How to Make Your Car Battery Last Longer Than You Think
When it comes to powering a car, the focus is on gasoline (understandably given prices over the past few months). But in addition to the fuel level gauge, you also need to keep an eye on the battery level. Batteries perform several functions in vehicles, including providing the power needed to start a car.
And with so many different costs associated with your car, you’re probably trying to keep costs down. One way to do this is to make a few small changes that can extend the life of your battery . Here are some of them to consider.
Avoid frequent short trips
Starting a car is a load on the battery. Luckily, when you drive, the engine charges the battery. When you make frequent short trips in the car, the battery is charged each time, but does not last long enough to be recharged. Doing this every day can shorten battery life, so try to avoid regular short trips .
Check the lights and doors
Get in the habit of turning off all the lights in your car – headlights and interior lights – after you’ve finished driving day/night. Part of this is making sure all doors are closed, as well as the trunk and glove box. This is a good idea, not only for safety reasons, but also because leaving any of these doors open will usually turn on the interior lights, which can drain the battery if left overnight or for a longer period of time.
Try to avoid extreme temperatures
Batteries don’t like when it’s very hot or very cold outside, so if you can park it somewhere with less temperature fluctuations – like a garage in the winter or somewhere shady in the summer – it can help your battery last longer.