Don't Wait For A Dead Battery To Buy A Replacement!
Your car's battery serves two essential roles in your charging system. You're probably aware that you need your battery to start your engine, but it also acts as a giant capacitor. Your alternator provides the charge, but your car's various electrical accessories run directly from the battery. This design ensures a smooth 12-volt power supply unaffected by engine RPM or other mechanical factors.
As a result, a dead battery will do more than just leave you stranded. If your battery can't hold a charge, you might find necessary accessories such as headlights, turn signals, or climate controls failing while you're on the road. Your car might even stop since your engine relies on many electrical components for sensor data and computer control.
How Can You Know When Your Battery is Failing?
The typical battery lasts for 3-5 years, although you might get more or less time out of yours depending on conditions and climate. Your battery should have a manufacturing date sticker on it, but this doesn't necessarily tell you its installation date. Instead, note when you install a new battery in your maintenance records. If you don't have this information available, use the manufacture date as the install date.
Why is it critical to know the date of your battery's manufacture or installation? Once you know your battery is at least three years old, you can begin to watch for the warning signs of failure. Common symptoms include difficulty starting the vehicle, dimming headlights, or even unusual and seemingly unrelated electrical accessory failures.
If you suspect your battery might be dying, or even if it's just approaching the end of its lifespan, you should strongly consider scheduling a test. Battery testing is usually a free or low-cost service, and it can give you a good idea of how much life your battery has left. You should always replace weak or dying batteries as soon as you can.
Why Shouldn't You Wait for Your Battery to Die?
What if your car seems to be running fine, but a test shows that your battery is weak or just barely holding a charge? It might seem like a cost-effective plan to wait for your battery to kick the bucket, but this can be far more costly. A dying battery can strain your alternator or even leave you stranded at the side of the road, forcing you to pay for a tow or roadside service.
Jump starting your car can also be damaging to the charging system. Although a quick jump might be worthwhile if you're stuck with a dead car, it's something you should generally avoid. By testing your battery before it fails, you can replace it while it's still functional and avoid the expensive consequences of allowing it to die.
Contact a battery testing service to learn more.
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