Winter is inexorably approaching and temperatures are approaching freezing point very quickly. Such weather is a great test not only for thermophilic creatures, but also for some machines. For example, if you park your car on the street, battery problems can very easily occur. How can experts take care of it?
The car battery loses its capacity at low temperatures and is easily discharged. It may therefore happen that you simply do not set out on your morning journey to work without recharging it. It’s just that it takes time and opportunities, which we often simply don’t have. At the same time, according to car mechanics, just a few simple steps are enough and excuses about the car not starting will be a thing of the past.
Beware of a few dangerous steps that can quickly destroy the battery. Watch the video on the Driver’s Portal channel on YouTube:
Source: Youtube
The battery usually asks for help
Every product that is supposed to serve us must receive proper care. It’s the same with the car battery, which usually works without problems, but there will also be times when it expresses its wishes very precisely. Therefore, in order to take care of it properly, we must also learn to perceive its manifestations.
It’s not that complicated. For example, slow first turns when starting, flickering dashboard backlight or even the feeling that the headlights do not shine as they should – these are all signs of a collapsing battery. In most cases, it is enough to recharge it in time and the problem is solved. Don’t let it get to the point where the engine doesn’t even “hiccup”.
Go on trips
Longer trips are another very good help for the battery in winter. If you use the car mainly for trips around the city for shopping and the like, take a trip to the neighborhood once a week, during which you drive at least thirty kilometers. The battery will be recharged and it will be like new again.
The apparent savings will be expensive
To this, the experts add another piece of advice: if you really only drive around a few blocks from your house, don’t turn off the engine when you stop for a moment. Of course, it is literally nonsense at the intersection, but even during a short stop, when the driver can stay in the car and the passenger takes care of the necessary business in a few minutes, it is better to leave the engine running. The battery will not get tired by multiple starts during a single trip.
Cleanliness is half health – even for the battery
Have you ever cleaned a battery? Maybe not, and it’s a big mistake. In order for it to really work at one hundred percent, it is necessary to regularly check the contacts and the condition of the clamps by which it is connected to the engine. Oxidized metal parts significantly reduce its efficiency, which we don’t want.
Therefore, it is better to take the brush right away and go to the car. After all, cleanliness is necessary in the entire engine compartment. Especially when snow treated with road salt melts, dirt gets into it and needs to be removed from time to time.
Be considerate of the battery
Especially in the winter months, we should take care of the car battery by conserving it as much as possible. It means only one thing – at the moment when we want to start, the battery should not deal with anything else. So definitely don’t turn on the headlights before the engine is running.
The air conditioning, heated seats, and even the car radio should also be turned off. In order to still be sure that the car will start despite all the preventive measures, get a voltmeter to measure the voltage at regular intervals. The moment the number 12.4 V appears, or even less, it is high time to plug in the charger.
Seemingly geeky behavior
Have you ever seen a motorist who just started the car in a parking lot, let the engine run for a quarter of an hour, then turned it off and calmly walked away? He knows very well why he did it. Apparently, he had no road to use the car in the last few days, and he is not going anywhere yet.
However, standing for a long time without using the battery is also not good for the battery. Therefore, in such a situation, act exactly like that apparently crazy person. This refreshes the battery and extends its life. After all, we want her to survive this winter without unnecessary damage.
Sources: tn.nova.cz, firstbatterycentre.co.za, www.autozone.com
