Whenever a Hays County, TX, resident tries to start their vehicle, their car battery springs into action. Batteries provide the power your vehicle needs to turn on, function as a surge protector for your car’s onboard computer, and power electrical components when its engine is turned off. But even though your battery is vital to your vehicle, it won’t be able to play this role forever.
Whether you’re a new driver who’s never replaced a car battery before or a seasoned motorist who thinks their battery might be approaching the end of its service life, it’s always in your best interest to know a thing or two about auto battery replacement. Here, you’ll find our complete guide to your car battery’s life span — and tips on replacing this vital component when the time comes.
How Long Does an Auto Battery Last?
Though every car battery has a different service life, these components last three to five years on average. As a result, you won’t be able to use the same battery indefinitely. Instead, you’ll need to replace this component several times throughout your car’s life span.
When your battery is beginning to wear out, you may notice issues like:
- A slow-to-start engine
- Dimmer-than-usual headlights
- Corroded terminals
- A swelling battery case
- Various electrical problems
Six Factors Affecting Your Battery’s Life Span
Even though no auto battery lasts forever, Hays County drivers can still take steps to protect the longevity of their batteries. To do that, you’ll need to understand the factors affecting their life span, such as:
1. Not Turning Off Headlights
If you don’t turn your car’s headlights off after you park, your car battery could drain before you know it. Many modern vehicles offer automatic headlight shut-off features, which isn’t always true of older cars. With that in mind, be sure your headlights are off before leaving your vehicle.
2. Parasitic Draws
If your car’s electrical systems continue to draw power while your vehicle is turned off, you’re dealing with a parasitic draw. Common contributors to this situation include door/interior lights and malfunctioning relays. To avoid this issue, ensure your car’s lights are turned off and its doors are fully closed whenever you park.
3. Not Using Your Car Regularly
While you’d be forgiven for assuming that constantly using your car puts added strain on its battery, the opposite is actually true! Since your car’s alternator charges the battery while you’re on the road, regularly driving your vehicle can help keep its battery in good shape.
If you leave your car in the garage for too long, its battery could go completely dead — which can seriously impact its life span. Because of that, you’ll want to drive your vehicle for at least 30-40 minutes a week.
4. Taking Short Trips
If you regularly take short drives, your vehicle’s alternator may not have the time it needs to fully recharge your car’s battery. Your battery’s service life may decrease if this situation continues long enough. Fortunately, avoiding this issue is simple: just make a conscious effort to take longer trips.
5. Intense Temperatures
As a resident of Hays County, you don’t need us to tell you how brutal the summer heat can get in this part of the country. That heat can make it harder for your battery to maintain the charging and starting ability you’d expect — especially if it’s on the older side.
Extreme cold isn’t as much an issue as intense heat in Texas, but this can also affect your car battery. Once temperatures dip below freezing, car batteries can lose significant strength. That means they must work much harder than usual to start your car in these conditions.
6. Poor Battery Maintenance
Like most other auto components, your battery can only reach its full potential if it gets regular attention through professional maintenance. When you bring your car in for auto battery maintenance, the mechanics at your go-to auto shop will thoroughly inspect and clean your battery.
Is Your Alternator To Blame for Electrical Problems?
Failing batteries are often to blame for electrical trouble in your vehicle, but this isn’t the only potential issue you’ll need to consider. In some cases, a bad alternator could be behind these problems.
Your car’s alternator is responsible for charging your vehicle’s battery and powering its electric components (such as your headlights, radio, power windows, and windshield wipers) while you drive. Normally, alternators can last 80,000-150,000 miles or seven years, but these parts can certainly fail ahead of schedule. And since alternator problems can seriously damage your battery, you’ll want to get this part inspected as soon as you notice any red flags.
When your alternator is in less-than-perfect shape, you might spot signs like:
- Ineffective jump-starts. If your battery is responsible for your electrical woes, your car should function normally after a jump-start. However, that might not happen if a failing alternator causes these problems.
- Stalling after you start. Does your vehicle stall a few minutes after a successful start? If so, your car battery might not be getting the power it needs from the alternator.
- Radio trouble. If you want to test your alternator, tune your radio to a low station number (without music playing) and rev your car’s engine slightly. If you hear a whine or the radio’s sound gets fuzzier, your alternator may be overdue for replacement.
Why You Shouldn’t Handle Auto Battery Replacement Yourself
Most drivers in Hays County are interested in saving as much as possible on auto repairs, and you might think DIY battery replacement is a perfect opportunity to do so. But if you try to replace your own battery, you’ll have to:
- Get the right tools. Removing, cleaning, and securing batteries isn’t something you can do without specialized equipment. If you don’t already have a battery service kit, a socket set, or terminal spray at home, you’ll need to buy them.
- Spend time. Replacing a battery can be more time-consuming than you might think — especially if you aren’t already familiar with this process.
- Be careful. Battery replacement may seem easy enough, but this task can be surprisingly dangerous. Incorrect battery installation could do serious damage to your car. Meanwhile, corrosion and cracks on your former battery could cause significant (and potentially explosive) problems.
- Get rid of your old battery. Even after you’ve replaced your battery, your work isn’t quite done. As a final step, you’ll still need to leave the house to take your old battery for safe disposal.
