What Is Battery Reserve Capacity
This is the amount of time a battery will last with the headlights on, under a 25 amp draw , until its completely discharged. Having a battery with a high reserve capacity is a bonus, especially if you drive a vehicle with auto start/stop or one with additional accessories that require extra power.
Does It Matter Where You Buy Your Car Battery
There are pros and cons when it comes to choosing where to buy your car battery. Standard batteries can be found anywhere from local mechanic shops or retailers. Some offer a lengthy warranty and others will fit it for free in their service center.
You could get one delivered if you dont mind waiting for delivery or to save money you can purchase a second-hand one. It depends on your needs and budget as to where you get your battery from.
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When it comes to part stores, they really are a dime a dozen. They all have similar policies, and they all have similar prices. The only difference is the brand batteries they keep in stock. For instance, CarQuest and Advanced Auto Parts sell DieHard batteries, and you wont be able to buy them at other part stores.
But just about any parts store will give you a free battery test and charge your dead battery for you if thats what it needs. Furthermore, as long as your battery is under your hood, most parts stores will swap your battery for you too.
You might think that people that work at part stores would be better at conducting these tests than those at Wal-Mart, but the truth is they all have the same qualifications, which is none. That means youre trusting their battery tester, not the person operating it.
Furthermore, the batteries they offer are more expensive then the ones youd find at a Wal-Mart, but you do get a more comprehensive selection, and the complaints about getting dud batteries are few and far between.
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What Is The Best Car Battery For My Car
The best battery for your car is the correct group size, meets or exceeds Cold Crank Amps , and Cranking Amps , and has the most extended warranty period.
Car batteries can be expensive. A car battery can cost up to $300 at your car dealership. While the cost to charge the battery in some luxury vehicles goes up to $500. Yet, the typical price for a new battery online falls in the $75-$150 range. Lets look at some of the best places where you can buy cheap car batteries.
While we all want to save money, dont be tempted to buy any battery brands lowest grade. If you are buying your battery online, you are already saving money. Battery makers, including AutoCraft, Bosch, DieHard, Duralast, EverStart, or Interstate batteries, usually have three grades:
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Without a functioning battery, the electrical components of your vehicle will not work. This means you have no way of igniting the gasoline in your engine, nor start an electric engine. Car batteries are very important.
If you have been having car battery trouble, you might be searching, Car battery repair near Richmond Hill, Whats a good car battery?, Auto battery replacement near me, or something similar. If so, we at R& S Auto can help. Heres what you need to know about car batteries.
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Sustainability And Rechargeable Batteries
If youre using rechargeable batteries in one or more of your household devices, youre already helping the environment. When used properly, they create far less electronic waste, or e-waste, than their single-use counterparts. Most rechargeables can be reused hundreds of times, whereas a disposable battery is headed for a landfill after one use.
Nearly as important as rechargeability is replaceability. Companies such as Apple, , and Samsung offer battery-replacement programs for many of their devices. And groups like iFixit provide free instructions for replacing batteries and doing other simple repairs on your own. But all too often its prohibitively difficult, or impossible, to replace a built-in battery in devices like wireless headphones, bike lights, portable vapes, and more. In those instances, rather than simply swapping out the batteries, you end up replacing the entire device when its battery wears out, creating exponentially more e-waste. Its also costlier and more difficult for recycling facilities to process electronics with non-removable batteries, since they must use specialized tools to manually separate the usable components of the battery from the rest of the device.
Another good way to minimize your environmental impact when it comes to batteries is to extend their overall life spans as much as possible. Here are a few things you can do to make your batteries last longer:
Not All Aa Batteries Are Equal From Long
Despite the majority of modern gadgets now opting for built-in batteries, there are still many useful household items that rely on good old AA batteries. Torches, toys, clocks and remote controls are among the most commonly used products requiring them, and youll find bridge and DSLR cameras, radios, video game controllers and travel shavers that are powered by them, too.
If youre using just a few of the aforementioned gadgets, youre bound to get through plenty of batteries over the course of the year. That may make rechargeable batteries a more appealing option in the long term, but theyre not as convenient, and for certain devices, youre better off sticking with disposables. Of course, not any disposable will do, you want batteries with a decent life so they wont need replacing when you need them most.
To work out which AA batteries are best for various situations, weve run numerous pairs of batteries continuously in a high-powered, 500 lumens LED torch, measuring the voltage every 30 minutes. The torch requires a steady 1.5V to run at full brightness and approximately 1.2V to run at an acceptable brightness level, which most batteries fell under in less than an hour. We then selected the best batteries based on performance and price.
- Best all-rounder | From £5.50 |Duracell Plus
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How Do You Know When You Need A New Car Battery
Clearly there are a lot of old car batteries out there, but the important question here is: How do you know when you need a new one, short of waking up one morning to learn that you can’t get to where you need to go? The answer isn’t as obvious as it once was.
