Without a car battery, your engine wouldn’t start, and you’d be stuck where you are. 

Of course, your car battery does more than start the vehicle. It also creates the power necessary for both the ignition and electrical systems. Think of your battery as your car’s lifeline. Without it, your car won’t function. 

How long should a car battery last?

How a battery works

A lot of things around your home run off of battery power. From your smartphone to a smoke detector, batteries ensure you have enough power to the device to make it function. 

When you turn the key in the ignition, it’s the car battery that provides the jolt of power needed to power up the electrical components in your vehicle. The car battery converts chemical energy into electrical energy, and provides enough force to send voltage to the starter. It also provides a steady stream of electrical current to stabilize this energy and keep the engine running. 

That’s a lot of work for one little box underneath the hood of your car. 

Depending on the make and manufacturer, a car battery is designed to last anywhere from 3 to 5 years. How long your battery will last depends on things like:

Driving habits

Short trips of 20 minutes or less can actually shorten the lifespan of your car battery. Each time you start your car, it uses battery power. When you make short trips around your community, it doesn’t give the charging system enough time to fully recharge the battery. By integrating short and longer trips throughout the day, it works to keep your car battery healthy and in good working condition. 

Don’t think that leaving your car parked for extended periods of time won’t impact the battery. They naturally self-discharge over time. It’s better to disconnect the battery and remove it, or use a trickle charger designed to keep the battery at a constant charge level as it sits.

Also be wary of allowing your car battery to completely wear down through the use of electronics. Various car accessories like headlamps, interior lights, and the radio drain power from the car battery. That’s why if you forget to turn the lights off, it can impact your car starting the following day. Avoid using accessories for extended periods if you aren’t operating your car. 

Weather

Here in Colorado, we can have widely changing temperatures within a short period of time. Throughout the year, your car may deal with below zero temperatures, followed by heatwaves in the triple digits in the summertime. That’s a lot for your batter to deal with. 

Protecting your car battery from these extreme fluctuations will extend its life. If you have a garage, keeping your car inside during extreme weather will protect the battery from deterioration. 

Maintenance

If you pop the hood and look underneath, you may discover corrosion around the battery box. Corroded batteries weaken the battery’s charge, which can impact its lifespan. You can keep corrosion at a minimum by scrubbing it with a mixture of baking soda and water, then wiping away the residue including dirt or grease. 

Batteries won’t go bad overnight. By regularly testing it, you can watch how much amperage it’s putting out. We can test it when you come in for regular maintenance to ensure it’s operating well. 

Is your car telling you it’s time for a new battery?

While you can give your car battery a long lifespan with proper maintenance and paying attention to your driving conditions, eventually it will wear out. It doesn’t suddenly fail without warning signs first. 

Corrosion

When you see corrosion building up around the positive and negative battery terminals, it’s a sign the battery is weakening. You can clean it, but be aware it’s showing signs of age. 

Slow engine crank

When your battery is working well, your car should gain power immediately upon turning the key. If it’s slow to react, that’s a sign your battery is weak. 

Check engine or battery light

Today’s technology is designed to warn you of potential problems long before they cause you an issue. At the first sign of a dashboard light, bring your car in so we can use diagnostic tools to determine what’s wrong with your vehicle. 

Bloated battery case

Swelling usually happens when the battery has overcharged. Heat and hydrogen gas build up faster than the battery dissipates, which can lead to the battery casing warping and expanding. 

Leaks

When a car battery leaks, it can be from several things. Leaks can form through the cell caps at the top of the battery, or through damage to the battery body. Overcharging can also damage the battery, or if it is subjected to extreme cold for a length of time. This may be noticeable from the rotten egg smell it produces. 

Low battery fluid

While not a regular maintenance item, your car battery can run low on fluid. As a battery recharges, electricity flows through the water as it’s converted from original gasses of hydrogen and oxygen. This can sometimes lead to water loss, which will need to be replenished to keep it in good working condition. 

Age

The older your battery is, the greater chance it has of not working at its best. 

If you’re not sure how old your battery is, there’s an easy way to tell. It has a creation date printed on it. This creation date is listed as a code with a letter and number. The letter corresponds to a month – A is January, B is February, and so on. The number gives you the final digit of the year – 8 would be 2018, 9 would be 2019, etc. 

If your battery is more than four years old, it’s a good idea to plan on replacing it soon to avoid future issues associated with a weak battery. This gives you a chance to replace the car battery on your time rather than deal with an emergency situation somewhere away from home. 

