Maximize Your Car Battery Life: Tips, Tricks, and FAQs
The battery sitting in your car’s engine compartment is something of an unsung hero. Most people tend to forget all about it unless it dies. But make no mistake, without a healthy 12-volt battery, you’re going nowhere fast.
No battery can last forever, but they can absolutely last a good long while if you know how to take care of them, which is good because those things are pricey. If you’re curious about how to maintain your car’s battery, you’ve come to the right place.
What Does the Car Battery Do, Exactly?
An automotive battery has multiple functions, but the most important one in a practical sense is that it starts the car when you hit the ignition.
Most car batteries are made up of multiple lead plates submerged in an acid-water solution. When you turn the key or push the starter button, it signals a chemical reaction that produces electricity. We could go into all the scientific nitty gritty of cold-cranking amps and absorbed glass mat battery tech, but instead, we’ll cut right to the point: the battery fires off an electrical current, which initiates the starter motor, thus signaling the spark plugs to ignite the fuel-air mixture in the engine. Just like that, your car is up and running, and the spark of electricity is vital to this process.
After the car is running under its own power, the battery’s main purpose is to help the alternator provide power to auxiliary functions like the lights, stereo, and windshield wipers.
How Does the Battery Stay Charged?
Starting the car and running all the electronics draws quite a lot of power over time, so it’s essential that the battery is able to recoup its power reserves. It does this by working in tandem with the alternator, which converts mechanical energy from the engine into electrical energy that recharges the battery and helps give juice to the electronics when the motor is running.
Basically, think of the battery-alternator conduit as an electric dynamic duo constantly working under the hood. One can’t function without the other.
How Long Do Car Batteries Last?
Conventional wisdom dictates that an auto battery is expected to last anywhere from 3 to 5 years under average conditions. However, there’s a lot of variance—some batteries don’t make it quite that far, while others last a heck of a lot longer. For that reason, many experts don’t like to ascribe an average lifespan to batteries because it can be extremely misleading. How you treat your battery has an enormous effect on how long it lasts.
According to Jeff Barron at Interstate Battery, it’s not uncommon for a well-maintained battery to last ten years or longer.
Your car battery’s life depends on a few main factors:
- The specific vehicle
- Driving habits
- Regular maintenance
- Climate
- The battery itself
How to Prolong Your Car Battery’s Life
Now, let’s explain exactly how all of the things mentioned above affect battery health, and what you can do to make sure your battery lasts as long as possible.
Keep it Alive
Most of us have dealt with a dead battery and had to have our cars jump started at some point. What many people don’t realize is that allowing a car battery to die and stay dead can often cause permanent damage to the battery.
The exact extent of the damage will depend on how long it was dead and how much charge it was capable of holding in the first place. Usually, driving the car after jumping allows the alternator to recharge the battery, which can bring it back to life enough to last a long time. But, every time the battery dies, it runs the risk of causing irreparable damage. If this happens enough times, eventually it won’t be able to hold enough charge to start the car. So, if you find that your battery dies more than once in a short period of time, you should bring the car in for diagnosis.
Use Electronics Judiciously
This one’s pretty obvious; everyone knows that accidentally leaving the lights on will drain the car battery. It bears repeating though, because every time you forget to turn your headlights off, you’re draining significant power and straining the battery far more than necessary. Over the course of time, this will shave months, or even years, off the battery’s total lifespan.
Nowadays, cars have more built-in electronics than ever before—touch screens, USB ports, external cameras and sensors, wireless receivers, and so on. This is why many newer cars actually use a different type of battery to offset the increased drain. Still, it’s good to be cognizant of just how much power you’re drawing at any given moment, because overtaxing the electrical system with devices can run the battery down faster.
Don’t Leave it Sitting
It may seem a bit counterintuitive to some, but letting your car sit without driving for weeks is one of the worst things for it. Gas goes bad, tires form flat spots, the mice move in, and eventually, your battery goes kaput.
