How Often To Replace a Car Battery?
How Often To Replace a Car Battery?
Posted on October 4, 2023
Car batteries are the silent member of the Automotive team. The car battery does its job regardless of hear, cold weather and the drivers who demand so much of them. While a battery allows a vehicle to start at the first turn of the key is a joyful thing, it doesn’t last forever. Depending on how you drive and several other factors, a car battery will last about four years. When it does give out, there’s usually no sign of trouble; your vehicle dies.
Battery Replacement
Simply for battery replacement, you have approximately four years before the battery will theoretically begin to decrease in power. Around the four-year mark, start watching for symptoms and be prepared to take action. Due to the natural causes inside the battery, it may give out before you think it’s ready, or maybe it will last for several years.
How To Check Your Car Battery for Damage
When inspecting the battery after three years. There are two checks you should do, An eye test and a load test.
Eye Test
Simply a visual inspection when you lift the hood. You can look for corrosion around the cell connectors or posts holding the battery, cracks on top or down the side of the battery, a fraying or broken cable or usual stains. Also, the smell of sulfuric acids should not be ignored.
Load Test
You can do a load test to gauge capacity and charge with a handheld multimeter, which you can pick up at almost any automotive store. You then set the multimeter to 20 DC volts, match the prongs to the negative and positive terminals on the battery. You are looking for a reading that maintains 9.6 volts; if it hits that mark then steadily drops, that’s not a good sign.
Contact Us
Contact us at Maple Acura in Maple, Ontario, to schedule a service appointment to winterize your vehicle. You can also schedule a Parts Centre appointment to have your vehicle battery checked and replaced if needed.