How Often Should a Car Battery Be Serviced?

Your car battery is one of the most important parts of your vehicle. It provides the essential jolt of electricity necessary to fire up your engine and start driving. A bad battery can leave you stranded, which is inconvenient and, in some instances, unsafe. Our team at Mercedes-Benz of Tyler, Texas, put together this article for you to understand the importance of having a top-performing car battery, the signs of a bad battery, how and when to service it, and when to replace it.

What Is the Main Function of a Car Battery?

The battery’s main function in your vehicle is to send electricity to turn the engine over. In addition, the battery provides electricity to the starter motor, spark plugs, and electronics needed to run the vehicle properly.

Your car’s battery is a complex auto part made with acid-resistant lead plates and cells filled with an electrolyte mixture of sulfuric acid and distilled water. The battery stores this chemical concoction and, when needed, converts it to electricity through the flow of electrons through electrodes.

Turning the ignition on activates the electrolyte solution and creates an electrical current. This goes to the starter motor and starter solenoid to help turn the engine on. The alternator on the vehicle charges and replenishes the battery when the engine is running.

Modern batteries have a tight seal on them to keep the chemical mixture within the cells, and they rarely need servicing or maintenance. If any part of the electrical system is faulty, the battery won’t hold a charge, which means your vehicle won’t start.

What Causes a Car Battery To Go Bad?

Several factors determine why your car battery is not functioning properly. While most batteries will last about three years, variables can affect their life span.

Hot Climate

Extreme climates can hurt the life of your car’s battery, whether you driving in the desert with scorching temperatures all the time or you’re visiting somewhere hot for the summer. When temperatures climb, liquid evaporation within the battery can happen, leading to accelerated corrosion from the concentrated chemicals. The combination of corrosion and low water levels weakens the battery’s ability to hold a charge.

Cold Climate

Extremely cold weather can also reduce your battery’s life span. In high mountains or cold winters, the liquid solution in the battery can turn sluggish and make it harder to start the engine, and it needs to work harder to keep the car running. In addition, when it’s cold, the oil in your vehicle’s engine gets thicker, and the battery must work harder to make the electrical components function correctly.

Driving Habits

Surprisingly, your driving habits can affect how the battery performs. If you only drive your car for short trips, under 20 minutes, the battery can’t get a full charge. Try to take a road trip of over 30 minutes once a week to allow the battery to get a full charge. In addition, if your vehicle sits in the garage or driveway for extended periods without the engine running, the battery will continue to drain passively. Again, taking your vehicle for a drive around Tyler or beyond will help charge the battery and extend its longevity.

Signs Your Car Battery Needs Servicing or Replacement

You expect your engine to turn right over when you turn the key in the ignition. However, as your battery ages or becomes damaged due to heat, cold, corrosion, or lack of charging, you’ll start noticing signs that it’s not performing optimally, including the following:

• Clicking noises: If you turn the key over in the ignition and hear clicking noises without the engine catching, you have battery issues.
• Slow ignition: When you engage the ignition key, the engine should turn over quickly and robustly. If not, the battery may be old or damaged.
• Dim headlights when idling: As your battery gets old, it affects all the electrical systems in your vehicle. A sign your battery is not functioning properly is if the headlights and dash lights dim when idling and brighten when you engage the throttle.
• Visible battery warning light: Most modern cars, including Mercedes-Benz vehicles, have a battery warning light on the driver infotainment cluster. If the light comes on, bring your vehicle into Mercedes-Benz of Tyler so we can inspect it.

How To Test Your Car Battery

While bringing your vehicle into our service center is important, there are a few DIY steps you can take to assess your battery’s strength. Now and then, lift your vehicle’s hood and look for signs of corrosion on the battery terminals. In addition, test to see if the battery connections are firmly on the terminals. You can also follow these steps to try the headlight load test:

1. Keep your vehicle in park, and without starting the engine, turn the headlights on.
2. Leave the key in the ignition in the on position (without starting the engine), and keep it that way for 10 to 15 minutes.
3. After this time passes, turn the engine on.
4. If your headlights dim significantly, your battery hasn’t passed the load test and should be replaced.

While this is a simple test to see if your battery can hold a charge, our service technicians have sophisticated diagnostic equipment to determine how much life is left in the battery, the cause of the low power, and the proper replacement for your climate and driving habits.

Does Your Car Battery Need Servicing or Replacement?

If you have signs of a bad battery, such as sluggish starting, it’s time to have it inspected, serviced, or even replaced. Mercedes-Benz of Tyler, Texas, is the premier dealership to have your battery checked. Our service technicians have specialized training to spot battery problems and recommend the perfect solution for your driving needs. Contact our service center today to learn how and when to service your battery and when you need to have it replaced. Our parts department will replace the battery from our online parts store, getting you back on the road in no time.

Open Hood of a Car by Sergey Meshkov is licensed with Pexels License