The first thing to address is how long will a car battery last. On average, a car battery will last for about three to five years.
In most cases you will find that it will last towards the shorter end of this scale and need to be replaced at the three-year mark.
There are many variables that will determine how long a car battery will last. Some of the things that will send it to an early grave are as follows.
Many short trips on a daily basis can reduce the life of your automotive batteries.
If your vehicle has an average run time of less than 20 minutes, your alternator will not have the opportunity to recharge it fully.
Many starting cycles, coupled with short run time will leave your battery below the ideal charged specification for most of it’s shortened life.
Another reason for a dead car battery would be exposures to extreme temperatures. The cranking power is created by a chemical reaction.
The outside temperature affects this chemical reaction. This is why you will find that most batteries are encased in an insulated jacket.
This insulation allows it to go through its normal temperature changes slowly and can extend overall battery life.
One of the big mistakes that the do-it-yourself and professional mechanics will make is when they replace a car battery they will discard this insulated cover.
This will also shorten the life span. The manufacture put this insulated cover on for a reason so you don’t want to forget to reinstall it.
Dead car battery diagnosis
When your car battery goes completely dead, there are a few factors that will determine your next step. If it is more than three years old, you’re best bet would be to replace the battery.
If you're not sure how old it is your next step should be to charge and test the battery. Note: You should always wear safety glasses and protective clothing. Battery acid is dangerous stuff!
Battery chargers and testers have come down in price in recent years. These are good tools to have around. This way you will have what you need when faced with the dead battery problem.
The testers and chargers are easy to use and have simple indicators of green and red. That will take the guessing out of diagnosing your automotive battery.
Take care of your car battery
If you take care of your battery, it will take care of you. Regular maintenance is a good habit to get into.
If you want your battery to last to the five-year mark, you're going to have to take care of it. This is very easy to do.
The stuff to use is called terminal protector spray. If you apply this product to a new or clean terminals, it will greatly reduce the amount of corrosion that builds up.
Corrosion can prevent the proper automatic charging of the battery from the vehicles alternator.
If you follow this procedure once every six months, it will last much longer. This is one of those situations where an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
A dead car battery is a fact of life. Being prepared for when this happens is also simpler then you may think.
To avoid being stuck somewhere, you want to make sure that you have a good set of battery cables and safety glasses in your vehicle.
You also want to be familiar with the hook up and operation of these cables.
An even better solution to the dead battery problem is to have your own jump box.
Having your own battery jump box can avoid the problems of hooking up the jumper cables to another vehicle. It is also nice to be able to jump your vehicle without having to ask somebody for help.
These jump boxes have also come down in price over the last few years. My own personal battery jumper is about five years old and has saved my neighbors and me many times.
I own the jump n carry 600 that has been updated to the 660 model. This thing has 1700 peak amps at 12 volts. If this monster does not jump your vehicle then it has another problem. I have jumped dump trucks and buses as well as my wife's Camry with my jump box.
This unit may be overkill for the do it yourself mechanic and it has no reverse polarity protection so you better hook it up right.If your looking for a lighter duty model with built in protection than I would recommend the Duracell jumper below.
All of the tools listed below and talked about above come with easy-to-follow instruction manuals. Learning about how to use these cranking and charging system tools will assure you know what to do the next time you are faced with a dead car battery.
The battery tester below will also diagnose the charging system. And if your vehicle does a lot of sitting take a look at the charge tender. I own most of the tools listed below but for more independent reviews click on the product and view the testimonials.
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Battery tester is also an important tool that you should have. Usually dead battery is a cause when you're car won't start.
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