Did you know: Only 30% of car batteries make it to 48 months? And this depends on where you live. It can range from 51 months in extremely cold areas to just 30 months in extremely hot climates.
Why is that? Our modern cars and all of their electric accessories are to blame. Things like, GPS, DVDs, and entertainment computers are keeping car batteries from maintaining a full charge. The longer a battery goes with a low charge, the sooner it'll di
This means that the battery must be recharged. This is where the alternator comes in. The problem comes when the car's demand for electricity is high and we are driving in stop and go conditions or short trips around town. The alternator just can't keep up.
This results in a shorter battery life. How do we improve our battery's life?
We need to keep the battery as close to a full charge as possible. That can be hard because sitting for just twenty-four hours in hot weather between charges can be too long. When the weather's cold, sitting for several days will cause discharge.
So some highway driving will help keep a full charge if the battery has not been deeply depleted. Car batteries are not designed to be run down really low, or deep cycled, as it's called. So using your headlights, radio or other power accessories when the car is off can deeply deplete your battery.
Using the alternator to recharge from a deeply depleted state is very hard on your battery because it charges too fast. In fact, on average, your battery would only last for ten recharges like that.
If you do find yourself with a dead or very low battery, use a good quality battery charger to slowly bring the battery up to full charge. Follow the instructions on the charger.
Because our batteries are so often at less than a full charge, experts suggest that we use a battery charger from time to time to keep the charge up. They recommend once a month during hot weather and once every three months during colder times.
Because our batteries are so often at less than a full charge, experts suggest that we use a battery charger from time to time to keep the charge up. They recommend once a month during hot weather and once every three months during colder times.
Deeply discharged batteries can freeze. Do not jump start a frozen battery.
Just Charge It- Battery Life!; January 26, 2011; http://www.autonettv.com/2011/just-charge-it-battery-life.html