Your vehicle battery is an essential part of your vehicle that allows it to perform many of the necessities we use in our everyday lives. Vehicle batteries produce energy towards charging cellphones, listening to the radio, using the lights in your vehicle, and many other features that wouldn’t be possible without the battery. It is a facet of the vehicle that the average human tends to neglect, which is why we’ve listed everything you need to know about the vehicle battery and how to maintain it.
Vehicle Battery Longevity
There are many variables that can have an effect on the lifespan of your vehicle's battery. Regardless, the majority of batteries will last you 2-5 years. The biggest factor that comes into play by affecting your vehicle's battery is the weather. Rising temperatures under your vehicle’s hood occur naturally, causing your battery to drain more drastically. Continually driving your vehicle in these harsh weather conditions are assured to make things worse.
Although the type of weather that is occurring is out of your jurisdiction, you can still make an impact to assist your vehicle's battery in lasting longer by doing the following:
- Secure your battery
- Regularly test your battery
- Monitor light usage
- Limit short rides
- Don’t use vehicle electronics when the engine isn’t running
Formation of Battery Sulfation
Sulfation is described as a buildup of many sulfate crystals and is popularly known to lead to early battery failure. Sulfation occurs when your vehicle’s battery voltage drops under 12.6 volts. Larger crystals begin to form, due to the uncharged crystals. These large crystals are harder to dissolve and end up blocking the chemical reaction that usually allows the battery to retain its energy. Overall, this severely decreases battery performance.
There are chargers that exist that have de-sulfating capabilities, working to reverse sulfation by steadily dissolving lead sulfate crystals and recharging that back to their original state.
Don’t Put Your Vehicle Battery In Jeopardy
If you are on the fence about your vehicle's battery issues, don’t wait until the last minute to seek help. We have experienced mechanics, trained to solve all your battery problems. If you don’t address your battery issues, you can find yourself stuck on the side of the road with a dead battery. Don’t let this be you, call us today!