If you've ever been stranded in the middle of nowhere with a dead car battery, you're likely willing to do anything in your power to keep your car battery in decent condition. While car batteries last at least a few years on average, extreme elements and bad driving habits can shorten your car battery's life significantly. Here are a few tips that will help you keep your car battery in good condition.
Keep It Clean
Just like with most things, car batteries tend to work far better when they're clean. Over time, corrosion tends to build up on the terminals. This corrosion buildup can prevent the current from passing to the cables from the battery. To remove this corrosion buildup, you can use pliers or a screwdriver. If the corrosion buildup turns out to be difficult to remove, consider contacting a professional. If your car battery refuses to work, removing the corrosion buildup can bring it back from the dead.
Avoid Short Trips
The more you start your car, the more the car battery is taxed. Therefore, you should avoid short trips. This is especially essential during the winter if you live in a cold climate, as starting the car in the cold is even more taxing to the battery. Therefore, you should try to incorporate several short errands into one trip. If you need to take a short trip, consider walking or biking instead. Of course, your car battery does need to run every once in a while so that it can continue to hold a charge.
Insulation Blanket
Check your battery to see if there is some extra room around it. If it can fit, consider installing an insulation blanket around the battery. This insulation blanket, which is basically a plastic sheet, will keep your battery cool in the summertime and warm in the wintertime. By keeping the car battery at an optimal temperature, its lifetime will be extended greatly. When your car battery eventually needs replacing, consider purchasing a smaller battery so that the insulation blanket will fit around it. A small car battery with an insulation battery will likely last longer than a lone large car battery.
As you can see, there are many things you can do to keep your car battery in good condition. Just follow the tips discussed above and your car battery will likely last you quite a few years before replacement is necessary. Contact United Battery Systems, Inc. for more information about batteries.
Share13 May 2015
My husband bought his first brand new car ever. I know him well enough to know that he will not keep that car stock for very long. He enjoys accessorizing all of his vehicles, so I thought that his Father's Day gift this year would have to be some type of accessory for his new car. I started looking into the things that I knew that he would like, but found so many things that I had a difficult time deciding. If you are considering buying an auto accessory as a gift, visit my blog. There, you will find the advice that was given to me by the auto accessories salesperson that I worked with to find the perfect gift for my husband.
