Is Your Car Battery the Culprit?
Is your car getting hard to start? After winter's freezing temperatures, it would be wise to have your car battery checked out. A failing car battery is a problem many drivers experience when the weather gets cold. Although this is a common winter problem, the root of the issue actually occurred months earlier during the summertime heat. Excessive heat and overcharging shorten the life of a car battery by evaporating the fluid, which can then cause damage in the internal structure. Cold weather is actually the final shock to the battery! And, a malfunctioning component in the charging system, usually the voltage regulator, will allow too high of a charging rate, eventually resulting in a dead battery. If this happens, you will require a car battery replacement to get started again.
Your battery may not have died yet, but it may be working slower. Follow the maintenance tips below to help maintain the charge in your car battery and help prevent the cost and inconvenience of a premature car battery replacement:
- Make sure the electrical system is charging at the proper rate. Overcharging can damage a battery as quickly as undercharging.
- Check the level of fluid fairly often if your battery is the type that requires topping off. Only use distilled water to top it off.
- Always replace a car battery with one that's rated at least as high as the manufacturer's equipped original.
- Keep the top of the battery clean. Corrosion and dirt accumulating on the terminals act as an insulator, inhibiting the flow of the current.
Follow the maintenance tips above and your car battery will give you the service you expect, plus save you the cost and inconvenience of a dead battery.
Need a car battery replacement or just a charge? Contact our ASE Certified Technicians at Cannon Auto Repair today by calling 507-263-2120 or go on-line at https://www.cannonautorepair.com for more information. Our auto shop serves vehicle owners in Cannon Falls, MN, and the surrounding areas.
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Is your car getting hard to start? After winter's freezing temperatures, it would be wise to have your car battery checked out. A failing car battery is a problem many drivers experience when the weather gets cold. Although this is a common winter problem, the root of the issue actually occurred months earlier during the summertime heat. Excessive heat and overcharging shorten the life of a car battery by evaporating the fluid, which can then cause damage in the internal structure. Cold weather is actually the final shock to the battery! And, a malfunctioning component in the charging system, usually the voltage regulator, will allow too high of a charging rate, eventually resulting in a dead battery. If this happens, you will require a car battery replacement to get started again.
Your battery may not have died yet, but it may be working slower. Follow the maintenance tips below to help maintain the charge in your car battery and help prevent the cost and inconvenience of a premature car battery replacement:
- Make sure the electrical system is charging at the proper rate. Overcharging can damage a battery as quickly as undercharging.
- Check the level of fluid fairly often if your battery is the type that requires topping off. Only use distilled water to top it off.
- Always replace a car battery with one that's rated at least as high as the manufacturer's equipped original.
- Keep the top of the battery clean. Corrosion and dirt accumulating on the terminals act as an insulator, inhibiting the flow of the current.
Follow the maintenance tips above and your car battery will give you the service you expect, plus save you the cost and inconvenience of a dead battery.
Need a car battery replacement or just a charge? Contact our ASE Certified Technicians at Cannon Auto Repair today by calling 507-263-2120 or go on-line at https://www.cannonautorepair.com for more information. Our auto shop serves vehicle owners in Cannon Falls, MN, and the surrounding areas.
About the Author
