Common Mistakes That Drain Car Batteries and How to Avoid Them

Did you know that American vehicles' average age has climbed to an all-time high of 11.9 years? Pundits argue that this age will increase for the fourth straight year by the end of 2020. Ensuring proper maintenance schedules for your vehicle is integral as your car begins to age.

Most of the components in your vehicle are susceptible to wear and tear. The battery is among the most critical components in a car. Even so, a drained car battery means that your car won't start. 

Most car owners are clueless about the top mistakes that drain car batteries. If you own a car, you must understand and avoid the various pitfalls that could drain your car battery. Here, we discuss some of the most common issues to avoid if you wish to keep your battery functional for longer.

Leaving Your Headlights on

One of the fastest ways to cause a battery drain is to leave your headlights on for long. If your car battery keeps draining, there’s a chance that you have formed the habit of leaving your lights on even when parked. Most times, your headlights stay on until the battery dies down completely.

Before you consider replacing a battery that keeps draining, it would be necessary to consider changing certain habits first. Ensure that your lights are off when you turn off the ignition. Unless you become intentional about checking on your lights, you might experience a recurrence of this mistake that can quickly drain car batteries.

You must always counter check your lights before you leave your car. It makes all the difference to switch your lights as long as your vehicle is in parking mode.

Leaving Your Battery Neglected

Even when you have the best kind of battery for your car, poor maintenance will cause your battery to drain sooner than you can imagine. If your battery is in a poor state, it will tend to drain the power more shortly than the snap of a finger.

Even the most minor maintenance issues you overlook can cause a rapid drain in your battery power.  Batteries often tend to succumb to negligence. If you aren’t paying constant attention to your battery’s health, it will only be a matter of time before it succumbs.

The best thing to do is to ensure constant checkups for your battery during its lifespan. In case you start seeing these tell-tale signs, it might be time to consider urgent maintenance schedules. If these signs persist, it could be time to consider buying a new battery.

Allowing Accumulated Corrosion

The proper functionality of your battery depends on secure connections. Your terminals are often susceptible to corrosion, especially following extended periods of battery inactivity. Has your battery been in use for long and seems to be experiencing a recurrence of poor performance?

The chances are that your terminals are giving in to the recurrence of corrosion. If your battery has been draining faster than usual, it could be due to the recurrent attempt to restart the engine. When the issue is due to corrosion, you risk your car stalling even when driving.

Are you wondering what mistakes that drain car battery you need to avoid? Allowing your car battery terminals to corrode is among the main mistakes you need to avoid. Car battery maintenance is among the easiest ways to deal with such an issue.

Buying Poor Quality Batteries 

The life expectancy of a quality car battery is between three to six years. A few factors may affect this life span. The quality of the battery in your car is among the main factors determining your car’s life span

a common mistake that can drain car batteries fast is settling for poor quality models.

If you have noted a recurrence in the battery power drain, it could be time to consider buying quality batteries. Our range of car batteries passes all the standards required to ensure minimum quality issues.

Have you been dealing with the recurrence of battery drains in your car? Part of the reason could be because you settled for low- quality batteries. It would help to consider buying quality batteries from our range of quality batteries. 

Taking Frequent Short Car Trips

One of the most common mistakes you might make when buying your car battery is taking frequent short car trips. Most car batteries survive the full lifespan, depending on how well you ensure proper care when driving your car.

It’s recommendable that your battery should run for at least eight years for it to achieve a full charge. When you use your car for shorter distances, it means that it will end up experiencing a faster battery drain. Are you hoping to minimize the rate of battery drain in your car?

It would make sense to consider more frequent long trips. The idea is to ensure that your battery recharges to full-term as often as possible. When you use our range of batteries, you can be sure of longer lifespans as long as you ensure the battery charges thoroughly as often as possible.

Faulty Alternator

Driving your car with a faulty alternator is among the most common mistakes that may cost your battery dearly. Have you noticed an irregular battery drain in your car and wonder where the issue could be emanating from? One of the main problems could be a damaged alternator.

Your car’s alternator is responsible for recharging your battery and giving it life. As such, when you have a faulty alternator, it won’t manage to keep power long enough. Checking your alternator is the first place to start when dealing with a dead battery.

When you have a faulty alternator, a simple action such as turning on your radio could quickly drain your battery. When dealing with a recurrent battery drain, the first thing you should consider is the possibility of a faulty alternator. The good news is that an alternator is something that you can change.

Exposing Your Car to Extreme Temperature 

Did you know that temperature is one of your car batteries’ worst enemy? This is especially so if you drive your car in extreme weather conditions. One way you can ensure that you deal with the mistakes that drain car batteries is to minimize exposure to temperature.

Most cases of excess car battery drain occur during summer. One of the best ways to minimize this risk is to park your car away from direct sunlight even during summer. Ensuring that your vehicle is under a shade can help keep your battery operating for longer.

The worst mistake you can make with your battery is to allow extreme weather conditions to heighten the battery's temperature. When your battery heats up more due to severe weather, it will tend to age prematurely, which can be detrimental.

On the other hand, when it's winter, and your battery faces a recurrence of extreme cold, it will likely drain faster. Batteries tend to work harder during winter in an attempt to power your car. When this happens, the risk of dealing with a dead battery increases two-fold.

Old Age

Your battery does a lot of work in the course of powering your car. As age catches up with this critical component, there's a chance that most car owners may take longer to realize and replace the battery.

When you fail to replace an old battery on top, you risk dealing with a power drain's recurrence. What most drivers do is to try and buy time before replacing an old battery. You should consider replacing your battery every four years if you hope to maximize optimal output.

If you allow your battery to run beyond the fifth year, you’ll push it beyond its capacity. At this point, you’ll have to deal with the recurrence of a dead battery. Replacing old car batteries can help you deal with the situation.

Ignoring Parasitic Drains

How often do you allow your car stereo to play in the background? Your car's radio and alarm are some of the components that tends to use up your battery charge even when the vehicle is turned off. If you notice recurrent depletion of battery power, it might help to pay attention to any electrical malfunctions in the system.

Have you been ignoring parasitic drains for a while now? This might be a costly mistake in the long-haul. It's sizable to call in our experts for urgent repairs. Regular inspection can also help detect such issues on time.

Avoid These Mistakes Can Drain Car Batteries

Your car relies on a functional battery to move. This vital car component relies on a combination of factors to achieve functionality. Apart from frequent inspection and car battery maintenance, you need to ensure faulty batteries' detection and replacement.

Have you been wondering how to avoid mistakes that can drain car batteries fast? You could start by only buying quality and long-lasting batteries from us. Contact us today for more information.