How Do You Know If Your Car Battery is Failing?
Should You Replace a Car Battery Each Spring?
What is the most important component in an automobile? There are plenty of things that make a strong case to be number one. However, for our money, we think the humble battery has the best evidence for being the most important part of a car. Ask anyone who has needed to find someone to jump-start a dead battery on the coldest, rainiest day of the year. Cold temperatures are notoriously hard on car batteries and it’s not uncommon for batteries to need to be replaced after a hard winter. Let’s take a look at some information that could prevent a major inconvenience.
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Why Is Cold Weather Bad for Car Batteries?
Automotive batteries use a chemical reaction to produce electricity. When it’s cold outside, the necessary chemical process is hindered, requiring more effort to produce the amps to get the vehicle started. Over the period of a few winters, that additional effort takes its toll on the entire system. Compound all of that with other underlying mechanical issues and all of the pieces are in place for someone being stranded out in the cold.
3 Signs You Might Need a New Car Battery
Like anything else that involves the maintenance of an automobile, modern technology has made car batteries more reliable than ever before. The benefit of those improvements is that it’s unlikely a car battery will fail without warning unless there is a larger problem at play. Take a look at three of the most common signs your car battery might be replaced.
1. Dim Interior/Exterior Lights
Before you find yourself stranded in a parking lot, you may notice that it’s harder to see in low-light conditions. If you turn the key and you notice the headlights and interior lights aren’t quite as bright as normal, the battery could be struggling a little. When this occurs, there is enough power to activate the lights, but not enough for them to hit full brightness.
2. Slow Cranking/Clicking Sounds
A tell-tale sign there is something wrong with a vehicle is when it sounds off. We quickly become accustomed to a usual sequence of events when our car starts and the audible response to that. A car, truck, or SUV that takes longer to start could be the beginning of battery troubles. If the battery problems continue unabated, you’ll eventually see no response, except for the clicking sound of a starter motor that doesn’t have enough juice to turn over.
3. Throttle Input Required to Start
The automotive industry has long since abandoned carburetors in favour of fuel injection. This means you should never need to press the gas pedal to make the vehicle start. If you find yourself doing this, your battery could be on its last legs.
Don’t hesitate to reach out to the Southside Dodge Service Department if you have any questions about keeping your vehicle on the road where it belongs.