Follow the following car maintenance tips to keep you car's battery running smoothly.

Tips No. 1 – Battery Needs Change - This is common and known to almost all the car owners. Your car's battery needs to be changed after a duration of four years. Don't forget to do that.

Tips No. 2 – Monthly check of the battery's load test helps you avoid any hassle. Take your car's battery to your auto mechanic and can load test it. Make sure your car's battery is able to pass the test. Make sure that it is capable of sufficient charge even at below freezing temperatures.

Tips No. 3 – Just wipe off the battery terminals of any crust. An easy way to do so is to use some baking soda and water. Use a wire brush to clean the crust using this solution.

Tips No. 4 – Always keep the battery cables tightly tied. Make sure the cables are so tight that they do not move.

Tips No. 5 – Keep the battery safe in a tray. Also ensure that battery remains properly in the tray so that no damage is caused to the hood.

Tips No. 6 – Excess of cold is not a good condition for the car batteries. Therefore, look for a solution to it. The best way is to opt for an engine or battery heater. This keeps the car's battery function smoothly. The heater will help in easily starting the battery and would also minimize the power consumed.

Tips No. 7 - Keep a check on when Service is needed – Different cars come with maintenance free battery. Regular check is needed for such automobile batteries. There is a light in maintenance free batteries that goes black when service is required.

Tip No. 8 – For Conventional Car Battery - These batteries come with a plastic cover that can be easily removed to check the water inside. It is important that the water inside the battery reaches the filler necks.

Tip No. 9 – Be Careful While Adding Water – Incase there is less water inside the battery, you may also add distilled water. I guess I should warn you at this moment. You might just harm yourself if you don't be careful. The battery acid that is highly corrosive might harm your clothes.

Tip No. 10 – During Battery Check – It is important to make sure that you do not keep any kind of open flames near the car battery. Automobile battery contains chemicals that are combustible and hence can be dangerous.

Tip No. 11 – Over Charging Should Be Avoided – This is common and known to everybody that a dead battery can be charged using a battery charger. Improper charging of a battery is something that should be avoided. It might also lead to damage of battery's as well as car's parts & components.

 

changing battery every 4 yrs is not a requirement. i recommend one gets a CCA reading after 3yrs IF they feel that the starter sounds a little weaker to turn the engine.

best way to maintain a battery is to keep it charged... so drive the car often (more than 10miles at a time if possible), and use a battery manager while car is not in use for more than a week. you can get battery tenders for like $25 at amazon. it's a nice investment for weekend cars or cars that hibernate during the winter, cars used at shows.

 

They are maintenance free right? So leave it alone. Just keep terminals clean. Change it when it dies.

 

maintenance free is talking about maintaining the physical properties of the battery. it does not mean that you can just leave it draining while your car is unused or used only for short distances. good batteries die young when not charged well.

 

First and second posts are by advertising bots... please report them

 

^^^ There has been a lot of that crap in the past few weeks.

Doesn't this forum have any moderators that moderate???

 

the second one? the one by kenchan? THAT EXPLAINS IT!!!! lol

 

buy now and get the other one free! :D

 

Batteries kept in a low charge state (less than 50%) due to low mileage travelled or bad alternator die young from sulphation of the plates, that is a fact. I do agree with original poster that if you don't want to have battery problems that your lead-acid battery should be replaced around the 4 year mark, after that it is living on borrowed time (remember high under-bonnet summer temperatures kill the battery, but is not normally until the weather gets cold that you find out that the battery is dead).

When I fit a new battery I write the date it was fitted on the label with permanent marker pen.

 

A lot of those are simply common sense, like keeping the battery secure, making sure the terminals are clean and tight.

But I've never replaced my battery based on a rigid time frame. I've always just used them until they start to fail.

In most cases if you are checking under the hood and making sure the battery looks good a battery will give you warning that it is starting to reach a failure point, with slow starts.

I'm not being cheap. IMO as soon as you have an "older" battery and it starts to crank slowly, or give you symptoms of dim lights...etc...it's wise to replace it A.S.A.P.. That might come in 4 years or less, or in 4 years and quite a bit more. I had a top of the line Die Hard battery in my old Accord that lasted 7 years, without a problem at all...if I automatically changed it out on a time line, I would of thrown 3 years of perfectly good use out the window.