Car Battery Life

When it comes to car battery life, knowledge is power. There's nothing worse than being stranded with a dead car battery; you know what its like - we've all been there!

By reading the following information and taking it to heart, you'll never get stranded again.

Lifespan of a Car BatteryNearly all car batteries last around 3 to 5

years however there are a number of factors that can shorten their lifespan including short trips which don't give the battery time to recharge, hot temperatures, dirty connections, corrosion on the cables and electrical issues in you car.

Charging a Car BatteryYou’ll need a battery charger and some

patience when charging a car battery. Make sure to be careful when attaching the terminals. The typical battery charger has small cables that reach the positive (red) and negative (black) cords (they should be marked clearly) and when you attach them you’ll want to make sure that the terminals on the battery are clean first.

Then you make sure the cables aren’t stretched and attach them to their matching terminals. You then turn on the charger, make sure it's in a steady position.

Once you have everything in place and have turned on the charger, the charger's meter will tell you if it’s working properly and how the charge is coming along.

Once it signals you that the battery is charged, you’ll need to safely unplug the battery charger and then turn on the ignition and the car should start and you'll be on your way.

How Often Should You Change a Car Battery?

It really depends on how you drive and what type of battery you are using. While the design of the car battery hasn’t changed much in the years since it was introduced, the standard lead-acid based car battery can often be affected by many factors such as high vibration in rough environments, weak plates or extreme heat or cold in the vehicle.

It’s important to take the time to check your battery and make sure that it is secured properly and that there is no acid leaking.

Take the time to clean the terminals as often as possible as well and you probably won’t have to change your battery for a long time.

Changing a Car BatteryWhen changing a car battery, you’ll need

a few tools, most of which are pretty common. First battery terminal cables, and a crescent wrench, you’ll also need an adjustable wrench, socket wrench, pliers, and maybe even a hammer just because sometimes battery terminals can be gritty and tough and you’ll need something to tap them off with.

You’ll want to loosen the entire terminal and unfasten the plates that hold the battery to the car.

You’ll want to use your wrench to get the cables unplugged and unconnected before safely removing it. Start with the negative terminal and then do the positive one.

Once you are finished line it straight up and make sure to do so carefully in case any acid is leaking from the battery.

Next you’ll clean the area and make sure is as study as possible, getting rid of any of the acid and corrosion that may be left behind. Now you are ready to put the new battery in.

Set the new battery in carefully and spray a coat of corrosion protection on the terminals. Re-attach everything, starting with the terminals and then fasten the battery into the plates followed by plugging in the cables after you have used the corrosion protection agent.

Now you are ready to test your battery out and see if you installed it correctly.

If you're not handy with cars, you can have a professional mechanic install it for you and they'll do it for free with the battery purchase, and dispose of the old battery, if you buy the new one from a service center that sells them.

Find out more about used car batteries here:

http://usedcarbatteries.net