It would be a hassle to have a faulty battery since this is where your car gets the power to start its engine. Without it, you wouldn’t be able to use your car or even use some of its accessories. That’s why it’s essential to make sure that your power unit is always in good condition.
If you need to purchase a replacement for your battery, it’s essential to get more information about different power unit brands. So you’ll know what is the best battery unit that will fit your vehicle.
But of course, it’s always better to know the common reasons why your power unit degrades quicker than it should be.
Table of Contents
The Lifespan of a Lead-Acid Battery
You need to know the standard lifespan of most lead-acid batteries, so you can avoid sudden issues that may arise unexpectedly. You have to accept that those batteries which power up your car won’t last forever. The minimum life span of any lead-acid battery is three years and can go up to 5 years, depending on how you maintain them.
If you still drive your car even when your car’s battery needs to be replaced already, it might shut down without notice. And for sure, you don’t want this to happen, right? So, you should get familiarized first with the signs when your power unit is already near to shut down.
- Struggle to adjust to different seasons – This is one of the signs when your power unit is already weak. If there are sudden changes in the weather and your battery adversely reacts to these changes, it means your battery is nearly to stop functioning already.
- Your car takes time to start – When your car starts to take more time to crank than it usually would, that’s a sign that your battery is getting deflated already. You will also hear unusual noise that you have never heard before when you start your engine. So, before your car completely fails to run, visit your nearest mechanic as soon as you can.
Inevitably, when a battery dies, it can be helpful to have a battery jump starter on hand if there’s no one around to give a jump.
Exposed to extreme heat
A lead-acid battery works more efficiently during high-temperature seasons. However, this could damage your power unit in the long run. Remember that when your battery is heated up, the electrolyte will evaporate. And this is one of the reasons why your cell will weaken its charge.
What’s worse is that extreme heat can trigger corrosion quicker; this has irreversible effects on your battery. Corrosion can severely damage the internal structure of your power unit, and when it happens, your battery will dry out and be completely unusable.
You’ll observe this effect when the winter season comes since it will be hard to crank your car, and signs like that mean your power unit has suffered during the summer.
Failed to turn your car off properly
There are electrical accessories that might cause your battery to be drained. For example, the head and interior lights and or the boot of your door weren’t shut properly; these can cause your power unit to quickly lose its charge. We extensively advise you to know if your car has an automatic feature to shut these electrical accessories off your vehicle when left for too long.
If these things were done regularly, the lifespan of your power unit might drastically shorten due to persistent drain. Always check and make sure that doors and lights are properly turned off before walking away from your car.
Frequent Short Trips
You may think that short trips can be good for your vehicle because you can preserve its brand new quality, but that’s a big no for your power unit. Your power unit releases a huge amount of per when it cranks your car’s engine, and then the alternator will recharge the battery during the trip.
However, if you take a short trip, the alternator may not completely bring back the lost energy from your battery. Thus, making regular short trips can eventually damage your car’s battery. So, we suggest you don’t use your vehicle if you know that your destination can be reached through walking, or maybe use a bicycle for short trips.
Loose cables and corrosion
Corrosion might trigger if you don’t clean your battery; this is considered a disease of any lead-acid cell. In addition, corrosion can reduce the performance efficiency of your power unit. So, when you see that the terminals around your battery have corrosion build-up, consider disconnecting your battery ASAP and clean it using a brush and diluted baking soda. In rinsing the terminals of your cell, you can spray it with cold water and use a cloth to dry the casing of your battery.
When corrosion is ignored, this can be a major cause of a dead cell, leaving you with an unusable car. However, before cleaning your car’s power unit, make sure to disconnect first all the cables attached to it, so you will avoid short circuits. Remember that your power unit is the one that provides power to the car’s electrical system.
And when reconnecting it back to your car, be informed that there are positive and negative terminals. Ensure to reconnect the cables properly – some batteries have plus and minus symbols. Still, if it doesn’t have signs, a red cable or connector is usually for positive, and the black one is for negative. However, if you’re unsure about it, we suggest you call for assistance.
On the other hand, when your cables attached to the power unit are left loose, the battery can severely discharge. You can see signs through your headlights when it’s flickering, and your car is having a hard time starting and electrical system problems. You can fix this by tightening the cables or re-installing them correctly.
Conclusion
These reasons above are some of the major causes why a car’s power unit will degrade quicker. So, make sure to do proper maintenance, so you won’t experience hassle when using your vehicle. The wellness of your car isn’t only done by cleaning the outside, but most importantly, making sure that the inside is also in good condition.