How to find the right car battery for your car
The most important thing you can do is make sure you have the right battery. Many cars, for example, have a battery management system that monitors the battery’s charge level and controls the car’s power consumption, and then a battery that is adapted to the car’s system is required. A branded workshop has a full overview of which battery fits your car exactly.
For those who are particularly interested, there are guidelines for choosing the type of battery in the car’s instruction manual. There are some recommendations that are especially important to include:
1. Size
Car batteries are available in several group sizes. You will find a recommendation from the manufacturer about which size best fits your car in the instruction manual. Many cars can use more than one group size.
2. CCA — Cold Start Current
Cold start current shows the number of amperes the battery can emit for 30 seconds at a temperature of -18 ° C. Cold starting current is crucial for good starting properties.
3. RC — Reserve capacity
RC says something about the battery’s ability to supply power to the car’s electrical system should the alternator fail. Dynamo is the electric generator that charges the battery while the car is being driven. RC is stated in the number of minutes the battery can be charged before the car will stop due to lack of power.
Temperature affects power consumption
Many people may already be aware that the car battery is more charged in winter weather and temperatures far below the degree scale, but that does not mean that you can be completely safe in summer. Batteries emit power when hot, which can lead to self-discharge at high temperatures. This self-discharge increases drastically if the temperature exceeds 30 ° C.
Car battery life
It is difficult to determine the average life of a car battery, but factors such as how much the car is driven, how the car is driven and the maintenance of the battery can affect the life of your battery.
Interested to know about How long does a car battery last?
4 tips that can extend the life and help you avoid flat battery
1. Avoid driving too much
Slow driving slowly but surely drains the battery. The dynamo is then not enough to charge the battery with the same current that was used on the trip. Short trips can therefore eventually lead to a flat battery.
2. Clean the battery
Keep the car battery clean of dust and dirt, so you avoid so-called creeping current which will drain the battery of power. This is power that disappears out of the battery and along the dirt on the outside. Salt is particularly energizing, so pay extra attention in the winter. In the worst case, creeping current can shorten the life of your battery.
What you do:
Wipe the top of the battery with a soap cloth and rinse with a little clean water.
3. Charge the battery
If you go for the purchase of a home charger, you can easily maintain the battery at home. You can also stop by and recharge your battery at a workshop. It is especially advisable to charge the battery a few times in the winter, but do not forget that it may need a small charge during an extra hot summer as well.
4. Monitor the battery and check the alternator
A workshop can check if your alternator is charging the battery well enough. If you notice that the battery is weak when you start, a good drive will not be enough to recharge it. Then use a home charger or drive to a workshop.
Feel free to take a look and check that the connectors, wires and battery pole shoes are intact and intact the next time you have a hood up anyway.
5. Use less power when driving
Do you warm up the car before driving in the morning? Do you have the heating system at full power? If you use more power than the alternator can recharge on a trip, the battery will eventually discharge.
Factory warranty on car batteries
At R & J Batteries outlets, we know exactly which batteries fit your car model — both in terms of size, starting current, power and how it should be placed.
We have a factory warranty on car batteries, and this warranty is often longer than on non-original batteries.
If your car will not start due to the battery or other reasons, remember that you have access to roadside assistance as long as you perform all the manufacturer’s services at our workshops.
