Car batteries can be such tricky components. You can drain them from idling for too long, driving with little gas, or from doing nothing wrong and just having a bad alternator. And worst of all, the most common reasons for a battery having problems are totally invisible.
For that reason, it can be important to have your battery checked frequently. Doing this can save you a lot of trouble with your engine, your car’s electrical system, and most importantly your car’s handling. But just when is it time to get your battery checked?
How to Know it is Time to Have Your Battery Checked
The signs you will get from your car battery are subtle, but still perceptible. So, we will walk you through some of the most common ways a car battery will express its fatigue, as well as explain why it happens and what you can do in response to these problems.
- Dim Headlights
This problem might be hard to notice, but it will definitely catch you eventually. It also shares a space with “dim dashboard lights”, which will come up more frequently if you drive at night a lot.
- Clicking During Ignition
If your car has trouble starting or if there is a clicking sound during the ignition, a faulty battery is one of the most common causes. People like to overthink it and blame the starter or the exhaust—two possible candidates for the issue that are less common than you might think.
The battery supplies the initial surge of energy the car needs to start its cycle. If it does not have that surge of energy, or if that surge is lesser than it should be, then it will take longer to start.
- Slow Transmission
This is most common in newer automatic cars. Slow transmission is interesting as it is both the cause and the effect of battery problems. What you should look out for is transmission that gets worse over time, as most cars these days have pretty uniform transmission issues at first.
Visit us to Get Your Battery Checked Out
Car battery testing is done by gauging the charge in the battery. Without enough charge in the battery, two things will happen: First, the battery will begin to wear down over time. The reason for this is that the battery is dependent on an “alternating current” cycle.
Imagine you bounce a ball off the ground. The amount that the ball can bounce is dependent on the strength of the first bounce. The harder you throw the ball towards the ground, the stronger the following bounces. Having a battery with little charge means having a weaker throwing arm.
This problem can only be solved by getting a new battery. But that can be a tiresome process to do on your own. If you need help diagnosing or solving this problem, call 510-793-6067. That will connect you to us, and we can help you schedule an appointment for some assistance.
