Car Battery Tips (auto, best, buy, Audi)

[silblade]

Follow the following car maintenance tips to keep you car's battery running smoothly.

1. Battery Needs Change - This is common and known to almost all the car owners. Your car's battery needs to be changed after duration of four years. Don't forget to do that.

2. Monthly check of the battery's load test helps you avoid any hassle. Take your car's battery to your auto mechanic and can load test it. Make sure your car's battery is able to pass the test. Make sure that it is capable of sufficient charge even at below freezing temperatures.

3. Just wipe off the battery terminals of any crust. An easy way to do so is to use some baking soda and water. Use a wire brush to clean the crust using this solution.

4. Always keep the battery cables tightly tied. Make sure the cables are so tight that they do not move.

5. Keep the battery safe in a tray. Also ensure that battery remains properly in the tray so that no damage is caused to the hood.

6. Excess of cold is not a good condition for the car batteries. Therefore, look for a solution to it. The best way is to opt for an engine or battery heater. This keeps the car's battery function smoothly. The heater will help in easily starting the battery and would also minimize the power consumed.



7. Keep a check on when Service is needed – Different cars come with maintenance free battery. Regular check is needed for such automobile batteries. There is a light in maintenance free batteries that goes black when service is required.



8. For Conventional Car Battery - These batteries come with a plastic cover that can be easily removed to check the water inside. It is important that the water inside the battery reaches the filler necks.


9. Be Careful While Adding Water – Incase there is less water inside the battery, you may also add distilled water. I guess I should warn you at this moment. You might just harm yourself if you don't be careful. The battery acid that is highly corrosive might harm your clothes.



10. During Battery Check – It is important to make sure that you do not keep any kind of open flames near the car battery. Automobile battery contains chemicals that are combustible and hence can be dangerous.



11. Over Charging Should Be Avoided – This is common and known to everybody that a dead battery can be charged using a battery charger. Improper charging of a battery is something that should be avoided. It might also lead to damage of batteries as well as car's parts & components.

[windmill99]

i advise anyone buying a battery on line to think again if a broblem arises it will cost you £10 to £20
pounds to return a standard battery ' and i also think that you have to pay for the new one to be sent to you check before buying..p

[windmill99]

if my audi a3 sits for over 3 days it wont start
if it is running every day its ok
any advice anyone

windmill99

[duster1979]

You've either got a dead cell in your battery or a short in your electrical system.

[johna01374]

A number of the items in this post are either out of date or completely incorrect. Here are the quick and easy ones that are wrong or out of date.

1) batteries last a minimum of 7 yrs if you buy a quality battery. My 2000 Tacoma still has the factory battery 11 yrs and 248,000 miles later.

2) Load checks only need be performed yearly. Do it before winter. If you have lots of time and money to waste do it monthly.

6) Batteries are effected by cold but not nearly as bad as they were 20 yrs ago. Todays batteries will start a car in -50F without an issues. I would be more concerned with the oil than the battery.

8) I haven't seen a car with a serviceable battery in 15 yrs.

[The Continental]

If one of my batteries is dead, and it will start when I jump it off, but not after trying to restart it. Do I need to get it charged or should I just drive it around for awhile to let the alternator try to recharge it.

[Mac_Muz]

Originally Posted by The Continental

If one of my batteries is dead, and it will start when I jump it off, but not after trying to restart it. Do I need to get it charged or should I just drive it around for awhile to let the alternator try to recharge it.

Get that battery load tested. This is a simple quick test any shop can do and for a low fee, or Auto Zone can do for free.

You want to be there and watch. The load tester is usually a chromed box with vent holes and a meter.

With it leads first placed on a battery the meter reads battery voltage.
A really good battery will read 12.6 to 12.8 volts (DCV)

Ok is 12.2/12.4 DCV
Less is suspect.

Next the tool switch is turned on and this is a hard load, of about 400 AMPS, to replicate the start motor load and other itens the car needs to run on any start.

The meter will drop quickly to about 10.5 DCV. If the meter crashes the battery is done, and really dead.

A really good battery will drop to that same figure 10.5 dcv or so, and hold the reading at the same or drop slowly lower.

As soon as the switch is released to OFF the battery will spring the meter back to almost what it was. Given 30 minutes the reading will rise higher as the battery recovers on it's own.

A dead battery will not recover on it's own.

The battery can be charged as a next test, and all these steps repeated to be certain the battery is good or bad, but chances are yours will be bad, and the first test will prove it.

You can install a charger on a dead battery and all for not. If a battery will not hold a load there is no way to make it take a charge.

Using a dead battery in any vehical that will not hold a load, and so can ot take a charge will fry the charging system.

It is the same as shooting a bucket full of holes, and trying to get that bucket to fill up with water. It can't be done.

[Mac_Muz]

Originally Posted by windmill99

if my audi a3 sits for over 3 days it wont start
if it is running every day its ok
any advice anyone

windmill99

Your test is simple.

Drive the car as you do, and when you plan to park it for these 3 days pull the negitive terminal off the battery and walk.

Be prepared to do what ever it is you do to start the car on day 3. Install the clamp on the battery again and see of the car starts.

A better way would be invest in a volt meter or a mulitmeter, and take a reading right after you stop driving the car, then take another same reading on day 3 with the battery cable off.

This will tell you by comparing these readings if the battery has less volts, than after parking. If the battery alone shows to be less, then it is a battery problem. If not and the reading is the same, then it is a wiring problem, and there is a flaw somewhere.

To find that flaw will be more work, and then a meter will be a must have.

[johnfrisco]

Heat is much worse for batteries than cold weather.

[Icy Tea]

What if its an electric car?