Maintaining Your Car's Battery

Batteries are the lifeline of your vehicle because without one your vehicle will not run. Everyone knows that you should get regular tune-ups, replace filters, and check your tire pressure. However, most people who go to a store to purchase a battery never give a thought to battery maintenance. Battery maintenance is an important factor whether your battery is unsealed or sealed. By providing maintenance to your car battery on a yearly basis, you will help to improve its life longevity.

There are two types of batteries, the unsealed and sealed varieties. You can tell the difference between an unsealed and a sealed battery because an unsealed battery has vent caps on the top that can be taken off in order to add water. Water is an important ingredient in the life of an unsealed battery. If all the water evaporates or is used up, the battery cannot run and the battery cells may also be ruined. Therefore, you will need a new battery which equates to money spent that could have otherwise been saved. Water will need to be added periodically to an unsealed battery whenever it gets low. This can be a frequent occurrence in the summer months when evaporation occurs more quickly than in the cooler spring, fall, and winter seasons.

Most of the consumers out there have a sealed battery and there is no need for water to be added. Sealed batteries often come with a label that says, "Maintenance Free". This is an incorrect label in the sense that while it is true that you do not need to add water, other annual maintenance jobs will extend the life of the battery. However, whether you have a sealed or unsealed battery, the following must be done to ensure that your battery works at its peak performance level.

First of all, you should disconnect all of the cables from the battery and clean them all with a small brush that has been saturated in a cleaning solution. The cleaning solution that should be used is concocted of one tablespoon of baking soda and one cup of water. Once you have cleaned the cables, use a small, clean paint brush that is also saturated in the solution to clean the battery top as well as any other areas that may need cleaning. After cleaning, you should lubricate all of the posts. This helps to prevent corrosion and will make it easier for you to put the cables back on. Finally, if you have a battery hold down bar be sure to put it back in its proper place. Make sure the battery hold down bar is on tight and then make sure all of the cables are connected correctly.

Once you have completed the final the step, your battery maintenance has been completed for yet another year. Another way to ensure that your car battery lasts longer is to frequently start a vehicle that has a tendency to sit for long periods of time. Infrequently used vehicles commonly end up with dead batteries, so starting your car habitually will prevent this from occurring. By performing these maintenance steps annually, even if the battery says "maintenance free", you will be sure to have a battery that will last you a long time and not leave you stranded in the middle of nowhere.