Does your car’s battery keep dying? Bring your vehicle into Meadows Automotive for a quick battery check. We’ll see if there is something wrong with the battery itself or if other vehicle systems or you are the cause of premature death. Here are six things that kill a car battery.
Lights
You know if you leave your headlights on by accident you’ll end up with dead car battery. What if you leave your interior lights on? The same thing will happen. Always check your interior and exterior lights to make sure they’re off once you kill the engine. If they turn off automatically and fail to do so, there’s something wrong with your automobile’s lighting system.
Weak Battery
You might not realize this but batteries need maintenance, too. If you fail to maintain your battery, it will weaken prematurely. Once the battery is weak, it cannot support electrical functions, such as your entertainment system or power components. If there is a manufacturer’s defect, the battery may weaken prematurely and fail when anything taps power from it.
Corrosion
Check your battery cables and their connections regularly to make certain they aren’t getting corroded. Corroded connections prevent the alternator from doing its job, which is to charge the battery while your vehicle is running. Loose connections can also kill the battery because, again, it isn’t getting recharged. If your connections are corroded, your battery could be leaking acid.
Parasites
Wait a minute… parasites? Well, not in the literal sense. Figurative parasite, such as power drains from other components will kill your battery prematurely. As mentioned above, if your vehicle’s lighting system fails to kill your headlights and interior lights automatically, they will drain your battery. Other parasitic drains include electrical components or your glove box and trunk lights.
Weather
If your battery is already weak, it won’t endure extreme temperatures well. Considering we get as cold as 18 degrees Fahrenheit here in Waterford Township, it’s safe to say that your battery may die if it’s too weak to handle the cold. The good news is healthy batteries scoff at extreme temperatures, so if your battery is a-okay, you shouldn’t have a problem.
Alternator
Finally, your car’s battery is charged by the alternator as we discussed above. If there is a problem with any part of the charging system, including the alternator motor or serpentine belt, your battery will suffer. Signs a dead battery is being caused by the alternator are easy to spot. For example, if your interior dome light brightens as you increase speed, your alternator is likely failing.
Bring your automobile into Meadows Automotive’s Waterford Township, MI, shop for a battery inspection. Call us today to schedule an appointment.
