Your car’s battery is essential to the vehicle’s operation. Most people don’t give much thought to the battery until it dies and leaves them stranded somewhere. You may not realize how much abuse a car’s battery takes, even when the vehicle is not running. Extremely cold or hot weather can shorten a battery’s lifespan. Even the heat of the engine itself can damage it. Here are some simple practices to maintain your vehicle’s battery, whether you have a 2009 Honda Odyssey battery or a newer 2023 Ford Mustang battery. By following these tips, you can keep this crucial piece of equipment running at maximum health and efficiency for as long as possible.
Frequently Drive Your Car
A vehicle’s battery will usually lose its charge when you don’t drive it often or at least run the engine. Ideally, you will take your vehicle for a drive at least once a week to keep the battery from draining. Otherwise, there’s a good chance you’ll need to jumpstart it to get it running again.
Keep Battery Terminals Clean and Dry
Many people don’t realize that they should clean their car batteries regularly. It’s likely that if it’s not causing a problem, you rarely check under your hood or even think about the battery. However, dirt and dust accumulating on the casing can cause problems, such as short-circuiting. Don’t forget to clean around the battery terminals because; they can corrode. These are easy to clean using a small brush (e.g., a toothbrush works well).
Limit Heat Exposure
Extreme heat can cause the fluids in a battery to evaporate. This happens even with new and sealed batteries. In hot environments, heat can damage the battery during the summer, but you may not even encounter the effects until later in the year. Try to keep your car parked in a shaded location as much as possible.
Insulate the Battery
Whether you live in an environment that experiences extreme temperatures or not, it can always help to insulate your battery. Insulating will also add an extra shield from the engine’s high heat. It will protect your Cadillac Escalade battery from excessive heat and extreme cold and give your battery a longer life.
Add Distilled Water
You can also prolong the battery’s life by adding distilled water. This water will help protect the battery cells from being damaged by excessive heat when the battery fluid evaporates.
Don’t Use Battery Without Running the Engine
Another way to avoid draining your vehicle’s battery is to avoid using the battery when the engine is not running. You may be tempted to turn on the radio while waiting for someone or during a picnic. It’s also easy to forget you have your interior or exterior lights on and not notice them when you exit the car. Both of these scenarios can drain the battery fast.
Regularly maintain your vehicle’s battery to elongate its life as much as possible. When you’re ready to find a replacement, such as a 2014 Chevrolet Silverado-2500-Hd battery, search for a reputable online automotive parts dealer. You can be confident you will find precisely what you need for your vehicle’s year, make and model.