Why does your battery go dead when you’re not even using it? It has to do with a slightly menacing term called parasitic drain (cue the chugging heavy metal guitar).
Your battery is constantly working, even if you’re not starting the car or using electricity-sapping features like the radio or dome lights. Cars—especially modern ones—have onboard computers and sensors that never turn off, and these components need to draw power in order to operate. Normally, this power draw is pretty insignificant, but if the car is left sitting for weeks on end without help from the alternator, these small leeches of power add up to a big effect. So, if you leave your car in the garage for a long time and find it’s dead when you try to fire it up, that’s what’s happening.
Luckily, this is an easy problem to fix. All you have to do is start the thing on a semi-regular basis and let it run for a little while to allow the alternator to do its job. You can also use an at-home trickle charger, which is even better.
Clear Any Corrosion
Have you ever checked out your battery only to find that there’s this crusty, salty, bluish-greenish-white looking stuff collected around the terminals? That’s corrosion, and you shouldn’t let it sit there for long.
Corrosion is a natural part of a battery’s lifecycle. Lots of things can cause it to form, when it does, it raises the electrical resistance, thereby making it harder for the current to pass on. The more you let it build up, the higher this resistance can get.
Cleaning corrosion is pretty straightforward. All you need is a wire brush and battery terminal cleaner, or in a pinch, you can even use a mix of water and baking soda. You can also get ahead of the problem by using anti-corrosion treatment and cleaning the battery.
Check the Charging System
Having a certified professional check your ride on a regular basis is a must for any car owner, and having a look at the battery, alternator, and other charging system components is a crucial part of this.
If your alternator or any other part of the charging system isn’t working as it should, the battery will never be able to properly recharge, which can decimate its overall life. Remember, every time the battery dies or gets below a certain percentage, there’s a risk of permanent damage. So, if you find that your battery dies multiple times in a short period, the alternator is one of the first things you should look at.
It’s also a good idea to have your battery regularly tested using a multimeter.
Beware Extreme Temperatures
One of the most prolific battery killers is hot and cold temperatures, and this is especially important to be aware of if you live in certain parts of the world. Like South Florida, for instance.
According to experts, batteries work best at around 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Tip the scale too far one way or another, and it’ll have deleterious effects.
Cold temperatures hurt the battery by suppressing the chemical reactions that happen inside. Have you ever noticed that your car struggles a little harder to start on cold mornings? That’s exactly why. A cold battery is working against a lot more internal resistance, so it has to work that much harder to supply the proper current. The harder you make your battery work, the shorter it’ll last.
Excessive heat is even more harmful because it expedites the usual chemical processes within the battery housing—if it’s too hot for too long, your battery literally ages faster because the acid gloms onto the lead inside, causing it to break down at a quicker rate. This effect is compounded by the fact that engines run at high temperatures, and the metal hood covering your engine conducts heat.
Protecting your car from the elements is one of the most important things you can do to ensure maximum battery life. If you live in a place where it’s super cold, you can consider buying a battery blanket, or investing in a battery with more cold cranking amps. If you’re in a hot climate, avoid leaving your car in direct sunlight for long periods of time, and if possible, always park your car in a garage or other climate-controlled spot.
Pick the Right Battery
Did you know that a battery can go bad while it’s sitting on the shelf? It’s true. A car battery starts to slowly degrade from the moment it’s made, and if you buy one that’s been sitting for a few months, even if it’s brand new, you may be working from a deficit.
It’s estimated that a battery sitting by itself loses about 5% charge every month or so, and if that charge dips below a certain threshold, there’s no bringing it back all the way.
When you’re shopping for a new or replacement battery, pay careful attention to the date sticker on the side, and ask the seller to ensure that they’re grabbing a new battery.
BMW Batteries in South Florida
Whether you just want to get your alternator checked or you need to buy a new car battery in Miami, Braman BMW Miami has you covered. Our certified service center has all the know-how to keep you on the road, and our parts department stocks all the recommended batteries for any BMW model. Give us a call at (786) 577-5220 to learn more.
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