When Should You Replace Your Car Battery?
If you live in Canada, you know how our harsh winters can take a toll on your car. If you’ve ever experienced getting stranded with a dead car battery, you know that keeping your battery in optimal condition is totally worth it.
As a car owner, starting your car every morning may seem like a mindless activity, until it actually stops starting. Batteries tend to lose over half of their starting capacity in extreme cold. Batteries operate optimally at 26.7 C (80 F).
So you can imagine why so many cars don’t start during winter. Although a fully-charged battery should work in temperatures up to -65C (-58 F).
Understanding the Average Lifespan of a Car Battery
Under normal circumstances — where the battery gets put through full charge cycles, isn’t made to power too many accessories, and has a reliable charging system — a battery should last up to 6 years.
However, things like extreme weather, frequent short trips and charging many gadgets in your car (like charging your phone and GPS receivers) can wear your battery down.
What if you’re fond of short trips down the street?
Owning a car makes life a lot more convenient, but if you have a habit of driving to places you could easy reach on foot, the battery is never fully charged. This is because each time you start your car, you are using up lots of power.
When You Experience Slow or Weak Starts
Other than a dead battery, there are several other common signs that means your battery is telling you “Get me checked out now, or please replace me!”
If your engine is taking longer than usual to start, you should get your battery checked out by a licensed automotive technician. Just contact us and our Mek will come right to your door to check your battery and determine if it needs to be replaced.
When Your Battery is More Than 6 Years Old
Although your battery should last up to 6 years, it is best to conduct regular checkups on your car battery. This should be part of your regular car maintenance, according to your manufacturer’s recommended maintenance schedule.
Testing Your Battery
To ensure that your car battery is operating at maximum efficiency, it is best to get it tested every Spring. This also makes sure that your battery did not get too beat up during the winter.
The ideal way to test your battery is getting a licensed automotive technician, like instaMek’s mobile mechanics to hook up an electronic tester to your car battery.
This practice should be part of your vehicle’s routine maintenance. It should also be done every time you get your oil changed. Source 1
