Chances are you’ve had the power go out in your neighborhood at some time, and you know how helpless that can make you feel.  No lights, no microwave oven, no cold refrigerator,  it’s like living in another century!

Well, your vehicle is also highly dependent on having power for it to run properly.  This is why battery cable maintenance is so important.  When your battery cables are failing, the power that needs to be transferred for your vehicle to run properly, isn’t being transferred.

Battery cables are essentially the wires that connect your vehicle to its battery.  The positive cable supplies the power to the various components that use them and the negative grounds the system to the vehicle chassis.  This setup allows you to have power throughout your vehicle.

When a battery cable fails, your vehicle may not start, your starter may turn over very slowly, or you may hear a clicking noise.  And you may see your battery warning light go on.  Just like a house with no power, a vehicle with no power needs to get reconnected to its power source in order to work the way it should.

It’s important to keep your battery cables clean and maintained.  You may have noticed a greenish white substance building up on the battery terminals.  This corrosion can start to move inside the battery cables.  Corroded cables don’t conduct electricity well.  Your Express Car Care technician can disconnect the cables, check them and clean the cable ends and the battery terminals.  This preventative battery cable maintenance will help extend the life of your battery and your battery cables.

If you are noticing any signs that the power in your vehicle isn’t acting the way it usually does, head on over to Express Car Care and have one of our technicians check it out.  More power to you!