Choose the Best TX Shop for Car Battery Replacement
Since car battery replacement isn’t as easy as many car owners think, there’s a good chance you’ll want to leave this task to the professionals. But you’ll need to find a trustworthy auto shop in the Hays County area before you can do that.
The ASE-certified technicians at Reliable Automotive are more than capable of replacing your aging car battery. Along with that, our team can handle additional tasks related to your car’s electrical system, including:
- Alternator repair/replacement
- Wiring repair/replacement
- Car starter replacement
- Power window motor replacement
- Fuse replacement
Reliable Automotive is here for you if you need these services (or any other auto repair or maintenance job). Schedule your service appointment today!
Car Battery FAQs
If you want to be a responsible Hays County, TX-area driver, knowing how to avoid putting unneeded strain on your vehicle’s battery is a must. Some factors that could easily drain your car battery include:
- Leaving your headlights on. Newer vehicles tend to have headlights that turn off after a while. If your car doesn’t have this feature, these lights could stay on indefinitely — draining your battery in the process.
- Parasitic draws. When you park your car, make sure its door lights and interior lights are off. Components such as these can create “parasitic draws” if they draw power when they aren’t supposed to.
- Connection problems. After a while, your battery’s positive and negative terminals could get loose. Along with that, these terminals can easily suffer from corrosion — making it much harder for your battery to function as intended.
- Frequent short drives. When you crank your engine, it drains a significant amount of your auto battery’s power. Your battery should be able to recharge while you drive, but if you don’t take long enough trips, that may not be possible.
Most motorists in Hays County don’t spend much time thinking about their car batteries — until these components are on the verge of failure, that is. When your car battery is about to die, you may notice symptoms such as:
- An active battery warning light. Your vehicle’s battery warning light is designed to alert you to battery-related issues. Though this indicator might not point to total battery failure, this isn’t a sign you can afford to ignore.
- An engine that won’t crank (or that cranks slowly). When you turn your ignition key, your vehicle should start up right away. If your car doesn’t start or takes a while to get going, your battery could be on its way out.
- Flickering headlights. Are your headlights flickering or dim? This can easily be a sign indicating the presence of battery problems.
- Battery box problems. If your battery is visibly cracked or swollen, it’s definitely time to replace this component.
It’s easy to assume that your auto battery is the source of any electrical issues in your vehicle. However, other components can also contribute to these problems. Take your car’s alternator, for example — this part charges your battery and provides power to electrical systems while you’re on the road.
If your alternator isn’t working correctly, it could cause issues such as:
- Radio-related problems. An easy way to test your alternator is to set your radio to a low station number (that doesn’t have music playing). Then, rev your engine a bit; if the sound of your radio changes, your alternator may have developed issues.
- Trouble after a jump start. Under normal circumstances, a jump start should be enough to get a flat battery up and running again. But if your battery isn’t creating your car’s problems, jump-starting your vehicle may be ineffective.
- Unexpected stalling. When your auto battery isn’t getting enough charge from your alternator, it could stall a few minutes after you start your car.
To determine whether your battery or alternator is behind your car’s electrical woes, you’ll need to visit a local car repair shop. If your shop of choice employs ASE-certified mechanics, these highly qualified workers will be able to figure out precisely what’s wrong with your vehicle. Then, they’ll be able to set things right before you know it.
Generally speaking, auto batteries should last between three to five years. However, this simply describes the average car battery’s life span. As a result, there’s always a possibility you’ll need auto battery replacement before the three-year mark.
There are a few steps Hays County-area drivers can take to maximize the service life of their auto batteries. If you want to reduce your risk of needing battery replacement earlier than expected, you should:
- Avoid extreme heat and cold. Driving or parking in intense temperatures can have an impact on your battery’s life span.
- Clean your battery. Regularly scrubbing your battery’s clamps with baking soda is a great way to keep corrosion in check.
- Take long trips. By driving your car for extended periods, you’ll give your battery a chance to recharge.
- Make sure your lights are off. A quick check of your headlights and other lights after you park could help your battery avoid unnecessary strain.
For the most part, people use the terms “flat battery” and “dead battery” interchangeably. It’s not hard to see why, either — both a flat car battery and a dead car battery will prevent you from starting your vehicle.
Even so, there are some differences between these situations. If your battery is flat, it still has a bit of residual power left, even if it’s lost most of its charge. Because of that, flat batteries can be successfully recharged or jump-started.
On the other hand, a truly dead car battery has no residual power remaining. In this situation, your battery can no longer be jump-started or recharged, meaning you’ll need car battery replacement to get your vehicle up and running once again.
Your vehicle’s starter plays an essential role in the process of activating your car, but faulty starters can also drain your vehicle’s battery. If that’s the case in your car, you may find yourself dealing with issues such as:
- Reluctant/slow engine cranking. This can be a sign that a malfunctioning starter is demanding excessive power from your battery.
- A clicking noise when turning your key. When you hear this sound while trying to start your vehicle, your starter may be on the verge of failing.
- Dim headlights and other electrical problems. If your starter is weak and drawing extra battery power, electrical components such as your headlights could be affected.
When you notice red flags such as these, don’t wait for them to get worse. Instead, visit a trustworthy auto shop such as Reliable Automotive to resolve this situation as soon as possible.
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