If you’re having battery problems, bring your car in and let one of our technicians test it to find out where the issue lies. We can service it as necessary, or suggest a new battery that will ensure your car’s safety.

On average, you can expect your car battery to last anywhere from two to five years. Of course, that depends on the battery you install, driving conditions, and the environment in which you drive. 

Here in Colorado, a lot can impact your car battery even if all you do is drive to work and run a few errands each day. Your vehicle is subjected to:

• Intense summer heat
• Bitter cold winters
• Ice, snow, and slush
• High altitude driving
• Short distance driving

And those are just for a start. Every time you take your car out, it impacts your car battery. Even leaving it at home and not starting your car can take its toll over time. 

How a car battery works

Our lives are filled with devices that run off of batteries. Take a fully charged battery, pop it into your device, and you’ll have hours, days, or even weeks of use. 

Some batteries you must replace every so often; when they die, it’s time for a new one. Other batteries you can charge over and over again. 

A car battery is the latter. When you turn the key or press the button to start your car, that process sends a signal to the battery that starts a chemical reaction inside the battery box. This reaction creates electrical energy that activates the motor running and the engine cranking. 

Car batteries are designed for starting, lighting, and ignition. It sends short bursts of energy to your lights, accessories, and engine. The energy is transferred to the alternator once the battery powers up the engine. As it runs, it will fill up the car battery and ready it for the next use. 

How long a car battery will last

Think about how often this process occurs throughout your day. You start the vehicle to take the kids to school, drive to work, head out for lunch. You stop and start your car over and over again. 

While the average car battery will last between 2 to 7 years, there are several ways you can increase the likelihood your battery will have a long life:

Short rides – when you start your car, the battery drains power as it provides energy to kick everything into action. As you drive, that energy is replaced, so the battery will be ready to operate when you start the car up again. If you limit your driving to short rides, it never has a chance to build power back up. Plan longer drives periodically to ensure your battery receives the full charge. 

Turn off lights – do you flip on interior lights frequently? Do your headlamps stay on even after you turn off the engine? Lights can be a big drain on the battery, especially if they stay on for hours or days at a time. Build a habit of checking to ensure lights are off before walking away from your car. 

Battery check – what does your daily drive look like? Do you take rough roads? Do you navigate potholes and speed bumps that can jar anything loose? It’s a good idea to check underneath the hood from time to time to ensure everything is in its place. The battery might come unfastened, which can cause damage or short circuit. Watch for corrosion around the battery terminals; you can clean it with a simple mixture of baking soda and water. 

Turn off electronics when the engine isn’t running – you wait for the kids after practice. You’re early for a meeting. There are a lot of reasons we sit inside our vehicles and wait – why not use things like the radio, lights, or air conditioning while we do so? Because it adds wear and tear to your battery. If you find yourself doing this regularly, look for ways to change your patterns. It’ll help extend the life of your car battery. 

Signs your car battery may be dying

No matter how well you take care of your car battery, it will need replacing every few years to keep your vehicle running well. Luckily, a weak car battery alerts you with a few telltale signs before it dies. 

Trouble starting – as the components of the battery begin to wear, they won’t operate at the same level as when the battery was new. You’ll notice it as your car has trouble turning over. 

Electrical problems – because it’s the battery’s job to power the vehicle’s electronics, you’ll notice a change in the way they function. If your headlamps seem dim, it could be a sign of a weak battery. 

Check engine light – the check engine light is one of the most frequent dashboard icons to light up. If you pay attention to how your car operates, you can usually deduct what might be wrong and make the necessary adjustments. When in doubt, bring it in, and we can help pinpoint the problem. 

Bad smell – when a battery is damaged or not functioning correctly, it can cause the battery to leak. If you smell rotten eggs, a leaking battery may be the culprit. Replace it as soon as you can. 

Corrosion around the connectors – pop the hood and glance over the various components from time to time. A white substance on the metal parts of the battery is a sign of corrosion. Corrosion can lead to voltage issues, which means you’ll have trouble starting your car. 

Damaged battery case – Colorado’s weather can do funny things to a battery case. Intense heat, bitter cold, and everything in between can sometimes cause a battery case to swell and crack. This can lead to a variety of harmful effects. If you notice anything unusual, bring it in for us to inspect. 

Age – when did you last replace your battery? Pay attention to dates, and you can start recognizing weaknesses in the way your battery is operating. If it’s been three or four years, it might be worth replacing your battery before it leaves you stranded. 

Is it time to replace the battery in your vehicle? 

There’s never a good time for a problem with your car, is there? Yet it always seems to happen at the worst time. Maybe you’re running late for a meeting, or picking up the kids. Or perhaps it happens on the coldest day of the year.

