5 Tips for Taking Care of Your Car Battery

The car battery is essentially the powerhouse of your car. It stores electrical energy which is required to start up the car and keep it running.

The typical battery will last you anywhere between five to seven years, depending on a few factors. One of the most important factors is how well you take care of it. For instance, if you abide by a regular maintenance schedule and have your mechanic test your battery often, you’ll be able to achieve the maximum possible lifespan quite easily.

You don’t necessarily have to take your car to a mechanic for battery maintenance. You’ll be able to perform most of the activities listed by yourself:

Check the Water Level

Typically your car will be fitted with either a wet-cell battery or an Absorbed Glass Matt (AGM) one. If it’s got an AGM battery, do not try to open it on your own. These are known as ‘maintenance-free’ batteries and hence they hardly require water to run. If you need to have an AGM battery inspected, take your car to a capable mechanic.

If instead you’re dealing with a wet-cell battery, we recommend opening it up and checking the water level every two to three months. As a general rule, the water should be touching the refill hole.

If you have to refill make sure that you only use distilled water and that you pour using a funnel. Make sure not to pour more than necessary by doing it a bit at a time.

Get a Storage Box for It

By getting a NOCO battery storage box, you’ll be able to protect your battery from both UV light and physical damage. Hence, if your car is ever involved in a road accident, rest assured your battery will be protected.

Take Care of the Battery Terminals

The battery terminals tend to collect dust and dried acid every few months. Hence, you should make the time to clean them.

Start off by removing the connectors from the terminal with a gentle hand. Then take a wire brush and apply a mix of baking soda and distilled water into it. Afterwards, proceed to scrub the terminal gently.

Test Your Cell Voltage

You’ll usually have to take your car to the mechanic for this as he/she will have the proper equipment for it. We recommend getting this done every time you go in for an oil change.

A battery that’s fully charged will have a charge that ranges from 12.5 to 12.6 volts. However be wary of the fact that some battery testers display a ‘Bad Battery’ warning sign just because the battery isn’t fully charged. In fact, the battery could be in perfect condition otherwise.

Inspect the Battery Insulator

Battery insulators help protect your battery when temperatures inside reach very high levels. This is very useful as the fluid inside batteries can dry up pretty quickly if conditions are particularly hot. So if there’s any damage to the insulator, it should be repaired or replaced.

Certain cars don’t come with insulators. And there you have it – five tips for taking care of your battery and ensuring that it has a long life-span

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