How Can I Extend the Life of my Car's Battery?

The proper functioning of your car’s battery is critical for your car to successfully start. The battery contributes to the starting of the car’s engine. According to Fox News, car batteries last between two and five years. Many battery warranties last five or six years. There are ways to extend car battery life with regular maintenance, avoiding short trips, and protecting it from extreme temperatures.

Follow These Steps to Extend Car Battery Life

This is a car battery with an insulation blanket.

• Maintenance If you bring your car in for service, ask to have the battery’s water level checked and the battery looked over for corrosion, advises Discovery News. Corrosion on the terminals affects the passing of the current from the battery to the cables.
• Keep the Battery Clean Discovery News also suggests cleaning dirt and grime from the battery’s casing.
• Avoid Short Trips It takes the alternator about 20 minutes of drive time to fully charge your car’s battery and a lot of short trips can add up to a lot of work put on your battery. Discovery News suggests combining errands into a single trip, rather than multiple short trips.
• Protect from Extreme Temperatures One way to protect the battery is to install an insulation blanket. The blanket will keep the battery cool in the summer and warm in the winter. Insulation blankets range in price from $10 to $80.
• Unplug Electronics Fox News suggests using your electronics at a minimum when the car is off, otherwise your battery will drain. Also keep in mind how many electronics you have plugged in at a single time.

Taking these steps will help preserve the battery’s charge, and hopefully prolong its life. Check out our blog on signs that you might need a new battery to find out if your battery needs to be replaced.
Contact Fisher Auto in Boulder, Colo., at 303-245-6414 to have your battery serviced to extend car battery life or to have your car battery replaced.