At Bountiful Mazda in Bountiful, Utah, we like to take care of our customers’ service and maintenance needs. One of the most common questions we get asked is, “How long do car batteries last?” In general, your car’s battery should last three to four years, but several elements can affect its life span.
How you drive, how often you drive, how far you drive, and even the climate can all have an impact on the life of your car battery. We’ve put together this guide with information on how long your car’s battery should last, what can make it die sooner, how to prolong its life, and the common types of car batteries.
How Long Does a Car Battery Last?
It’s easy to take your car’s battery for granted until it dies suddenly and leaves you stranded, probably ruining your whole day. When driving in Bountiful, Centerville, Woods Cross, and North Salt Lake, knowing how to take care of your battery and when to change it can save you a lot of stress.
It’s difficult to give a definitive answer on how long a battery will last because of the number of factors that can affect it. On average, you should replace your car’s battery every three to four years. However, while some drivers may have a battery that lasts five or six years, others might need to replace it after just two years.
What Shortens a Battery’s Life?
Here are some of the factors that can cause your car battery to fail early, although regular maintenance will help prevent it from happening:
Climate
Many drivers associate a dead battery with the cold Salt Lake winters, and they’re not wrong. When driving in poor weather, you use the headlights, fog lights, windshield wipers, and heating more, all of which can take it out of your car’s battery. But the Utah summers also take a toll on the battery.
Extreme heat under the hood, along with gaseous venting, can cause the battery’s acid and water mixture to evaporate, which affects its efficiency and can cause damage to the internal cells, reducing the voltage it can produce. Schedule a battery service for the spring and fall to make sure your car is ready for the hottest and coldest seasons.
Corrosion
Your car’s battery contains a corrosive liquid, and sometimes, it can cause corrosion on the positive and negative battery terminals and cable clamps. When these connections get gunked up, it will affect how efficiently the alternator recharges the battery, and if you don’t do anything about it, it will shorten the life of your battery.
Driver Error
With many modern cars, the headlights switch off when you turn off the ignition, or you get a notification that they’ve been left on. If your car doesn’t have these features, it’s easy to leave the lights on and drain the battery. Also, not fully closing a door or the tailgate can result in the interior courtesy lights staying on with the same draining effect.
Frequent Short Journeys
The hardest your battery works is when you’re starting the car. When you begin driving, it takes time for the alternator to fully recharge the battery. If you frequently drive short distances, the battery doesn’t have time to charge, and repeating that cycle will shorten its life.
Parasitic Battery Drain
Other components can contribute to reducing a car battery’s lifespan. The alternator is crucial for charging the battery while you’re driving. If the alternator fails, you can soon find yourself stranded with a flat battery. Even a broken fuse or a short circuit could drain the battery. Every time the battery runs flat, it has a reduced capacity for recharging and a shorter life.
Tips for Extending Your Battery’s Life
Following a few simple tips can help you get the most life and value for money from your car’s battery:
- Avoid short trips: Instead of making multiple short journeys, try to combine several errands into one trip to enable the battery to fully recharge.
- Keep it tight and clean: As part of your regular maintenance routine, check that the battery is secure and clean and the cable connections are tight and corrosion free.
- Turn off the lights: Leaving your exterior or interior lights on quickly drains the battery. Double-check the lights are off before leaving the vehicle.
- Avoid using the electrics when idling: If you need to sit in your car waiting for somebody, turn off the climate control and radio, and avoid charging your mobile devices. All these things can drain the battery.
These preventative measures, along with regular battery service, will keep your car battery going for longer.
Car Battery Types
Most modern vehicles use flooded cell batteries that contain a liquid electrolyte. You used to have to top the liquid off periodically with distilled water as it evaporated. More recent versions of this type of battery are sealed and don’t need topping off as, theoretically, the electrolyte can’t evaporate.
Other types of batteries are available, such as the valve-regulated battery, gel cell battery, dry cell battery, and deep cycle battery. However, they are rarely used in cars nowadays, and you’re more likely to find them in scooters, recreational vehicles, or boats. When buying a new battery, always check your owner’s manual for the correct type and power rating.
Battery Service
To get the best from your car, schedule a regular battery service at our Bountiful Mazda service center. Our factory-trained technicians will inspect your car’s battery for damage or defects and test its charging capacity and cold-cranking amps. They’ll also clean the terminals and cable clamps. If the battery is coming to the end of its life, we can replace it with a genuine high-performance Mazda battery. So, you can be confident your car will start the first time, every time.
Is Your Car’s Battery Fading?
If you’re worried that your car’s battery is nearing the end of its life, bring the car to us at Bountiful Mazda in Utah to have it tested. Don’t forget to check our service and parts specials page. Our offers change throughout the year, but you may find a free battery test or a discount on a genuine Mazda battery.
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