Shockingly Simple Ways to Extend Your car Battery Life

Is it true that the life of a battery is only three years? Do you agree? You may have heard that you should replace your car battery after three years. Is this advice reasonable? Comment at the bottom of this post to discuss this with us.

The car battery is a vital component that directly affects the vehicle’s reliability and lifespan. Next, we will guide you on understanding car battery characteristics and how to extend its life.

How long does a car battery last?

Some automotive batteries last one to two years, while others can last seven to eight years, so there is no definitive answer. The actual lifespan depends on battery quality, driving habits, and environmental conditions. For example, if some cars have a good quality battery and a large capacity, the life will be longer. But the same car with the same battery, the use of different battery life is also different. However, what can be known is that the average life expectancy of a car is generally 3-5 years.

What causes a dead car battery?

• Extremely cold or hot outside weather: In cold weather, chemical reactions in the battery slow down, often causing batteries to die on cold mornings. Conversely, high temperatures speed up these reactions, leading to increased internal corrosion and a shorter battery lifespan. It is best to keep the car battery environment within 0°F-80°F. [1]
• Battery Drain: This is the most common reason for a dead battery. Any drain on the battery when the vehicle is turned off can drain the battery, even small lights like the glove box or rear reading lights can drain the battery if left on for a long time. Fortunately, most modern cars turn off their interior lights after the engine has been off for a while.
• Corrosion or loose connections: Something may be preventing the battery from charging properly while driving. Check that the positive and negative terminals of the battery are clean and intact. If they’re full of corrosion (which looks like blue-green fuzz) or clogged with debris, they can’t conduct electricity from the battery to the car’s electrical system. Loose connections can also cause problems.
• Age: All batteries eventually reach the end of their service life (average 3 to 5 years [2]) and performance deteriorates, at which point it is best to install a new battery.
• Vibration: Damage to the inside of the battery caused by severe vibration can shorten the life of the battery. The most common culprits are large potholes, prolonged driving on bumpy roads, and excessive speed over speed bumps.
• Parking for too long: keyless entry or anti-theft systems require a small but steady amount of power. Without the opportunity to recharge, the battery may simply run down.

8 Ways to Extend Car Battery Life

1. Test the battery: Knowing the condition of your car’s battery is critical to extending its life. You can use a car battery tester to monitor the condition of your battery and decide when it’s time for a new battery. [2]
2. Limit short trips: Rapid driving can prevent your car battery from fully recharging. You can keep your car battery charged by driving longer from time to time.
3. Securely fasten the battery: Check the battery terminals regularly, especially if you frequently drive on bumpy roads, to make sure they are tightly secured to the mounting brackets.
4. Turn off all lights when you get out of the car: leaving headlights and door lights on all the time can cause serious damage to your car battery. Make sure you turn them off before getting out of the car.
5. Control corrosion: Keeping the battery terminals clean and preventing corrosive buildup can extend the life of your car battery. Corrosion can be removed with a cloth or toothbrush dipped in a mixture of baking soda and water. Then rinse the mixture off with a spray bottle filled with cold water. Dry thoroughly with a clean cloth. (Be careful not to inhale this toxin).
6. Test Batteries Frequently: Use an automotive battery tester to test the battery’s output voltage level, checking how well you have maintained the battery and whether it needs replacement.
7. Do not use electronic devices when the engine is off: When the engine is not running, turn off any devices that drain the battery, such as the sound system, heater, or air conditioner. Prolonged idling also depletes the battery.
8. Take care of your car: Your car is made up of many parts. Routine maintenance and proper storage of your car are simple ways to ensure the life of your battery. The battery is only one part of a well-running car, so make sure you take good care of all of your car’s parts to extend the car battery life span.

When to Replace Your Car Battery

Finally, to prevent your car battery from suddenly going bad during your trip and affecting your itinerary, you may want to consider having a car battery replacement if any of the following signs occur.

• Fluctuations in engine idle speed when you turn on the headlights: The moment you turn on the headlights, you demand a lot of power, causing the voltage to drop drastically after the battery discharges. In response, the generator’s voltage regulator raises the generator’s power generation capacity to maintain stable circuit voltage. However, this increased power generation raises the engine’s resistance to operation, leading to fluctuations in idle speed.
• Low-speed driving frustration and power experience are not good: this is because the battery capacity after the decline in voltage, the generator to increase power generation to maintain circuit voltage stability and increase power generation will lead to increased engine resistance.
• Reduced brightness of the headlights: This is most obvious in the halogen headlights, the battery capacity is insufficient when the lights are yellow, and after replacing the new battery lights are whiter. Because the generator typically stabilizes its output voltage at around 14 volts, the aging of the battery reduces this voltage. As a result, the circuit pulls down the overall voltage, leading to dimmer lights. Generally to this point, the battery is completely unusable.
• Car starting sound change: when the battery is full of electricity, the car starter makes a very powerful sound, dry and sharp. When the battery is low, the sound of the starter will be intermittent because the starter has more resistance but the power supply is not enough. If you can hear a “hmm” sound when starting the engine, it means that the battery is low.