Perfect Time to Replace a New Car Battery

Automotive batteries are the heart and soul of your car. Since modern vehicles come with several driver assistance and safety features, including airbags, seat warmers, rear cameras, and air conditioners, they need powerful car batteries. Car batteries also assist in starting up the engine of your car every time you turn on the ignition, making them one of the most critical components of your vehicle.

No matter how robust your car’s battery is, it will not last perpetually. After about 3 to 5 years, all automotive batteries have to be replaced. The time for replacement depends on several factors, including battery type, climate, maintenance, and usage patterns. For cars that operate regularly in cold climatic conditions, automotive batteries generally have a shorter lifespan. Similarly, vehicles that are parked for long hours usually end up with a dead battery faster.

Car batteries usually indicate their imminent death in several ways. As a car owner, if you keep checking your battery regularly and observe the performance of your car keenly, you will be able to notice the following signs when your car battery needs replacement.

Dim or Flickering Headlights

Headlights, rear lights, and interior lights are all powered by your vehicle’s battery. When the strength of your car battery decreases, it fails to supply enough power to the headlights to keep them on. If you notice your car’s lights flickering constantly, your battery has most probably turned weak. You must also examine the brightness of your car’s headlights if you suspect a dead battery. If the brightness decreases visibly, your battery is heading towards death.

Slow Cranking Engine

At the time of ignition, your vehicle’s engine requires a large amount of electrical power. This power is supplied to the engine by your car’s battery. As a car battery ages, it cannot provide enough power to the engine causing it to crank very slowly. While slow cranking engines also occur as a result of long parking hours and cold climatic conditions, it is always better to have your battery checked if you notice sluggish engine performance.

Clicking Sounds during Ignition

The battery of your vehicle supplies an electrical signal to your car’s starter solenoid. This solenoid later converts the signal into energy and starts the engine as a car is turned on. When your vehicle’s battery turns weak, it cannot supply the required power to the starter solenoid. As a result, the solenoid produces clicking sounds every time the ignition is turned on. These sounds can be heard very quickly and must not be ignored as they indicate that your car battery’s health is declining.

Backfiring

When a car battery turns weak, it produces intermittent sparks in a vehicle’s fuel cylinder. This leads to the accumulation of fuel within the cylinder. When such cars are turned on, this fuel burns suddenly, causing significant backfiring. Even if backfiring is a result of any other fault in the body of your vehicle, you should not ignore it.

Jumpstarts

A few jumpstarts once or twice a year are not red flags. This is especially true of cars operating in cold climatic conditions. However, with a weak car battery, your engine will not start leading you to jumpstart your vehicle every time you head out, regardless of the weather. Such circumstances call for battery replacement.

Corrosion

One of the most obvious signs of battery damage is corrosion. Even new car battery display a little bit of corrosion at their connecting terminals. In excessively-aged cells, it is apparent in the form of either a white powdery deposit or a solid blue one. Sometimes, you might also notice a greenish-blue or clear film coating on the body of your car battery. Cleaning corroded terminals is a temporary solution. If your car battery shows excessive corrosion, get it replaced.

Odour

Sulphur is a prominent element in most batteries since the electrolyte usually contains some compound of sulphur. Electrolyte leakage is common in old or damaged cells. When the sulphur contained within the battery leaks, it creates a rotten smell, much like stale eggs. You should be able to notice such odour as soon as you pop open the hood of your car.

Physical Damage to Battery

A weak battery cannot hold a charge for long hours and gets discharged quickly. The frequent charge and discharge result in rapid temperature fluctuations, which later causes the battery case to swell. If your battery is anything but rectangular, consider it damaged beyond repair.

The perfect time for battery replacement is whenever you notice the above signs. If you ignore them, you will risk inflicting permanent damage to your car.

At AIS Windshield Experts, we offer quick battery installation and replacement services. Our professionals choose the batteries which are perfectly compatible with your car and install them with the utmost care. During installation, we observe the highest safety standards. If you do not have the time to visit our service centres, Give us a call, and we will meet you right where you are! Get an expert consultation today and have all your car battery needs met at AIS Windshield Experts.