Signs Your Car Battery Is Starting to Fail
Life in Fort Collins can be unpredictable, and the Colorado weather can change in an instant. Getting stuck out in nature with a car repair problem is no fun. For this reason, and more, it’s very important to know the basics about auto repair and simple car mechanics.
The battery is at the heart of your car's mechanics. No matter how advanced the vehicle's technology, if the battery is dead you won't be driving anywhere. What's more, a battery that's on the road to failure can reduce your car's performance as well as speed up wear and tear on its major parts, including the alternator and starter. In this article, we will discuss one of the most basic car repair issues that we experience in Fort Collins: replacing the battery.
When thinking about auto repair issues, it's important to recognize when you need a replacement battery in plenty of time before a complete failure. Here are six important signs to look out for.
Difficulty Starting Your Car
If your car becomes harder to start than usual, it's often a sign that the battery isn't supplying enough juice to the starter. Although other car repair issues like dirty spark plugs in a gasoline-powered car could be the culprit, getting the battery checked should be your first priority to avoid being stranded without warning.
Dimmer Headlights
If your headlights don't shine as brightly as they once did, a lack of battery power is the most likely explanation. This is particularly true if lights are dim when you first start the car, but grow stronger as you drive and the battery starts to recharge a little.
A battery that's nearing the end of its life will often start to swell and bulge, which will be visible with even a quick look under the hood. Also keep an eye open for any corrosion around the terminals, which can start to appear with advanced battery age. Corrosion is a pretty common car repair issue in Fort Collins. Our batteries in this area are subject to some pretty extreme temperature changes.
A Bad Smell
If the battery case swells too much before you notice it, then a late warning sign will be a smell of bad eggs coming from under the hood. This usually means the battery is well past its safe operating state, and should be checked out urgently. This is not as common of a warning sign that an auto repair is in need, but it does happen on rare occasions.
Unreliable Electronics
If some of the electronic features in your car start to behave strangely, the auto repair issue could be low battery power. The electrical system may be supplying enough juice to get your gadgets and gizmos up and running, but not enough to keep them working reliably. Again, if the unreliability is most noticeable when the car is first started, then a fading battery is almost certainly the cause.
Engine Light is Lit
The check engine light on your dash can illuminate for many auto repair reasons, but one of the most common - and easily fixed - issues is low battery power. A mechanic will usually check the battery first before moving on to more complicated reasons for a lit-up engine light, so book an appointment at Weston Automotive Repair for a quick and easy fix!
Modern car batteries have a useful life of four to five years, but it doesn't make sense to run them right to the bitter end and get stranded in Fort Collins or on a long road trip. If you notice one or more of these warning signs, have your battery checked sooner rather than later to save yourself the expense and hassle of a sudden power failure. A battery replacement is a simple auto repair and also very common.