Your vehicle’s battery is essential for smooth and effective start-ups. Like other batteries, it must hold a proper charge and supply a certain amount of volts. Otherwise, you may be surprised with a drained battery. In this blog, we will discuss some of the habits that can leave your battery feeling drained.
Habits That Can Leave Your Battery Drained
Before you grab the jumper cables and jump-start your car, you should consider what caused your battery to die in the first place. Sometimes, it can be an accident on your part.
- Leaving Headlights On - Not all vehicles have automatic lights. If you forget to turn them off after turning your back on your car, it can completely drain your battery. The same goes with leaving your door open and running the lights inside your car.
- Too Many Short Trips - If you’re not a frequent user of your vehicle or only use it to take quick trips, your battery can drain quicker. It doesn’t give the alternator enough time to recharge the battery.
- Overuse of the Battery - Your battery is almost always in use. It powers everything from the engine to the radio and to the charger you might have plugged into your car. When you draw more power than your battery can output, it can drain your battery quicker.
Other times, your battery may die because of other natural causes. These reasons include:
- Corroded or Loose Connections
- Extremely Cold or Hot Temperatures
- Bad Alternator
- Old Age
If your battery is 3-5 years old, please have it tested regularly to check its charge. When the battery is at this age, it is best to replace it. To determine if your battery is on its way out, please bring your car to Auto DR to have it tested.