Many people know that cold weather can drain your vehicle's battery, but it's just as important to protect your battery during the heat of summer. How do you protect your vehicle battery during the summer? What steps can you take to keep from being left with a dead battery?
Protecting Your Battery
There are several steps you can take to protect your vehicle's battery during the summer months. These include:
- Visually inspect your battery. The first step in protecting your battery is looking at it, but what are you looking for? Some things you want to inspect are the cable ends to make sure there isn't corrosion on them. Check the brackets your battery sits in to make sure they are not broken or bent. Look at the battery case as well to make sure it isn't cracked or leaking.
- Check the battery cables for breaks and replace them if you notice they are frayed or broken.
- Most batteries are good for up to three years. If your battery is approaching that three year mark, replace it with a new one to avoid issues. Your battery will have a date stamp showing when it should be replaced.
- Ask a mechanic to check the water in your battery if it isn't a "maintenance free" battery, and if needed, add water. Keeping it cool can lengthen the life of your battery.
- Flush your radiator/coolant system regularly to help it work more efficiently. The cooler your engine stays, the longer your battery will last.
- Inspect your fan belt. Make sure it is tight enough and doesn't show cracks or frayed areas.
- Have routine maintenance completed on your vehicle.
Your battery is the vital to operating your vehicle. It provides the energy/electricity needed to not only start your engine, but to run the components of your vehicle such as power windows, AC, and other features on your car. If you need your vehicle's battery inspected or replaced, bring it to Roesbery Car Care Walnut Creek today and let one of our mechanics keep you safely on the road.