If there is an element in our vehicle whose importance is inversely proportional to the maintenance required, it is the battery. This part is responsible for converting the engine's mechanical energy into electrical energy that supplies the lights, radio, and starter motor. The car battery is designed to have specific charge and discharge cycles; The charges occur when the alternator starts to generate the energy that accumulates in it, and the discharges occur when the starter motor starts.
It is relatively easy to know when the exhaustion of these charging cycles is approaching, since cars begin to suffer a series of symptoms that indicate the need to replace the part. The batteries have a useful life that is estimated to be five years, but be careful! If we use and maintain them correctly, hopefully we can make them work for longer. Below, we explain the main signs of battery failure and a series of good practices that will help you take care of this element.
One of the aspects that you must take into account is that the original battery of a new vehicle lasts much longer than the following batteries with which we progressively replace it. As time goes by, cars tend to charge worse and increase their energy consumption. Likewise, city trips will cause greater wear and tear on the charging cycles than long highway journeys, because the former require using the starter motor more times.
As for the signs of battery exhaustion, the most representative is undoubtedly the suffering of the starter motor. If you hear a clicking sound when starting, this means that either the charge and discharge cycles are coming to an end, or that the energy from the alternator is no longer stored in the battery. Another sign that should put you on alert is the flashing of the dashboard lights. However, it can also happen that the battery simply fails and the starter motor does not work. In any case, it is best to replace the battery as soon as possible, because although it can be fixed by connecting it to another battery, it is likely to fail again.
There are a series of good habits to make intelligent use of the car battery and with which, therefore, we can increase its useful life:
