Your car battery is one of the most important components in your car. It provides the electrical charge to start your car. Without a working battery, your car will never move. Although the battery is important, many drivers don’t think about it until one day the car just won’t start. As your Kia dealer, we don’t want this to happen to you. These are some signs that you need to come in for a new car battery.
Corroded Terminals
Your battery is filled with chemicals, including sulfuric acid. These chemicals are used in the complex reactions of transforming chemical energy into electricity. As a battery gets older, some of the sulfuric acids can escape from the battery casing as a vapor. This vapor mixes with moisture in the air and forms an acidic salt which can corrode your battery.
If you open the hood and check your battery, you can easily see if there’s any sign of corrosion. If the battery terminals have a gray or white substance around them, this means that your terminals are starting to corrode. Once a battery starts to corrode, it’s a sign that your battery will need to be replaced.
An Old Battery
The average battery will work for 3 to 5 years before it needs to be replaced. Your battery’s lifespan, however, is influenced by extremes of heat or cold, driving conditions, and a host of other factors. As your dealer, we advise that your battery should be checked at least every three years to ensure that it’s still working correctly.
As the battery ages, you will notice that it clearly shows signs of aging. You can test this by turning on your headlights when your car’s engine is switched off. If the lights are bright, your battery is probably working just fine. If you notice that the headlights are dim, this can be a sign that your battery is failing or that there is a problem with your car’s electrical system. Our technicians can test your battery, and we will also check the electrical system for any problems.
Not Holding a Charge
An older battery starts to have difficulty in holding a charge. Your alternator recharges your battery as you drive, but an older battery may not be able to retain this charge. This can be a difficult problem to spot, as it can only be tested at home without testing equipment by not starting your car for a few days. After this time, try to use some of your car’s devices without switching the engine on.
When your engine is off, your battery maintains the electrical systems, including the dash light, headlights, and other components. If any of these components aren’t working correctly, your battery is probably failing and needs to be replaced. We will test it for you.
If you have any battery problems, call us immediately at Crain Kia of Conway and our technicians will check your battery.
Image via Kia.
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Warranties include 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain and 5-year/60,000-mile basic. All warranties and roadside assistance are limited. See retailer for warranty details.