If you’ve ever had your car battery die on you, you know the pain of regret—regret that you didn’t do more to prevent a dead car battery from happing in the first place!
Contrary to popular belief, cold weather is the number-one reason car batteries die. Here’s how to save yourself a woeful winter wakeup call. How to avoid a dead car battery, especially during cold temperatures.
Car batteries are a lot like smartphone batteries. Not because they’re lightweight and (sometimes) easily removable, but because they last about as long. The average lifespan for smartphone and automobile batteries is three to seven years. Not bad, right? But that’s only if you take good care of it.
The average car battery life in North America is 3 to 5 years. Not even close to three years, and about a million miles away from seven. Of course, there are a lot of factors that play into this shortened lifespan. Factors like vibration, overcharging, and deep discharging can influence the speeding up of the chemical process in the battery that causes the positive-charged plate to “flake off,” which leads to sediment buildup. In case you didn’t know, sediment and batteries don’t play well together. In fact, they’re enemies. Better to keep them apart.
Anyone who’s ever worked in car repair will tell you cold fall mornings are notorious for calls to jumpstart or outright replace dead batteries. In places like the northeast, where temperatures can fluctuate as much as 50 degrees from one day to the next, dead batteries are even more commonplace. If you want to avoid adding your name to your local repair shop’s roster of emergency calls, be proactive and get your battery checked out by a professional before the cold weather strikes.
Here are steps you can take to prevent a dead car battery.
Run the vehicle more frequently helps charge the battery through the engine’s alternator. Run the vehicle at least 15-20 minutes.
Winter’s upon us, so consider this your reminder. But even if it stays warm all winter where you live, you’re not invulnerable. If your car battery is more than three years old, be sure to have it checked. It’s not just about saving time. With service calls requiring new battery installation running upwards of $200, it’s also about saving money.
For tips on finding a qualified mechanic near you, price out their battery check services, and to schedule your appointment online, visit Openbay.
Other tips for winter driving: Winter Driving Survival Guide: Dos and Don’ts
Written by an ASE Certified Technician and frequent contributor to this blog, specializing in all things automotive service and repair.
Jan 2, 2025Openbay Staff
