How to Prolong your Car Battery Life?

Being trapped with a dead car battery is the worst possible situation. But, unfortunately, we’ve experienced it at some point in our lives. The problem can be frequently worse because, with modern cars, there are often little to no warning signs displayed beforehand. Moreover, there is a 50% chance that it will happen when you’re out and about and away from home.

Lead-acid automobile batteries have a finite lifespan and eventually lose the ability to hold a sufficient charge to start your car, just like the battery in your phone or laptop. In addition, a lead-acid battery should last 42 months on average, although this time frame can vary based on various factors, including the functioning of your car’s charging circuit and if you live in a hot or cold area. Moreover, there are ways to prolong your car battery life and ensure that your battery health remains excellent. 

Car batteries are a crucial component of a vehicle. Batteries provide your automobile the zap it needs to keep going, from starting it to charging your phone while you’re out and about. Because of this, it’s crucial to understand when to start thinking about replacing your car batteries and what you should do to enhance their lifespan. 

The Average Life Span of a Car Battery 

In general, car batteries last for three to four years. In addition, the weather is one of the most crucial elements determining how long a car battery will last. Under the hood, a running engine is already generating a lot of heat. Suppose you add a sweltering day to the mix. In that case, your car battery will be severely depleted, which could raise your risk of experiencing a dead battery if you don’t take the necessary safety measures when driving in the summer.

Furthermore, the fluid in car batteries may evaporate in warm weather, harming the battery’s internal components. Because of this, the battery life, on average, decreases in warmer climates. Therefore, consider the weather where you’ll be doing most of your driving when evaluating your car’s battery life. Every vehicle requires car battery replacement Abu Dhabi services as a specific life span fixed for every car battery. 

1. Avoid driving short trips often. 

Your car’s battery can only partially charge during short trips. Drive your automobile frequently and for long periods to keep the battery charged. Every time you start your automobile, your battery works hard, but the engine recharges it while driving. Therefore, the battery won’t compensate for the lost power if you are only driving a short distance. If you do this every day, the battery voltage will gradually drop until it cannot start the car anymore.

Furthermore, if you don’t drive your car often, consider investing in a battery charger to maintain the proper voltage. In addition, keep your car’s battery power by using it frequently and for extended periods. 

2.     Be sure your battery is securely fast.

Insecurely secured batteries may vibrate, perhaps causing internal harm and short circuits. In addition, use an appropriate battery clamp at all times to guarantee that you have securely fastened your car battery because vibration can shorten its lifespan. Excessive vibration could harm your battery’s internal components if it is not firmly attached, leading to short circuits and shorter battery life.

However, avoid damaging the battery by not over-tightening the clamp nuts to your ability. Instead, turn the nuts tighter until you begin to feel resistance, then turn them just one more half-round. 

3.    Reduce power consumption when the engine is off.

It is an effective way to prolong your car battery life. However, it is strongly advised against leaving your interior or headlights on while the engine is off, as car batteries function best when kept near a full charge. Moreover, always turn off all accessories before leaving the car, and make sure the lights are out before you go.

Furthermore, casually keeping your headlights and car door lights on can drain your car’s battery quickly. Instead, put a reminder on your car remote and stick a sticker on your dashboard. Moreover, you can also park, so you have to walk past your headlights to get where you’re going to avoid forgetting.

4.     Clean up your batteries.

Make sure your battery’s top is spotless, dry, and debris-free. A filthy battery may discharge dirt on the top of the shell, resulting in a slight short circuit that will eventually flatten the battery.

In addition, the battery terminals will also corrode with time, so it’s essential to keep them free of accumulation. It will help your automobile battery last longer. First, use an old toothbrush soaked in baking soda and water to clean the terminals. Next, thoroughly dry the mixture with a clean cloth after rinsing it with a spray bottle filled with cold water. 

5.  Attempt to limit exposure to heat. 

Contrary to popular belief, automobile batteries do not perish in cold temperatures. While starting your engine in the cold can need more effort from car batteries. The damage to the batteries received in the summer’s sweltering heat causes most car battery failures in the winter. 

Even with sealed top batteries, intense heat damages batteries because it speeds up the rate at which water evaporates from the cells. In addition, the weaker battery’s flaws are then exposed to the cold when lower temperatures deplete its residual cranking power when it tries to start cold engines with thick oil.

While feasible, park your car in the shade and keep it in the garage when not in use. You can also look into measures to protect the battery from heat produced in the engine compartment. Furthermore, you can get car battery change Abu Dhabi services if you need a replacement or repair service. 

6. Check the voltage of your battery.

The longer a lead-acid battery is left partially or depleted, the shorter its life will be. Thus monitoring the voltage using a voltmeter once a month is a fantastic method to keep an eye on your battery’s health. The voltage of a healthy, fully charged lead-acid battery should be 12.7 volts or above.

If the voltage drops to less than 12.5 volts, we advise charging the battery as soon as possible. However, don’t become comfortable; a lead-acid automobile battery is believed to be half-charged at 12.4 volts and entirely flat or dead at 12.0 volts. If you follow this tip, you can prolong your car battery life. 

7. Avoid idling the car for extended periods.

You must always completely charge your Lead-acid automobile batteries to avoid harm, as you may have noted in some comments above. It is because all lead-acid batteries inherently lose charge over time, a process known as “self-discharge,” regardless of the brand.

At room temperature, a flooded lead-acid battery will self-discharge at a rate of about 1% per day. Similarly, at 10°C (50°F), 0.25% per day, and at 30°C (86°F), 1.5% per day. Moreover, it is crucial to keep in mind that parasitic loads from the vehicle can increase the discharge rate. Therefore, the best advice is to connect a trickle charger if your car is idle for more than a week to keep the battery in excellent shape. 

Final Note 

One of your car’s most crucial components is the battery. When you plug the key in the ignition, it supplies electricity to the car’s electrical system and aids in starting the engine. The battery is crucial since it powers your car and keeps your anti-theft systems in good working order. Furthermore, it will support electronic fuel injection regulation. In addition, if you follow the instructions mentioned above, you can prolong your car battery life. Additionally, you can get car battery Abu Dhabi services for replacements or repairs.