It’s important to get your car’s battery ready for the high temperatures and intense humidity of the summer. months. Not only can this increase the lifespan of your battery, but it will also play a key role in optimizing your vehicle’s performance.
In addition to decreasing your battery’s longevity, intense summertime heat can make it harder to start your vehicle quickly. Luckily, if you take the right steps to optimize your vehicle’s performance, you’re not likely to run into these problems. Here are a few things that you need to do to prepare your battery for summer.
Get Your Battery Tested
Testing your battery will determine whether or not it’s generating the right amount of electricity. Luckily, many garages and auto parts chain stores offer free battery testing.
There are several things that the mechanics will look for when they’re checking your battery. In addition to making sure that it’s generating the right amount of electricity, they’ll also look for loose cables and brackets that are not secure or are corroded. Furthermore, they’ll check the fan belts to make sure that they’re functioning properly.
Luckily, you can check these things yourself by simply opening the hood and taking a look. It’s best to do this every week or every other week to ensure that your battery is functioning properly at all times during the summer months.
Consider Your Region’s Climate
If you live in a region that’s known for high summer temperatures, such as the Southwest and Texas, it’s important to ensure that your car is prepared for the conditions. When the temperatures remain extremely high for months at a time, it takes a toll on your car, and you will simply have to replace your battery more often.
High levels of humidity can make your battery more susceptible to corrosion, so people who live in the South or the Midwest should have their batteries tested frequently. The states with the highest number of car battery replacements are Florida, Louisiana, Arizona, California, and Mississippi.
Take Steps to Reduce Corrosion
If your terminals get corroded, there’s a good chance that you’ll need to replace your battery. Luckily, this scenario can often be prevented with some very easy DIY interventions.
If you notice that there is corrosion on your battery, cover the terminals with baking soda, and pour a small amount of water on them. This will neutralize acid on the terminals and reduce corrosion. Once you’ve gotten rid of the corrosion, or if you don’t have any corrosion yet, get some anti-corrosion washers for the battery. Any auto supply store has them. It’s also not a bad idea to apply a small amount of di-electric grease on the terminals.
Try to Keep the Battery Cool
In order to prevent corrosion and rust, it’s important to keep your battery cool, which can be hard to do on hot summer days. Try to avoid frequent stopping and starting. Stop-and-go traffic is never any fun, but it’s especially damaging to your car in the summer, so even if it takes longer, plan an alternate route or travel during off-peak times. Make sure that there’s plenty of air circulation under the hood. Opening the hood for a few minutes after you reach your destination is an effective way to do cool everything down.
It’s also important to consider where you park. Whenever possible, avoid parking in the sun. Parking in a covered garage is optimal, but if that’s not an option, park under the shade of trees, buildings, or other objects that block the sun.
Also, it’s important to regularly check your coolant levels and add more as soon as you notice that the levels are getting low. While it’s always important to make sure that you replace your coolant every 30,000 miles, it’s typically best to do this more often during the summer months.
Use a Trickle Charger
Trickle chargers run automatically while you’re driving, and the energy that they generate will top off your battery’s charge. This can keep the charge from falling below 80%, which could reduce the battery’s lifespan.
The most important thing to look for when choosing a trickle charger is that it’s designed to be compatible with batteries that have the same voltage and amperage as yours. If you aren’t sure, ask an employee at the auto store if they could look at your battery to be sure that you’re getting the correct product. Make sure you choose a reputable brand, and always read plenty of user reviews before choosing a product. If you are installing the charger yourself, find a product that will be easy to put in, and ask the employee for installation tips.
Know When It’s Time to Replace Your Battery
While you can extend the lifespan of your battery by properly taking care of it, you will need to replace it at some point. Therefore, it’s important to make sure that you’re on the lookout for signs that it’s no longer working properly.
When your car can’t seem to keep up with seasonal changes, it’s often a sign that your battery needs to be replaced. If your vehicle takes a long time to start, it’s often a sign that you will likely need a new battery in the near future. Depending on the type of vehicle that you own, a dashboard light could come on that indicates a problem with your battery; this is almost always a sign that you’ll need to get a new one sooner rather than later.
Use Absorbent Glass Mat Batteries as a Replacement
Many experts recommend choosing absorbent glass mat (AGM) batteries for your replacement. Not only do these products last an exceptionally long time, but they offer excellent performance as well.
That’s because they’re designed differently than conventional batteries. The battery acid is contained within an absorbent glass mat, which is made from finely ground particles of glass. This makes these batteries spill-resistant and exceptionally long-lasting compared to other products.
Turn Off Onboard Electronics
Many experts recommend turning off onboard electronics as often as possible during intense summertime heat because these devices draw power directly from the battery. While the amount of current that they draw from it is typically small, they could gradually drain the battery over time during hot weather and add strain to an already maxed-out battery, greatly reducing its lifespan.
Do Not Put Your Car in Accessory Mode
While it’s possible to power onboard electronics using the car’s battery alone, this is ill-advised during the summer months. Putting your car in accessory mode puts a significant strain on the battery, and this is especially true during periods of intense heat when your car’s electrical system is already working hard.
Make Sure That Your Battery Has Enough Water
It’s essential to make sure that your car’s battery has plenty of water at all times. You should regularly check the fill level and top off your battery right away if the water level begins to get low.
