How Often to Replace a Car Battery

Most auto maintenance experts recommend replacing a car’s battery every 4 – 5 years, but because of numerous affecting factors, the actual battery life each Raleigh driver gets can vary quite a bit. In this comprehensive guide, the Hendrick Chevrolet Buick GMC Southpoint service team discusses how often to replace a car battery, how to know if your car battery needs to be replaced, and more.

How to Know If Your Car Battery Needs to Be Replaced: 4 Warning Signs

There are several warning signs that usually point to a need for car battery replacement, including:

• Your headlights aren’t as bright as they should be
• Your engine needs to be revved more often or you’re frequently needing to jump-start your car
• When you turn the key in the ignition or push the button to start your car, the engine takes noticeably longer to start up
• You experience abnormal voltage fluctuations

What Are the Affecting Factors on a Car Battery’s Lifespan?

• Heat: North Carolina heat can get pretty extreme in the summer. Unfortunately, this can cause the liquids inside your car’s battery to evaporate, resulting in premature deterioration.
• Vibrations: If you need to drive on gravelly or otherwise rough roads in Cary with any frequency, or if your battery’s hold-down clamps are loose, the resulting vibrations can cause the interior components of your car battery to wear out faster.
• Jump Starts: Leaving headlights on at work all day happens to the best of us. When your vehicle requires a jump-start, though, it can impact your battery’s life significantly.
• General Aging: A car’s battery can only withstand a certain amount of charge cycles throughout its life, so its eventual demise is inevitable. With proper care, however, you can prevent this from occurring prematurely.

Unsure of how many years your car’s specific type of battery is reported to last? A quick consultation with your owner’s manual should provide a clear answer.

Two Methods for How to Test a Car Battery

You can have your car’s battery tested by simply following your maintenance schedule. But if you’d like to test it out at any point in between maintenance visits, it’s helpful to know that many retailers have complimentary testing available. Or, you can test your battery right from your Chapel Hill driveway:

Using a Digital Multimeter:

1. Set the voltmeter to 20 DC volts.
2. Pop the hood of your car. Then, make contact of the negative battery terminal (black) with the negative meter probe (also black).
3. Make contact of the positive terminal (red) with the positive meter probe (also red)
4. Ask a friend or family member to switch on the headlights, then check the voltmeter reading.
5. A reading of 12.5 volts at 80℉ indicates a fully charged battery. 12.3 volts indicates around a 75% charge, and 11.8 volts indicates a charge of 25% or less.

The Headlight Test

1. Turn your car on, keeping it in park.
2. Turn your headlights on.
3. Rev the engine and pay attention to whether the brightness of your headlights changes.
4. If the headlights shine brighter when you rev, it indicates that the current isn’t strong enough to keep them at normal brightness when your car is idling.
5. At this point, it’s wise to schedule a service appointment to have your vehicle inspected by a professional.

How Much is a Replacement Car Battery Going to Cost?

If you do need a new car battery, you’ll want to know: How much is a replacement car battery going to cost me? The average cost of a new car battery ranges anywhere from $75 to $120, or up to $200 for a premium battery. What about hybrid car batteries? These types of batteries have to work a lot harder to power a car, which is reflected in their price; a new hybrid car battery will run you anywhere from $1,000 to $6,000. This price may be a shock, but keep in mind that it is offset by the long-term savings racked up by hybrid vehicles’ significantly lower fuel consumption.

Schedule Battery Service at Hendrick Chevrolet Buick GMC Southpoint!

Searching for a reliable service center in Durham to have your car’s battery inspected or to get a battery replacement? Hendrick Chevrolet Buick GMC Southpoint is here for you. Contact us today with questions, and be sure to consult our parts and service specials! You’ll frequently find convenient battery coupons to help you save.