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!
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