How Often to Replace Car Battery

Do you know how often to replace a car battery? On average, a car battery should last 4-5 years, however, factors such as environment can play a significant role, and should be considered. Learn more about how to know if your car battery needs to be replaced with the experts at Tyrrell Auto Centers. For more information about vehicle maintenance near Cheyenne, feel free to contact us anytime!

How to Know If Your Car Battery Needs To Be Replaced

Knowing how often to replace your car battery is one of the simplest ways to keep your vehicle operating efficiently. Let’s check out a few signs that could mean it’s time to change your battery:

• You jump-start your car.
• Your headlights are dim.
• Power issues become prevalent.
• It takes a while for the vehicle to turn over.

If you notice any of these signs while driving around Fort Collins, we recommend replacing your battery as soon as possible to avoid any inconvenience.

Why Does Your Battery Deteriorate?

When wondering how often to replace a car battery, you might come across a few different factors as to why your battery deteriorates. One of the most common reasons is high temperatures, as they can cause the liquid inside the battery to evaporate. Let’s check out a few more factors:

• Leaving Light On: If you accidentally leave your lights on in your vehicle, you could drain your battery and find it difficult to start when going on a drive around Greeley.
• Vibrations: If the battery clamps on your vehicle come loose, the vibrations could cause damage to components inside the battery. 

Testing a Car Battery

When learning how to know if your car battery needs to be replaced, it’s important to test the battery to determine if you’ll have any issues on the Cheyenne roads. So, let’s check out how to test a car battery:

The Headlight Test

• Put the vehicle in park, start it, and turn on the headlights.
• Rev the engine and see if you notice the lights getting brighter.
• If they do get brighter, it might be time to replace your battery.
• We recommend taking it to the Tyrrell Auto Centers service center for replacement.

The Digital Multimeter Test

• Place the multimeter at 20 volts
• Open the hood and connect the black (-) terminal to the black (-) meter probe. Follow the same process for red (+) terminal, and red(+) meter probe.
• Turn the key enough so the headlights come on, but don’t start the vehicle. 
• Although measurements can vary, often if you’re at 12.5 volts or higher, you have a full charge, 12.3 volts for 75% battery, and 11.8 volts or lower means a charge of 25% or less.

Learn More About Vehicle Maintenance at Tyrrell Auto Centers!

Now that you know more about how to know if your car battery needs to be replaced, schedule service with the Tyrrell Auto Centers service department to make sure that your vehicle is in its best condition around Laramie! For more information about vehicle maintenance, check out our service tips and tricks!