Auto Battery Life

Proper care for your automobile battery can prolong its life and save you money and problems . Most automotive batteries are what they call ‘Maintenance Free’ . There still some thing that can be done eliminate problems .

The battery terminal connections should be inspected from time to time and cleaned when needed . Terminal cleaning is normally done as part of an engine tune up . The tune up interval is now so long that the battery may need attention before that time . In most cases the terminals can be inspected on the oil change service if you ask . It only takes about 2 minutes to clean them , so some shops will even do them for free , with other services .

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On Diesel vehicles there are often two batteries . As tune up’s are not needed on diesel vehicles , the battery terminals must be cleaned by request . Once a year , just before winter weather is a very good time . Clean battery terminals will past currant much better that dirty terminals and will help to keep the battery (s) more fully charged . Clean terminals also make for easier starting , specially in cold weather .

Driver habits can also help the batteries to live longer and stay charged better . When you come to a stop with your vehicle , before you turn the engine off , turn all electrical equipment ‘Off’ (Heater , Radio, Air Conditioning , Windshield Wipers , Rear Defogger etc. If these are turned off then they are not putting a load on the battery and drawing it down the next time you are starting the engine .

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Turning electrical equipment of as explained above can as much as double the life of a battery in some vehicles ! Also the engine will start quicker and much better if other accessories are off during cranking . (the battery cranking voltage is higher) . When replacing the battery in a vehicle due to age , it is best to replace the battery with a higher amperage battery . As a vehicle gets older electrical resistances tend to increase . The higher the amperage rating of the battery better it will handle the electrical load and the longer it will maintain higher power .