Car batteries can give vehicle owners a lot of grief, especially when they first start to go bad. Miller Auto Care knows how frustrating that can be. Here are some tips that can help you to figure out when your battery is on its way out.
You’re Noticing Some Bad Smells
Batteries are made up of lead alloy plates in a casing that’s filled with a sulfuric acid solution. That’s how the battery is able to make power and hold a charge. Sulfuric acid can smell like rotten eggs when it’s exposed to the air. If you’re noticing some really bad smells, particularly when you start up your car, you may have a battery leak and that’s not a good sign.
Visual Inspections Indicate Trouble
Your battery is one of the items that should be on your biweekly or at least monthly car maintenance checklist. You need to just take a quick look at it, and that should be enough. You’re looking first for corrosion on the battery terminals, which are the posts at the top of the battery. Something else to watch for is any kind of crack or bulging spot in the battery’s casing.
Your Car Won’t Start
Is the car starting? If it is, that might not be a big problem unless the accessories like your lights don’t work properly. Let the car run for about 20 minutes or so to get a full chargeback to the battery from the alternator. If you’re still having trouble with hard starting or with accessories not functioning, that’s an indication that your car battery is not in good shape.
The Battery Is Getting Up There in Age
Do you know how old your car’s battery is? There are a surprising number of car owners who either don’t know how old the battery is or who haven’t changed the battery even once since having bought their car. Batteries do wear out with age, no matter how well you take care of them. So, it’s important to keep track of how old your car battery is. If it’s older than about five years old, you might need to replace it.
If you’re having problems with your car’s battery, give us a call at Miller Auto Care in Medford, OR. We’ll be happy to test it and the rest of your electrical system for you. Once you’ve got a full idea of what the issue is, you can make the right call.