Neither the engine, nor the vehicle electronics, nor the falling exhaust pipe: the majority of all car breakdowns (42 percent) experience vehicle battery failures. It always remains a problem, as batteries are subject to wear and tear. Otonel explains for you how to deal with it.
What you need to do to protect your vehicle battery
Avoid heat accumulation: What many people do not know is that the battery gets old quickly at very high temperatures. If the starter battery has an insulating cover, it should be replaced in case of damage. If possible, do not leave your vehicle in the scorching sun on hot summer days.
Reduce electricity consumers: Many energy consumers in your vehicle can cause the battery to over discharge. Therefore, always make sure that you never operate the radio, lights, and ventilation without the engine (“ignition on”) for extended periods of time when the engine is turned off. Only use electrical consumers (seat heating) as needed while driving. By the way, this also applies to electric cars with a 12 V starter battery. But one thing is clear: You should of course not overlook safety-related consumers, such as lighting in poor visibility!
Use the charger: The generator in the vehicle cannot adequately charge the battery during short distance journeys. Deep discharge can be avoided with a charger. NOCO Fully-Automatic Smart Charger is one of the great battery charger to use in this case.
Avoid operating errors: It is well known that negligence, such as leaving the light on (including interior lighting!) drains the battery. However, unlocked doors cause the vehicle to “draw power” when the vehicle is parked. Cause: Some controllers stay on for a while or don’t turn off at all. Therefore, always close the doors and the tailgate correctly and lock the vehicle.
Keep the battery clean: The contact between the battery pole and the battery pole clamp must be free of dirt and tight. If necessary, check that the battery pole clamp is firmly seated. Use the protection (spray or terminal grease) specified by the vehicle manufacturer to protect the connections from corrosion.
How to identify a faulty car battery?
If the engine is running without power, that is, the starter motor rotates more slowly and “misfires” during cranking; and if the interior lighting is flickering, this is the first sign of an old battery.
A warning sign in vehicles with a start-stop system is that it does not turn off the engine even if all necessary requirements are met. For example, at traffic lights, the engine continues to run even if it has to be turned off automatically. The reason for this may be that the vehicle electronics has detected a weak battery and therefore does not strain the batteries too much with continuous operation.
