What You Should Know About Your Car Battery

How A Battery Works

How Long Does A Car Battery Last?

THINGS THAT DECREASE THE LIFE OF A BATTERY

• Frequent short driving trips.  Your car’s alternator takes over once your battery starts your car. It takes the alternator at least 20 minutes of driving to recharge the battery.

• Faulty alternator.  If the alternator isn’t working properly it will drain more energy from the battery.

• Corroded battery terminals  prevent the battery from fully recharging.

• Leaving lights on  after your car is turned off.

• Extreme cold.   Cold engine oil is thicker and requires more energy to get it moving. Simultaneously, cold slows down the chemical reactions happening inside the battery.

• Extreme heat.  High heat can cause the sulfuric acid bath your battery cells live in to evaporate resulting in internal structural damage. (Extreme heat is much harder on batteries than extreme cold.)

HOW DO YOU KNOW WHEN YOU NEED A NEW BATTERY?

OTHER WARNING SIGNS

• An old battery.   To determine the age of your battery look for the 4-5 digit code on the battery cover. Look for a letter (A-L.) The letter tells you the month the battery was made (A=January, L=December.) Following the letter is a number which represents the year the battery was made. A number “1” means the battery was made in 2011. (The rest of the numbers in the code designate where the battery was made.)

• Car takes a l  ong time to turn over.

• Low battery fluid  level warnings.

• Swollen battery case  (usually caused by extreme heat.)

BE SURE TO RECYCLE YOUR OLD BATTERY