How Can the Cold Weather in Colorado Springs Affect Your Car Battery?

High fluctuations in temperature take a toll on batteries.  We have had a lot of temperature changes this summer, and we are facing huge swings in the upcoming months.

It is not only inconvenient, but sometimes frightening, to be stranded at home in your garage or driveway, in a dark parking lot, or on the side of the road.

Is your car Battery ready for our cold Colorado weather to start?

Batteries generally last 4-6 years, so a good rule of thumb is to have your battery tested after 3-5 years. Often there are no warning signs that your battery is dying.  However, if you have to jump start your car for any reason or if you notice that your car is sounding different when you start it (slow to turn over or start), then it is time to get your battery tested.

Batteries require maintenance to continue to operate properly.  The corrosion that builds up should periodically be cleaned off of battery posts and cables to maintain amperage level and a good electrical ground.

Newer cars with sophisticated electronics and multiple electrical drive accessories have placed greater demands upon the car’s battery and charging system.

Below are a few of the electrical systems that place multiple demands on your battery:

·         ECU:  Electronic Control Unit…the “brains” of your car.

·         Lights… “all the better to see you with, my dear.”

·         Fan…keeping you cool when you’re hot and vice versa.

·         Windows and door locks…keeping you in and others out!

·         Stereo and auxiliary power ports…rocking to your favorite tunes!

·         Power and/or heated seats…  “oh, that feels so good”!

·         Wipers/defoggers… “who’s steaming up the windows”?

You can see that starting your car is only one important function your battery serves.  Let’s say you live somewhere with hot summers and cold winters…sound familiar?  Both extremes, hot and cold, are battery killers.  Battery capacity falls by about 1% per degree below 68 degree F.  However, high temperatures are not ideal for batteries either, as this accelerates aging, self-discharge and electrolyte evaporation.  Fully discharged batteries (“dead battery”) lose about 80% of their life expectancy when compared to a battery that never went “dead”.

So what should you do?  Prepare your car for cold fall and winter mornings!  If your car battery is between 3-5 years old (or older), or if you are noticing a pattern of slow engine cranking, stop by Honest Accurate Auto‘s Colorado Springs auto repair shop and have your battery and charging system tested…it’s one quick pass or fail test that just might keep you off the side of the road someday.

Contact us today for an appointment or for more information!