Then you’re left stranded, wondering what to do. And trying to think if there was a clue somewhere, telling you something is wrong.

That can happen easily if something is wrong with your vehicle’s battery. How do you know if your car battery is dead?

The car battery 

Like tires, car batteries are one of the most recognizable parts on your vehicle. That’s because you can find them almost anywhere, even on the shelves of your favorite membership stores.

A car’s battery is designed to provide electrical current to the motor. It feeds the starter, which in turn starts the engine. Once the car is running, power is continuously recharged through the alternator.

Today’s car batteries haven’t changed all that much since they were first introduced decades ago. Unless you have an electric car, hybrid, or another special performance vehicle, you have a “wet cell” battery installed underneath the hood. This is a plastic cube filled with sulfuric acid and lead. It has two terminals on the top or side, depending on the way it was installed.

Most car batteries on the market today are designed to last about five years. Of course, that number is entirely dependent on the way you drive. A driver that spends a lot of time driving in cold arctic air is going to have different results than someone who spends most of their time driving in the desert. It also depends on use. A city driver who turns their cars on and off all day long will have different results than someone who rarely takes their car out of the garage.

In your car, the battery ranks up there with one of the most common parts that fail. Luckily, it’s also one of the least expensive parts you have to replace.

Signs your car battery is dying

Think of your battery as the heart of the car. If you want to have a reliable car, there for you when you need it, the battery has to be working well.

And like other parts on your vehicle, the battery rarely dies without a few warning signs. Paying attention can help you avoid being stranded with a dead battery. Here’s what to look for.

The car battery signal on your dashboard

This is the easiest, and most apparent. When lights come on your dashboard, pay attention to them. They are designed to give you ample time to bring your car in for service.

The engine cranks, but won’t start

Have you ever turned the key, you can hear your car engine trying to start, but as it turns over, it just won’t catch? That’s a sign your battery is dying. Occasionally, it can be one of several other problems with the starting system, such as your starter. But in almost all cases, it’s about the quality of your battery.

Because your car still has power, it’s just not catching, this is a time you can use jumper cables to start your engine. Once your car is running, let it operate for at least 30 minutes to allow your alternator to charge the battery fully again. Then turn off your vehicle and let it sit for a few minutes. Start it. Start it again. If it turns over, you’re okay to continue driving it.

In a lot of cases, this charge is enough to keep your battery running for a while. But don’t be fooled into thinking your battery is back to normal. Instead, consider this to be time for getting into the service station and replacing your battery.

Your car battery works one day, not the next

If your battery isn’t that old, and your car seems fine one day, won’t work the next, it might be the connections. If the car battery terminals are loose, broken, or corroded, it can cause a problem with the power being supplied to the rest of your vehicle.

Check the battery cables first. This is usually the cause of the problem. Check to ensure they are connected and haven’t wiggled loose. You can also look at the cables and ensure they are in good condition, aren’t frayed, or show evidence of leaks. If you see any problems, it’s time to bring your car in and let one of our mechanics take a look at it.

The car won’t start, no crank, no lights

If your car is completely dead, it’s easy to diagnose: your car battery is at fault. Your battery’s job is to power all of the accessories in your vehicle. If your car won’t turn over, and lights won’t illuminate, it’s a sign your battery is no longer supplying power.

Be aware that if your battery doesn’t even have the power to supply energy to the lights, you might have a bigger problem than just your batter. It might also be a problem with the alternator. The best way to tell what’s wrong is to bring your vehicle into our service station and let us diagnose what’s wrong.

The size of the battery is wrong

Because car batteries are available just about everywhere, they are an easy DIY project, especially for people attempting to save a little money. Do you have a new-to-you car you’ve recently purchased, and are starting to have problems with the car starting? It could be the wrong battery was installed.

You’ve jumped your battery more than once

If your battery dies and you jump it to bring it back to life, it’s your vehicle’s way of telling you a problem might exist. Of course, you might have a lot of life left. But it would help if you watched closely for other symptoms.

If you have to jump your car more than once, and the episodes get closer together, you can no longer ignore the warning signs. Your battery is failing, and if you keep ignoring it, it could fail at an inopportune time. Like on a cold, dark night, when nobody is around.

Is it time to replace your battery?

Manufacturers will tell you a car battery has an expected life of five years. Depending on your driving conditions, two to three years may be the maximum life.

As you near the end of life, watch for little signs that tell you your battery is failing. Bring it in and let us inspect it. We can help ensure your car is working correctly, keeping you safe and on the road without a problem.