You probably don’t give much thought to your car battery until something goes wrong. Then when your car doesn’t crank, you can’t help but wonder how long batteries are supposed to last. On average, car batteries last three to five years, which is a big range. Find out what impacts your car battery’s lifespan and what you can do to make it last longer.
Driving Style Impacts Lifespan
This might come as a surprise, but your driving style directly impacts how long your battery lasts. If you tend to take a lot of short trips, your battery won’t have time to recharge, causing it to deteriorate faster. Thus, your battery might only last three years or less. Additionally, if your car spends a lot of time in storage, the battery can deteriorate rapidly. While you might not be able to change your driving style, you can protect your battery by using a maintenance charger. This will allow you to keep the battery fully charged at all times, so it’ll last much longer. That’s true, even if you take lots of short trips or park for prolonged periods.
Excessive Vibrations Can Cause the Battery to Deteriorate
There’s a lot of action going on under your car’s hood, which causes vibrations. If your battery vibrates too much, the parts and components can break, meaning you’ll have to replace the battery sooner rather than later. Fortunately, you can extend the life of your battery by using hold-down hardware to keep it in place. Then the vibrations won’t damage it.
Your Charging System Could Reduce the Battery Life
If your charging system isn’t working properly, it can over or undercharge the battery. Both problems can cause the battery to deteriorate much faster than normal. If your car batteries never seem to last very long, this could be the issue. You can take your car to a mechanic to evaluate it and see if the charging system is your problem.
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Hot Climates Wear on Batteries
It gets hot in Goldsboro, and that can wear on your battery. No matter how hot it is outside, you have to assume it’s even hotter under the hood of your car. It can jump past 200 degrees Fahrenheit under the hood. You can use a heat shield to protect your battery from excessive temperatures, so it’ll last longer.
Has your battery reached the end of its lifespan? If so, schedule service at Doug Henry Buick GMC in Goldsboro, North Carolina. We can check and replace your battery if needed.
On the other hand, your car battery might be one of the issues you’re currently facing. Fortunately, we can also help you upgrade your wheels. We have an assortment of new and pre-owned GMCs, as well as used vehicles from other manufacturers. You can browse our inventory online or stop by to see our lineup in person.
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