Some important facts you should know about an automotive battery

Q- Do I need to replace my car battery, if my car did not start this morning and I had to "jump start" it?

The most well-known reason for a car not starting is a dead car battery. It is similarly important to consider the age of your car's battery. Is it over five years old? If that is the case, the only solution is to replace the battery. There are more signs to look out for to determine whether the battery is dead or not.

Q- How long does a car battery last?

The life of a battery is not constant due to varying degrees of usage. However, the average lifespan is around 3-5 years before a car battery needs to be replaced.

Q- Does a car battery last longer in a cold or hot climate?

Car's battery life is affected by both heat and cold, especially if the car battery is old. A Chemical activity is reduced in extreme cold while extreme heat makes the battery overheat. Be careful not to expose your car to either of these extreme weather conditions.

Q- How can the lifespan of a battery be increased?

The lifespan of a car battery can be increased by keeping the terminals clean and free of corrosion. Secondly, the battery should be secure in its compartment as excessive movement can cause it to short out. Finally, do not run accessories when the engine is off. You can observe a few more things that have been mentioned here.

Q- How to determine the age of a battery?

The age of a car battery can be found using a label which is normally located on the side of the battery. This label tells us when the battery was shipped from the manufacturer. There are two characters located on the label:

Letter - It indicates the month in which the car battery was manufactured (For example - A is January, B is February, C is March, etc).

Digit - It indicates the year in which the car battery was manufactured (Example: 9 for 1999, 0 for 2000, 1 for 2001, etc).

For example an automotive battery with date code as "B1" would have manufacturing month and year as February 2001.

Q- What is the effect of excessive heat on a car battery?

Excessive heat produces resistance which decreases the chances of a car battery to release charges to the automobile starting components. The heat can also damage and reduce the strength of the grids due to evaporation of water from the electrolytes in the battery. All of this can quickly decrease the battery's lifespan.

Q- What  factors should I consider while purchasing a battery?

Power: Always have a look at CCA rating, as it is the measure of the battery's power to start your vehicle in cold weather conditions.

Size: The dimensions of new battery should be same as original car battery.

Warranty: All car batteries are coordinated with a warranty. Always make sure to pick the warranty, that best suits your vehicle needs.

Reserve Capacity: Reserve capacity is the number of minutes your vehicle can run solely on battery power if your car's alternator fails. Always buy a car battery with the longest reserve capacity as possible to run your vehicle, in case of emergency.

Q- What Are Cold Cranking Amps (CCA)?

A car battery's Cold Cranking Amps (CCA) is an essential measure for ensuring good cranking capacity in cars. CCA is the measure of current or amps a battery can give at 0°F (18 °C) for 30 seconds till the battery voltage drops to unusable levels. The rating is characterized as the current or amps a car battery can convey for 30 seconds and keep up no less than 1.2 volts for every cell (7.2 volts for a 12-volt battery) at 0 °F.

Q- Does overcharging damage a car battery?

Overcharging is the most harmful thing that can happen to a car battery. Usually we are not aware about the damage that is caused as we believe that our car's alternator or battery charger is "automatic" in the way it operates. But shockingly, these automatic circuits are sensitive to voltage surges, heat, direct lightening strikes and indirect lightening electromagnetic influences and could fail or shift their calibration. When they fail, overcharging begins to affect the batteries.