How Often Should You Get a New Car Battery?

Nothing is more aggravating than not being able to start your car when you need it most. Often, the culprit is a dead battery, but there are some signs to know when and how often you should get a new car battery to make sure you don’t get stranded with a car that won’t start.

How Often Should You Get a New Car Battery?

Typical Battery Life

Many car batteries can last for at least five years, especially if you drive in ideal conditions and you take care to maintain the battery as much as you are able. However, on average, a car battery will start losing charge and wearing down after about three years. With every charge, your battery becomes a little less efficient and holds a little less charge. Eventually, it becomes challenging for the battery to provide enough power for the car to start.

After approximately four years, you shouldn’t rely on your battery to start every time. Even if you’ve had no problems in the first few years, your battery is not as efficient as it once was, and just like your phone battery, when the charge level hits a certain point, it starts to drain even faster. It’s always a good idea to get your battery checked when you get your oil changed to ensure it’s still holding an adequate charge.

Battery Maintenance

While you probably shouldn’t let your battery go for five years, just because you never know if it’s truly reliable or not, there are some maintenance tasks you can perform to ensure your battery lasts as long as possible. Clean the top of your battery and the cables regularly with a water and baking soda mixture and a non-metallic brush to prevent corrosion. Use a post cleaner to clean the terminals and remove any debris or corrosion.

Visually inspect the battery’s case to make sure it is still in a rectangular prism shape. If it’s bulging or caved in anywhere, you need to replace it. This is an indication that something has shorted inside the battery that could cause damage to other vehicle components or even make the car unsafe to drive. Have your battery’s fluid levels checked when you get an oil change to make sure the level is appropriate for continued use.

How to Tell If You Need a New Battery

If your car hesitates when starting up instead of turning over right away, it could mean that your battery is no longer providing sufficient charge to start your car. While your car will eventually start, the hesitation indicates that your battery is working harder than it should. Additionally, if you notice your headlights or interior lights flickering, that’s a sign that the power is not distributing properly and that there’s not enough charge to power your electronics and your car.

In most cars, if the battery is going bad, you’ll get a warning light on your dashboard. Typically, this is the “Service Engine Soon” light, but some makes and models might have an actual battery light. This is the most obvious indication that you need to replace your car’s battery.

Regular inspection and cleaning can extend the life of your battery, but even then, you should probably replace it after about three years. Come by Crain Buick GMC in Conway, AR today and we’ll install a new battery for you.

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