Replacing Your Car Battery

Christmas in July!?  Just as most of us are not thinking about Christmas or purchasing gifts in July, many of us aren’t thinking about replacing our car battery in the middle of the summer.  Whether or not you choose to purchase Christmas gifts in July isn’t really important.  What is important is replacing your car battery before it dies on you.

Most of you are aware that the winter cold shortens the life of your car battery.  But did you know that summer heat is harder than winter cold on the life of your battery?

We’ve all seen the advertisements showing the motorists stranded in the bitter cold with a dead battery!  It is almost automatic to think of dead batteries  and cold weather at the same time.  But we usually don’t think about our car battery in the summer as we should.  Summer heat can kill a battery 33 percent faster than winter cold!  On a day where the temperature reaches 90 degrees, the temperature inside the engine compartment can soar to 140 degrees or higher and running the air conditioning works the battery even harder!  Considering the fact we have been experiencing temperatures in the 100’s this summer, our batteries are really being put to the test.  We also need to remember that our car battery also powers all of the “toys” that we have in our cars,  MP3 players, GPS receivers, and DVD players.  So what do we need to do to ensure we aren’t stranded on the side of the road with a dead battery this summer?

1. Have the battery fluid checked.  Some batteries have removable filler caps and the heat evaporates the fluid more rapidly.  If this is the type of car battery you have , you might want to consider replacing it with a newer, flush- top battery.
2. Have the battery case inspected.  It shouldn’t have cracks or bulges or be leaking fluid.  If any of these are present, it should be replaced immediately.
3. If your car battery is more than three years old, get it tested by a trained technician, they should be able to give you a good idea if you should replace it or not.  The life of the average car battery is about 4 years long, so keep that in mind as you consider whether or not it should be replaced.

Don’t let a dead battery interfere with the plans you have for this summer.  Come in and see us for a battery check and save yourself the time and aggravation that a dead battery brings.