As a car owner, you would know that buying a car is not a big deal; maintaining your car is! Well, no more worries. In this article, we have enlisted 7 great ways to keep your car battery in its best condition.

We use a lot of gadgets and devices in our daily routine that works on batteries. But we seldom care for their proper maintenance. When it comes to car batteries, they require special attention and maintenance for the smooth working of the car.

On average, the lifespan of a car battery is for up to 3 years. But if the owner ensures car battery maintenance, it can extend to up to 5 years. A maintenance routine for your car battery not only ensures its increased lifespan but also makes sure that you do not face any inconvenience in the middle of a busy road due to a faulty battery.

Read below and learn about 7 great ways about how you can get 100 percent car battery maintenance.

1. Drive Often

The main reason any battery dies is that it is left unchanged. The same is the case for car batteries. If you leave your car in the garage undriven for days, it will affect your car battery. Taking short trips once a week is never enough to boost the car battery. 

At a minimum, you should try to drive your car every three days. If you cannot maintain this driving cycle, then at least drive it for a minimum of 30 minutes every week. A 30-minute drive will charge your battery enough to keep it in good condition.

If you do not drive your car often, one other thing that will help the battery is driving on highways. On the highway, you can drive your car smoothly with a good speed; it will be an additional booster for charging the car battery.

2. Clean the battery

Timely cleaning plays a big role in car battery maintenance. The dirt and debris may interfere with the smooth flow of the battery. Besides, corrosion around the metal terminals highly affects the battery and causes draining of the battery charge.

How To Clean The Battery?

The best method to clean the car battery is with an ammonia-based window cleaner. In case you do not have that with you, a mixture of water and baking soda will do the job perfectly. This mixture is ideal for removing the corrosion around the terminal. 

Apply it to the battery with a damp wire brush (make sure the brush is not wet). Let it sit for a while and wipe it off with a cleaning towel. Take off all the baking soda, as it can lead to further corrosion if left on the battery terminals. While you clean your batteries, make sure that none of the fluid enters the battery ports. 

3. Avoid Using The Battery While The Engine Is Switched Off

It happens very often that we use the car battery while the engine is off. Causally it doesn’t seem like a big deal. But deep down, it affects your car battery life tremendously. It is because when the engine is not working, the battery tends to discharge more quickly. 

Make sure to turn off the interior lights, radio, music system, and the car air conditioner to minimize the strain on the battery. Extended use of these systems while the engine is not active causes wear and tear on the car battery power. 

4. Minimize Car’s Exposure To Extreme Tempratures

The damage caused to the battery due to excessive heat is irreversible. So it is always suggested to take precautionary measures before the battery reaches such a point. If the car is exposed to heat for longer durations, it causes the fluid in the battery to evaporate.

The cars are more liable to this issue in summers. But the effects of excessive heat on batteries are prominent in the winters as well. To avoid this problem, make sure that you park your car in an area with some shade. Look for a garage if possible; otherwise, a tree shade works fine too. Never park your car in direct sunlight. 

Exposure to extreme temperature is not only heat-related. Severe winters and a cold environment also affect battery life. It is best suggested to keep your battery parked inside the garage in winter as well. If your area has harsh winters, you can use an engine or battery heater to minimize the power consumed.

5. Insulate the battery

The newer car models are highly fuel-efficient. But to manufacture efficient aerodynamics, a shrinkage in the hood space has occurred. This problem can cause a hindrance and reduction in airflow. It can cause unnecessary heating up of the battery and hence reduced battery life span.

Insulating the battery will ensure that no breakdowns occur due to a heated system. Besides, it will protect the battery from harsh weather conditions and will save you a lot of money in the long run. Taking this step, you can also play your part in environmental preservation. 

6. Keep A Check Upon The Battery Voltage

How much voltage remains in the battery is crucial in measuring and accessing the battery’s health. A lifespan of a lead-acid battery is considerably affected if it is half charged or left uncharged.

To ensure long-lasting battery life, you need to check the battery voltage every month. The average value for a fully charged car battery is 12.6 volts or above. A value lesser than 12.5 indicates that the battery needs to be recharged.

If you check while the engine’s working, the value should be somewhere between 13.7 to 14.7 volts. And if the value is lower than 12 volts, in any case, it indicates that the battery is dead and needs to be replaced. 

7. Add Distilled Water

The term adding water to the car’s battery might sound unusual to most people. But actually, batteries need a proper equilibrium to maintain charge. Add water to your batteries to maintain an equilibrium in the car batteries. 

In summer especially, evaporation is at its peak, which causes the battery fluids to dry faster. Adding distilled water to the batteries helps solve the issue and increases the battery life. Also, make sure to add the water after you have charged the batteries (except to check the water level before charging them to ensure there is enough water to cover the exposed plates).

To know how often you need to add water to your car batteries, develop a routine to check them every week. Eventually, you will figure out the frequency with which your car batteries need to be rewatered.

Wrap Up!

Maintaining your car’s battery is a simple task and will keep your automobile in a very good overall condition. The car battery maintenance tips mentioned above will save you a lot of money and hassle in the long run. These tips and tricks can extend your car’s battery life for up to 5 years. 

If your car battery has functioned properly for five years, you should consider replacing it with a new one. Because chances are it might fail anytime when you are on the go. So to save yourself from any unexpected inconvenience, take a step ahead of time.