Friendly Car Care
9110 Burnet Rd, Austin, TX 78758 512.821.3300
Question:
When do I need to replace my battery?
Friendly Car Care Answer:
That's a good question for Austin drivers. All batteries wear out and need to be replaced – but some are replaced before their time.
Look, if your battery is dying and you need a jump-start, it could very well be that you have a bad battery. But Austin drivers should have Friendly Car Care test the battery first to see if it's actually bad. The problem could be parasitic drain or a bad alternator that's not properly charging your battery.
And Austin drivers in this situation also need to have their service advisor check their alternator and have it tested. A surprisingly high percentage of “bad” alternators brought into Friendly Car Care in Austin are actually just fine: the problem is a worn serpentine belt and/or belt tensioner. If the belt is slipping, it's not spinning the alternator properly so it can't fully charge the battery.
Hopefully, Austin drivers can see that a dead battery can be the result of a chain of events: a worn serpentine belt, a worn belt tensioner, a bad alternator or a bad battery. If you don't check the belt, tensioner and alternator, you can just end up replacing batteries that are still good. Talk to your friendly and knowledgeable pros at Friendly Car Care .
That brings us back full circle to when batteries do fail. There's a chemical cycle that takes place inside your battery: the battery is discharged when you start the vehicle and is recharged by the alternator when you drive. Short trips around the area with frequent stops and starts may mean that your battery is never fully recharged. When a battery isn't fully charged, parts of the battery harden and are no longer available to “store” electricity. Over time, your battery just can't hold enough charge for the needs of your vehicle. This is demanding on your alternator as it tries to keep up, causing it to wear out prematurely.
Batteries last longer in colder climates and wear out faster in warmer TX climates. We want to remind Austin drivers that, on average, 70% of batteries fail within four years. Many TX automotive experts recommend replacing your battery every five years. This will reduce the chances of being stranded on a local street with a dead battery as well as prevent undue wear on your alternator.
Friendly Car Care
9110 Burnet Rd
Austin, TX 78758
512.821.3300