What are the Car Battery Warning Signs to Replace It?

Are you facing ignition issues with your car lately? Chances are, your car battery is starting to fail. Your car battery is the heart and soul of your vehicle since the engine cannot start revving without it. Even the sliding doors and the headlights of your car cannot work without the battery. The average lifespan of a car battery ranges from three to five years but extreme alterations in temperature and neglect can end its life sooner.

Once the expected lifespan of your car battery approaches its end, there are a few telltale signs that your car battery is starting to get too old and you need a cheap car battery replacement.

Difficulties Starting the Car

When you turn your key to rev up the engine, you might hear a clicking sound as the electrical current that is supposed to be sent to the starter solenoid becomes weaker. The engine may also start cranking much slower than it normally does. Do you have to press on the gas pedal to start your car? A car with a healthy battery does not face all the above. If you find yourself struggling to start your car, it’s time to get the battery checked and if needs be, replaced.

Dim Headlights

If your headlights have begun to get dimmer than usual, it means not enough electricity is being supplied to them since your battery has become weaker. Other electrical components such as radio, interior lights, air-conditioner may also begin to malfunction.

The Check Engine Light

While there could be several reasons for the check engine light to turn on, one such reason can be a weakened battery. Other system lights may also strangely switch on, like the low coolant lights, although it can also just mean that you need extra coolant.

Misshapen Battery Case

If your battery appears bloated like a partially-filled balloon, it has almost definitely been damaged. This can be caused by exposure to excessive heat or cold and can even make your battery crack. Ideally, a car’s battery should be perfectly rectangular in shape.

Foul Smell

When your battery starts to emit a smell like that of rotten eggs whenever you lift the hood, the battery fluid may be leaking out, indicating clear damage. This leakage may also cause a white, ashy gunk to form on top of the negative and positive terminals as the battery fluid corrodes them, leading to voltage issues.

Low Battery Fluid Level

Most car batteries have a translucent part on their cases, much like the translucent window along the body of a pen. This part lets you see the fluid level. Another way to check the fluid level is to remove the red and black caps if your battery does not have them sealed, although that would be unlikely. If the fluid level drops below the energy-conducting lead plates, it is time to replace the battery.

Backfiring

As the battery begins to fail, sparks might start to occur. These sparks can make fuel collect in the cylinders, and when this fuel is ignited, it does this suddenly and with a lot of force. This is what makes the car backfire. This backfiring might end up harming your car in the long term too. Although backfiring can be a symptom of many other issues, it warrants a battery check as well.

Age

If your battery has lived a full life, you cannot keep it from dying. An easy way to check the age of your battery is to learn how to interpret the date code written on its label. The date code indicates the manufacturing date of the battery.

Each month is given a letter (such as A for January and B for February) and each year is indicated by a number (0 for 2010 and 9 for 2019). The letter and the number combine to form an alphanumeric code which you can interpret to get the manufacturing date. A battery is considered fresh as long as it is less than 6 months old.

What Happens when my Car Battery is failing?

If the battery starts to fail and you do not get it replaced, then the healthy parts of the car will attempt to compensate for the strength of the battery. Specifically, the charging system or alternator, the starter motor, and the starter solenoid are usually affected. This happens because these healthy parts begin to draw excess voltage as the battery continues to weaken, which can result in overheating as well.

Clean out corrosion around the battery terminals if you want to make it last longer and avoid a completely dead battery, in which case you might end up getting stranded all of a sudden.

If you need your car battery replaced, our trained professionals at AIS Windshield Experts will make it a smooth and easy process for you. With our affordable door-to-door service, we will replace your battery for you in less than 4 hours. We use batteries from reliable brands like Amaron and Exide and our car battery replacement cost is very affordable. Contact us for any battery-related concerns today!