What battery does my car need?
5 things to consider before buying your next Car battery
It’s a beautiful day for the perfect road trip. The weather is great, the stereo is blasting the latest songs and you’re driving without a care when suddenly, the car starts slowing down for a while until it finally stops. The car’s battery has died, and it’s time for it to be replaced. This is usually the instance when most people end up jumping a car without experience or buying batteries of mediocre quality due to time constraints and inadequate knowledge about brands, exclusive requirements and car specificities. Hence, this article serves to help customers be completely aware of their car battery capacity and understand the most important things to consider before replacing dead batteries.
1. Know when to replace car batteries, and who to call for help
Although it is quite easy to identify if your car’s battery is nearing the end of its lifespan, good car batteries must often be replaced every three years. Usually, you can tell when a battery is dying by noticing if it is losing its capacity, despite being charged fully. If your dash lights are getting dim or flicker as you start the engine, it is probably another sign to get the car batteries replaced. Do not attempt to replace the batteries if you are unsure of the process. Instead, call a local Car Battery company’s helpline, such as Universal Battery Works.
2. Battery Technology: Deep cycle versus Starting Battery
Car Battery chargers come in different types based on the vehicle type and driving style. Hence, it is first most important to determine which battery you need to buy for your car. Deep-Cycle Batteries serve to provide a steady amount of power over a long period of time, and can be discharged and recharged repeatedly. However, you may alternatively have to buy Starting Batteries, which provide a large outburst of power in a short span of time for the engine to start. It is recharged by the alternator. You must ensure that the Starting batteries must not be drained as this may sufficiently shorten its life.
3. Battery group Size
Battery group size refers to the physical dimension, terminal locations and type required for a vehicle battery. You must ensure to find a battery whose size is approved by your vehicle. You can either choose to buy Lead Acid batteries or Dry Cell batteries. Dry cells have a longer lifespan (3-4 years in India) that Lead batteries. When you buy a battery, you need to check the manufacturing date which will be mentioned on the battery. In case the date is not mentioned, there will be a code that indicates the date of manufacture. (A- M except I for Jan- Dec and 15 for 2015). The size may vary and usually depends on the vehicle’s make, model and engine type. The replaced battery must fit and be held down properly in order to work for the car.
4. Battery Reserve Capacity (RC)
Reserve Capacity is the measurement of the number of minutes of reserve power the battery has at a given load. It is crucial to keep a check on your automotive’s battery reserve capacity and replace the battery at the right time to avoid your automotive’s engine from serious damage. It is used for deep cycle applications and in cases of engine failure where you might have to rely on the battery to provide power. Reserve capacity falls with temperature, as is also impacted by the discharging rate. These reserves are needed when the distance being driven is short and not long enough for the battery to recover the energy it used to start the engine.
5. Maintenance
Before replacing you batteries, it is crucial to reassess your cars usage and car battery capacity. It is important to distinguish between low-maintenance and maintenance-free when it comes to the usage of your car. Low-maintenance batteries usually come unsealed and with caps that allow you to occasionally fill in distilled water. However, Maintenance-free batteries are usually sealed and contain liquid electrolyte that can run throughout the battery life without replacement. Also, note that lead acid batteries require higher maintenance that dry cells.
Technological advancements in car batteries have led to an increase in the complexity of the tools and skills required to replace them. In order to make such processes easier to understand and follow for car owners, battery companies often set manuals with detailed instructions that may often seem tricky and confusing to understand. However, such detailed manuals can be reduced to these 5 key features that can be understood easily by anyone who wants to replace their car batteries at any given time.
Articulated by,
Keerthi Narendra
Comments
Post a Comment