Caring for Your Car Battery

Although you might not give it much thought, your car battery is a crucial part of your vehicle. If you don’t take care of it, you could find yourself stranded in a parking lot when your car won’t start. To make sure that never happens to you, be sure to follow these important care tips for your car battery.

Do a Visual Inspection

Every few months, pop the hood of your vehicle and do a visual inspection of your battery. This is a very simple way to check the health of your battery. Even though a visual inspection can’t tell you what the battery’s voltage is, it can tell you if your battery might need replaced because of wear and tear. When you perform a visual inspection, you’ll want to look for signs of corrosion around the terminals, bulges or cracks in the battery case, and any fraying in the cables that connect to your battery.

Clean Any Corrosion

If you do notice corrosion during your visual inspection, taking the time to clean it off is a great way to help extend your car battery’s life. To clean corrosion on a car battery, simply use a toothbrush dipped in a mixture of baking soda and water to scrub the terminals. Then use a spray bottle filled with cold water to rinse off the mixture and thoroughly dry the terminals with a clean cloth.

Limit Short Trips

Short car rides prevent the car battery from fully charging, so you should try to limit your short trips as much as possible. Additionally, batteries will lose their charge when they sit idle for extended periods of time. This is why cars that stay parked for over a month typically need a jump-start before the engine will start. If you need to leave your vehicle parked for a long time, consider hooking it up to a battery tender, which helps keep the battery powered while the vehicle isn’t in use.

Double-Check Your Lights

Accidentally leaving on an interior light or your headlights when you park your car will usually result in a dead battery when you finally come back. To make sure you never forget to turn off your lights, get in the habit of double-checking to make sure both your headlights and interior lights are off before you walk away.

Know the Average Battery Life

No matter how well you take care of your battery, it will eventually need to be replaced. That’s why it’s important to know the average lifespan of a battery. Most car batteries will last between two and seven years. However, the weather where you live plays a big role in this lifespan. A running engine already produces a lot of heat. When you throw in the scorching sun, the fluids in a car battery will evaporate much faster. This is why the average battery life in warmer climates is shorter.

When you want to make sure your car battery is always ready when you need it, be sure to keep these important care tips in mind.

Image via Flickr by JeepersMedia used under CC BY 2.0

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