How Often to Replace a Car Battery

Your car battery is necessary for starting the vehicle by providing enough amps once you hit the ignition. Many auto technicians say you should replace your battery around every four to five years. However, the exact replacement interval depends on several factors, and battery life can vary widely.

Discover the ins and outs of car batteries at Bayer Chevrolet. If you have any questions, contact your Mineral Wells area service center. We’re happy to help in any way we can.

How to Know If Your Car Battery Needs to Be Replaced

Your car battery will need to be replaced at some point if you own your vehicle for an appreciable amount of time.

Some warning signs to watch out for if your battery is about to go out:

• Dimming headlights
• More frequent engine revving or jump starts
• Longer times to start the engine when you turn the key/push the button
• Unusual power fluctuations

What Causes Your Car Battery to Deteriorate?

• Heat: Hot weather causes the liquids inside a car battery to evaporate. If you live in a more consistently hot climate, your battery life will be inevitably shorter.
• Vibrations: If your battery’s hold-down clamps are loose, or you drive over rough roads frequently, vibrations will cause internal battery parts to break down faster.
• Needing a Jump: Maybe you left the lights on overnight or let your engine idle for too long. You’ll need a jump start, which can shorten battery life significantly.
• Time: A car battery can only go through so many charge cycles. At some point, your car battery will not be able to generate enough charge to overcome the resistance needed to create a charge. So the death of your car battery is unavoidable, but proper care can prevent the battery from dying on you early.

For the best idea of how long your car battery should last with proper care, consult your owner’s manual or regular maintenance schedule.

How to Test a Car Battery

The next time you bring your vehicle in for regular maintenance at your Eastland-area service center, our technicians can test the battery and its viability. We recommend bringing your vehicle in for checkups at least twice a year, much as you would go to the dentist.

If you want to test the battery during routine maintenance, many retailers offer free tests. Or you can test the battery at home with a few easy methods.

The Headlight Test

1. Turn on the engine.
2. Keep the car in park.
3. Turn the headlights on.
4. Rev the engine.
5. Look to see if the headlight brightness changes.
6. If the headlights get brighter, that means the current is not strong enough to keep the lights at normal brightness while the car is idling.
7. Take your car to a service center at this point for further assessment.

Using a Digital Multimeter

1. Set the voltmeter to 20 DC volts.
2. Open the hood of your vehicle.
3. Touch the negative terminal (black) with the negative meter probe (also black).
4. Touch the positive terminal (red) with the positive meter probe (also red)
5. Have a friend turn on the headlights.
6. Check the voltmeter reading.
7. At 80℉, 12.5 volts or higher means your battery is fully charged. 12.3 volts means it’s at about 75% charged.11.8 volts or lower means you have 25% or less charge.

How Much is a Replacement Car Battery?

A typical car battery’s cost can range between $75 and $120. If you have a premium battery it could cost up to $200. Hybrid car batteries have a much bigger job. As such, hybrid car batteries are much more expensive, and they can cost anywhere between $1000 and $6000. But your costs of battery replacement are offset by lower overall fuel costs.

Service Your Vehicle at Bayer Chevrolet

Ready to replace your battery in Graham? Contact us or call (260) 204-0021 to schedule a service appointment for your battery. Check out our parts and service coupons ahead of time, so you can save money on your next car maintenance!