7 ways to extend the life of your car battery

A car battery is an essential part present in a car. It goes through extreme temperature variances over the long haul as it controls the vehicle's various parts, like horns, ACs, headlights, taillights, ECUs, and numerous others. In contrast, it gives power to the whole car's parts, deteriorating the battery's capacity, particularly during hot weather. When the external temperature is scorching, the battery's capacity is decreased to under three years. In any case, when the external temperature is cold or moderate, its life can stretch out as long as six years.

The car's battery gets naturally charged when the vehicle is on or is in a running position. However, when the vehicle stays inactive for quite a long time, its charging decreases quickly and in some cases to the degree that it will not start. This again diminishes the life of the battery car and prompts its abrupt breakdown.

Thus, to protect you from these circumstances, we have mentioned the main 7 different ways to help you extend the life of the car's battery.

Clean the battery regularly

The primary method to improve the life of some material is by keeping it clean consistently.

A definitive method of improving the life of the battery is by cleaning it routinely. A grimy battery can accidentally lead to a short circuit, which might flatten the battery forever. Further, the terminals will also corrode with time because of dirt and dreary. Thus eliminate all the mud and grime from the battery and keep it perfect and dry. You can clean the battery and its terminals using baking soda and water. Scrub this mixture on the battery using a toothbrush. The toothbrush will help you in reaching the narrow areas for better cleaning.

Keep the battery tightly fastened

Batteries come with a battery clamp, which holds the battery properly to protect it from vibrations produced during the car's movement. However, you have to be careful with one more thing. If the battery clamps aren't used, the vibrations will damage the battery's internal components, leading to short circuits and reduced battery life. Over-tightening of the clamp's nuts can also damage the battery.

Avoid short trips in your car

The battery doesn't get charged while sitting idle. When you start the car, it receives a short workout, and when it takes a journey, the engine begins to set it. But, if the journey is short, the amount of power lost will not be regained entirely even though you take the car for a quick trip every day. This will reduce the life to a much greater extent, and the battery can get flattened soon. So, you should start driving your car for at least four days a week and more extended periods.

Minimize the power usage when the engine is off

While the car's engine is off, ensure that you turn off all the accessories such as wiper, headlights, or taillights. This is because when the engine is off, the car battery isn't in the charging position. As the car's parts will be on, they will pressurize the battery for more power, thus reducing its power to the most.

Keep the car away from direct sun

You might have heard that a car battery gets dead in the cold weather, but it is half true. The engine takes more load to start during the winters, but they are not always shut down permanently. If it happens, it is because of the damage they have faced during the summers. Excess heat is harmful to the batteries as it leads to the evaporation of the fluid present in it, and then in the colder weather, the battery cannot bear the load, thus leading to its breakdown.

Avoid leaving the car idle for months

Car batteries come with lead-acid that has the property of self-discharging the battery if not used regularly. However, sometimes, the batteries get discharged at a higher rate than expected. Thus, try to ride your car as frequently as possible. If you don't know how to charge a car battery, you can use a trickle charger to charge your batteries and prevent them from auto-shutdown.

Get your battery's voltage checked monthly

The battery's voltage determines the battery's health and its effectiveness currently and in the future. If the battery's voltage is 12.7 or above, it is healthy and fully charged. But, if it is below 12.5 volts, then you need to charge the car battery. Reaching 12.4 volts, the battery becomes half-charged, and at 12.0, it becomes dead. So, a regular check is required for confirming better health.

As you are presently aware of the seven ways of extending and charging a car battery, you should not forget to show the car battery to the Autobest service center for a safety test.

At Autobest, you will get the best services and essential advice regarding safety measures to be taken by you for your car. If you feel your vehicle has filled its need for more than 15 years, you can go for another one at Autobest itself, as we have a heap of new and second-hand cars for sale. Nonetheless, we primarily deal in certified second-hand cars in the luxury and regular section, making it the best place to buy second-hand cars.