How to Care for your Car Battery

Caring for the lifespan of your car’s battery is an ongoing job, but not many car owners make the time or effort to do so. So today, we’re here to inform you how to extend the life of your car’s battery, whether your car is fully electric or a traditional gas engine.

If your battery is showing signs that it might be dying or running low on power, follow this preservation guide. Some signs that your battery is running low include:

• Slow engine crank
• Clicking sound when you start the vehicle
• Dimming headlights
• Issues with electronic components
• Dashboard battery warning light
• Your battery case is swollen

If you’re operating a fully electric vehicle, the car will likely update you on the overall health of the battery if you’re nearing a breaking point. So some of this information pertains most strongly to traditional gas vehicles.

Limit short trips

This might sound counter-intuitive to preserving your car battery. But this is quite helpful since short trips don’t give your car much time to charge the battery using the alternator. If you’re at risk of having your battery die, try to rely on a backup vehicle or other modes of transportation for short trips. All you’ll be doing is draining the already diminishing battery life you have.

Keep your battery tightly fastened

A battery that’s not securely fastened could vibrate, resulting in internal damage and short circuits. Have your battery terminal checked regularly – especially if you frequently drive on bumpy roads – to ensure it is tightly secured in the mounting bracket.

Turn off the lights

Some vehicles are designed to automatically turn headlights or interior lights off after a certain time of being off. While convenient, this is a feature that will put further strain on your battery. So if you can switch this feature off and control your lights manually, you should do this to preserve battery life. Even a fraction of battery life saved will add up in the long run.

Clean off corrosion

Corrosive buildup on your battery terminals can also impact the life of your battery overall. Luckily, corrosion can be quickly cleaned off using a cloth or toothbrush dipped in baking soda and water mixture. Rinse it all off with a spray water bottle and wipe it thoroughly dry and clean with a cloth.

Test your battery

Test your battery’s output voltage level with a car battery tester to keep track of how well you’re maintaining it and if you’re due for a replacement battery.