Is there anything more nerve-wracking than driving a car with a battery that is playing up? Perhaps your engine took that extra second or two to turn over…It’s never a nice feeling. It lets you know that at some point in the near future, you are likely going to have to fork out some cash on a new battery. Again, it isn’t something that we savour, though it is one of those facts of life that we must face. If you want to get around from A to B with the convenience of a motor, then you will have to spend your hard-earned cash on maintaining said vehicle.
In any case, how do you know if your car batter is no longer holding its charge? Let’s take a closer look under the hood…
You have an old car battery
Whether you have just picked up a used car and you know that the battery has been about a bit, or if you have been driving your car for 3 to 5 years and you haven’t yet had to replace it, then the odds are that your battery will be struggling to hold its charge.
You can typically tell if your battery is due to be replaced if there is an ashy corrosive substance on the battery’s metal connectors. That being said, if you are not quite sure, then you should contact your local car battery specialists, such as G7 Battery, just to be on the safe side. With something like this it is always better to be safe than sorry and pre-empt the failure before it catches you off guard.
It could be that your alternator is at fault
If your car better is relatively new and yet it doesn’t seem to be holding charge, then it could be your alternator instead. Alternator problems can occur because the alternator charges the battery whilst the car is running. However, if you jump your car battery and it only seems to remain charged for a short while, then it is almost certainly your alternator at fault.
Of course, you should always have a specialist check your vehicle before you go ahead and jump to any conclusions. Even though the battery is new, there is always that slim chance that you have unfortunately picked up a faulty battery.
There could be a drain on your battery
How hard are you making your car battery work? If there is too much energy being pulled from your battery at once, then it can make it harder for the car battery to hold its charge. In either case, you should double check with your local car battery specialist and see if they can advise you on the problem and find the source of the issue.
You should also try and remember not to use the electronics in your vehicle too often when the vehicle is stationary and your engine is switched off.
You could have a defective fuse somewhere
In some cases, a car battery might be failing to hold its charge because of a blown or defective fuse. A faulty fuse can lead to your battery draining unnecessarily, however er, fortunately, this can be a relatively easy issue to fix and if you catch it early enough, you might not have to replace your battery just yet.
Your car battery is corroded
Your car battery doesn’t have to be old to suffer from corrosion and this can be a common cause of batteries failing to hold their charge. You see, corrosion in a car battery prevents it from reaching a full charge which means that you will be driving around, not knowing that you have a poorly performing battery under the hood.
If you wish to prevent corrosion in your car battery, then you can do so with regular check-ups and maintenance. If, however, corrosion is already present in your car battery, then you should get down to your local auto specialist to see if they can evaluate, repair, and clean the battery. Otherwise, it might be time for a replacement!
Conclusion
We hope that you have found this article useful and have a better idea as to what might be the cause of your car battery failing to hold its charge. In any case, we highly recommend that you seek professional assistance if you aren’t quite sure. The last thing you need is to be caught out in the middle of a journey and end up breaking down and needing an urgent replacement battery to get moving again. Stay safe out there!