Why do today's cars need a battery to start? Well, this is because these cars are equipped with an electric starter, which obviously requires electricity to start. While batteries play an integral part when it comes to operation of a vehicle, lack of proper maintenance will surely shorten their lifespan. Luckily, batteries are one of those vehicle components that rarely stop working without a warning.
Here are a couple of tell-tale signs indicating your car battery may be bad and needs replacing:
When your engine turns over slowly. If your engine cranks slowly when turn the ignition on, one of the first things you should check is your battery. This is because your engine will not crank normally when it is not getting sufficient electrical power supply from your battery. Check to see if the battery contacts are tightly attached to the terminals and are not corroded. If they are, you will need to detach them from the terminals and have them cleaned with a hard-tufted brush. You will also need to brush off the corrosion on your battery terminals before you can connect the contacts to the terminals again. If this doesn't solve your problem, you might need a battery replacement.
When you repeatedly hear a click sound when you try to start the car. When you turn your car key in the ignition to start the vehicle and all you hear is a click sound, chances are high that your battery is bad and needs to be replaced. But first check if the problem is due to loose connections or excessive build-up of corrosion on the connections.
When electrical components and electronic accessories won't come on or stay on. Various car components such as headlights, dashboard lights, windshield wipers, seats and power windows in modern cars require sufficient electrical power to operate. If you begin experiencing issues with the electronic components of your car, the car battery may be sounding an alarm. The amount of electricity being supplied by your battery may not be sufficient to keep the various electrical components powered up. Hence, you will need to check your battery as instructed above.
When your battery is too old. Batteries begin aging from the day they are connected to your car. But for the most part, the lifespan of a car battery will depend on how it is used and taken care of. Hence, battery lifespans vary from motorist to motorist. If your car battery has reached the end of its expected lifespan, you will need to have it replaced.
If your battery is bad or dead, you will need to have it replaced. The staff at a reputable auto parts shop like Tony's Auto Wreckers can help you choose a suitable replacement battery for your car.