your car’s battery should be expected to live.
Time
Like all things, the sands of time hit car batteries too. Ultimately, regardless of how much effort was taken to shield your card’s battery from heat, or to keep it happy and safe and rattle free, time will dictate that a battery must eventually die. Knowing this, you will not want to be out on the road with your car when your car battery dies, and you can take steps to prevent ending up stranded due to a dead car battery! The types of trips you most often drive can also impact how quickly your car’s battery will deteriorate. Cars that often drive on longer trips will self discharge. Batteries that more frequently drive on shorter trips will not be able to do this and not allow the battery to fully recharge.
More Battery Wear and Tear Factors
If you ever let your car’s battery go completely dead and then are able to recharge it, your batteries life will have been significantly diminished. A malfunctioning charging system can also reduce your car battery’s life. When a battery is over or under charged it hastens the battery agin process. If this over or under charging occurs persistently your car battery’s life will be impacted in a more sever manner. Eventually leading to a dead car battery.
Weak Battery Warning Signs / Danger Will Robinson
So you fear your battery is getting old? Or you have seen an indicator light on your dash reflecting the fact that your battery may be weak. Or you have had some trouble cranking your car? You should have your battery tested at each oil change to ensure it is still in good working order, check its age, and also ensure that your battery clamps are snug and all present. Also at your oil change, one of our Ace Car Care specialists will check and ensure that your battery cable connections are secure.
Choosing the correct car battery type
While it would be nice, car batteries are not all made the same or made to fit all vehicles. Each vehicle has a best determined battery that will work for it. The batteries terminal configuration, actual physical battery size, and battery type will all factor into whether any given battery will fit in your car, truck, or SUV. Amp-hours (abbreviated Ah) as well as cold crank amps (abbreviated CCA) are also factors to consider when selecting the right car battery for your car.
Different Battery Types
If you are unsure about AGM (the more advanced battery design) or the more traditional lead-acid based batteries never fear. One of our battery technicians is always glad to recommend the best car battery replacement for you. Since most charging systems are mainly optimized for a specific battery type Ace Car are Center always suggests and recommends replacing your car’s battery with the manufacturer’s recommended battery, or the same type that came with the automobile when it was first manufactured.
Replace Your Car Battery Before it Dies
Ace Car Care Center is always happy to assist you with discerning if your battery actually needs to be replaced, as well as offering preventative car maintenance to ensure that your car’s battery will last as long as possible given all of the circumstances that can impact battery life. Our team will also ensure that you get a battery that is actually NEW and not an old battery that has been sitting somewhere on a shelf collecting dust and losing its life. Most good batteries do offer warranties that will replace for free a battery that dies within a certain time frame, normally a couple of years, ensuring that your battery is not a lemon. As is true with any auto repair and maintenance service that is offered by Ace Car Care Center, we stand behind our battery replacement services. Visit one of our Auto Service Centers and one of our technicians will help review all of your battery and car needs.