Your vehicle’s battery should last anywhere from 3 to 5 years. This depends on many factors, including how hot the battery gets and how much it vibrates as you drive over rough roads. To know when you need a replacement, it’s best to follow your own judgment. The following 7 signs will tell you if it’s time to visit your local dealer for a new car battery.
Your Headlights Are Failing
Perhaps the most noticeable indicator of a failing battery is dimming headlights. If it’s getting harder to see the road after darkness falls, then your headlights might be struggling. This could be due to failing bulbs, especially if you’re still using old-style halogen bulbs, which fail more quickly than newer HID or LED bulbs. To find out if your dimming headlights are due to your bulbs or your battery, run the following simple test.
First, put your vehicle in park and idling, with the headlights turned on. Then rev your engine a few times. If the headlights get brighter when you rev, you can be sure that the problem lies with your battery. This is because your battery should be able to maintain your headlight brightness at maximum strength at all times, not only when you give it a little extra revving power.
You Need to Rev More While Idling
Idling in your vehicle should be effortless, smooth, and quiet. If you find your engine stalling when you idle, forcing you to rev to keep it alive, then your battery might be failing. This happens because a dying battery draws more energy from the alternator. This in turn creates more drag on the engine, which only becomes clearly noticeable while you’re idling.
Your Engine Struggles to Start
If you’re engine’s slow to start when you turn the key, this may be because your battery is struggling to send its charge to the starter. This is usually a sign that a battery is on its last legs, with too many components inside breaking down. Get to your local dealer to have it checked and replaced.
You Experience Electrical Problems
If you notice other electrical components of your vehicle failing, it’s most likely due to a battery problem. This might include problems with your cellphone charger, radio, heated seats, or dashboard computer.
You Smell Rotten Eggs
The stench of sulfur, which smells somewhat like rotten eggs, is a sign that your battery acid is leaking. If you smell something like this, trust your nose, and pop your hood to check the battery.
Your Terminals Are Corroded
While examining your battery, look at the metal bits at the top where the wires connect. These are the connector terminals. If you notice any white, ashy discoloration on the metal, then they’ve begun to corrode, and the battery needs to be replaced.
Your Battery Is Cracked
The final sign of a dying battery is any cracking or malformation in the battery casing, which should be perfectly rectangular. Heat and cold can cause this damage over time, and a malformed, cracked battery is a failing battery that’s close to leaking.
If you need your battery checked or replaced, visit Performance Columbus. We’ve been proudly serving the drivers of the Columbus, OH region since 1979, and the experienced technicians in our service departments are on-hand to take care of your vehicular needs.
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