New Car Battery? 7 Simple Steps for Changing Your Car Battery

The world’s largest car manufacturer, Volkswagen, delivered some 9.3 million vehicles to all parts of the globe last year.They are joined by hundreds of other companies, as cars have taken over the world. Part of owning a car comes with maintenance, so do you know how to change a new car battery?One thing that every vehicle will eventually need is a new car battery. Knowing how to change your car battery can help you in a lot of ways, including getting you back on the road sooner and for less money. Installing your car battery is not as hard as you might think, as long as you follow a step by step process it will be easy.

1. Locate The Old Battery

Find where your old battery is, depending on the make and model of your vehicle it could be a number of places. Traditionally the battery would be stored under the bonnet, where you could see it as soon as you glanced at the engine. Some new models will have the battery in the boot.If you don’t know or are having trouble finding it, don’t worry. You can get out your owner’s manual and find it there. They will have a detailed description of where it is stored and how you can find it and reach it, depending on the shape of your engine. The battery isn’t always as simple to find as you would think.

2. Take Off The Terminals

You will almost always find the terminals on the top, but one might be to the side. Once you have located both terminals, check to see if they have a tightening clamp. If so, make sure you have a wrench or other tool that can loosen the clamp.You’ll need to first identify the negative side, which you need to remove first. You can do this two ways, the negative will have a - sign on it, and often will be black in colour. The positive side will have a + sign, and will often be red in colour.Once the negative side is removed, remove the positive side as well. Do this with the vehicle turned off so that no electricity is going to or from the battery. This will help protect you and anyone helping you from electrical shock.If you damage a terminal, don’t worry, they aren’t hard to repair or replace.

3. Take Out The Old Battery

With the clamps loosened, you can now remove the old battery by physically picking it up and out of the engine. Be careful when you do this, batteries can be heavy and improper lifting techniques can lead to injury. You don’t want to get hurt just trying to change the car battery in your vehicle.Your battery will probably have a holder, designed to keep it in place. You will have to unhook this as well as take out any screws that are assisting with the battery. Use the handle of the battery to remove it, don’t let the battery tip from side to side as this could cause an acid spill.If necessary, make sure that you have someone there to help you. Consider how much you can safely lift without having to torque your back or risk tipping the battery. Remember, batteries are full of liquid as well as solid components.

4. Clean The Terminals

You’ll want to remove any sign of corrosion or grime from the battery terminals. There are brushes made for this very thing, but you can use any toothbrush or wire brush that you have handy. Use water mixed with baking soda for an easy way to soften and remove the corrosion without having to scrub too hard.Once the entire connector is clean, make sure that even the grooves around the terminals are also clean. Now that the grime has been washed away, do your best to make sure that the terminals are as completely dry as you can get them. It is important that they aren’t wet when you reconnect your new battery.

5. Put In Your New Battery

Lift and place the new battery in the same slot that you removed the old battery from. You will now need to reconnect the holder so that your battery is secure and can’t be removed easily. Remember, that replacing a battery is just as difficult as removing one, so don’t strain yourself or cause yourself unnecessary injury.Battery holders can be difficult and sometimes troublesome. If yours is not easy to get the battery into, make sure you have help. An extra set of hands can do a lot to make this process much easier. It will also help keep the battery from being damaged, or any mishaps from occurring.

6. Reattach The Terminals

When you get the battery in place, you are ready to connect the terminals again. Use the red, or positive side first and make sure that the terminal goes all the way to the bottom of the connector. Once it is there, secure the clamp with your fingers, tightening it as far as you can.Then you will need to attach the negative side. Once both sides are secure and you have tightened the clamps, use your wrench to fully secure the terminal clamps. Now you are finished changing your car battery.

7. Make Sure The Car Works

You can do this a couple of ways, but the easiest is to simply turn on the vehicle. If the vehicle comes on without delay and all the lights seem to be bright and on, then the battery is properly installed and working. Close the bonnet and you can now operate your vehicle as you wish.

Buy a New Car Battery Today

You have now completed the steps for changing a car battery, which holds true for almost every personal vehicle on the market.  Your new car battery will last for years as long as you take care of your vehicle. If you are in Asia, the Middle East or Africa and want to use only the best car batteries, contact us.