Corrosion around the battery posts is a sign of leaking acid.
There may be signs a car battery is on its last leg. Excessive corrosion around the post and battery cable connectors probably means it’s leaking acid. Some cars will flash the “check engine light” if the battery is weak, though in most cases you won’t know what that light exactly means without access to an OBD II scanner. An obvious crack, bulge or warpage in the battery case is a pretty good sign you should be looking for a new one.
Yet the conditions noted above are relatively uncommon, and their absence doesn’t necessarily mean a battery is healthy. Ten or 20 years ago, a battery’s decline would progressively show itself in one obvious way: increasingly slow and labored cranking or engine starting, particularly during a chill. A few recently manufactured batteries can still behave that way, but most modern batteries will continue cranking normally — until they won’t crank anymore.
Cold Cranking Amps is the amount of near instant amperes a battery can deliver at 0 degrees Fahrenheit.
How Do I Jump Start A Car
The next time you insert the key or push the ignition button and nothing happens, follow these simple steps or visit our how to jump start a car battery guide with pictures and video
- Pull the jumper cables out of your trunk and find another car that can give you a jump.
- Put both vehicles in park and shut off the ignition.
- Attach one of the red clips to the positive terminal on your dead battery and the other red clip to the red POS post on the good battery. If you need help figuring out which terminal is which, look for POS or +.
- Attach the black clip to the negative terminal of the good battery.
- DO NOT attach the black clip to the black battery post on the dead battery. Sparking could ignite the dead batterys electrolyte fumes. Instead, clip the other black clip to a clean, unpainted metal surface under the hood.
- Start the vehicle with the good battery and let it run for approximately five minutes. Even though the other vehicle isnt running yet, this will put some charge into its dead battery.
- Now try to start the vehicle with the dead battery.
- If the engine doesnt turn over, it may need to build up more charge. Rev up the donor engine so that its battery delivers more amperage in the process. Then try again.
- If it starts, dont turn it off quite yet. Drive a while. The alternator may be able to recharge the battery on its own. If not, the battery charge is too low, and you need a replacement.
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How To Choose The Best Aa Batteries For You
AA batteries might be cheap and cheerful, but that doesnt mean theyre all the same. Different manufacturers use different chemistries and processes to make them, and there are big differences in terms of how much power the battery can supply, how long it lasts and how fast the battery loses energy while not in active use. For some purposes when youre powering low-drain devices such as a clock or remote control the differences arent that important, but with high-drain devices like a camera, game controller or anything with a lamp, screen or motor, you could see huge differences in lifespan and reliability.
Todays disposable batteries break down into three basic types:
Zinc chloride: This used to be the general-purpose battery of choice, but alkaline batteries are now so cheap that you dont often see them. Theyre cheap as chips when bought in bulk and fine for low-drain gadgets such as a remote control, but youll go through them quickly on anything more demanding.
Alkaline: The mainstream battery technology for high-drain devices. Theyre cheap and very easy to find, and last much longer than the old zinc chloride batteries. Technical advances have also seen the major problems a short shelf life and a propensity to leak reduced or even fixed.
Generally speaking, you should go for alkalines for most of your battery needs but opt for lithiums for digital cameras or other high-drain products where you need a reliable high charge for as long as possible.
How To Know If You Need A New Car Battery
Before taking out your wallet to buy a new car battery, make sure your car or truck actually needs one. Just because the vehicle wont start or keeps dying doesnt necessarily mean there is a problem with the battery.
Your car is made up of many intricately connected parts, and the cause of the issue could be related to factors other than a faulty battery. Even so, here are seven signs that may indicate you need a new battery:
How to check car battery life? Have it tested by a professional technician.
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How Many Cold Cranking Amps Do I Need
The official rule of thumb for cold cranking amps is one cubic inch of engine displacement means you need one cold cranking amp. However, unless youve done some engine modifications, theres an easier way to find out. Just check your owners manual.
The manufacturer has a recommended minimum cold cranking amp for your vehicle, and this is what is best to use. Keep in mind you can always get more cold-cranking amps without and drawbacks. You dont need to find a battery with the EXACT amount of cold-cranking amps that the manufacturer recommends.
You should also keep in mind the temperature of where you will be driving when deciding how many cold cranking amps you need. Youve probably heard that its harder to start your car in the cold. Theres a ton of truth to this.
To help you out, you can get a battery that has more cold cranking amps. So, if you live up in Alaska or somewhere else it gets extremely cold, it wont hurt to get 100 or 200 extra cold-cranking amps on your battery to make sure you can start your car on even the coldest winter nights.
How Long Does A Car Battery Last
Factors that can influence longevity of battery:
- Chronic undercharging
The average car battery lasts between three to five years with proper care. It is important to monitor your battery to avoid bigger problems and charges.
Signs that the battery has gone bad?
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What Do I Need To Know When Replacing A Car Battery
The first thing you need for your 12-volt car battery replacement is the right group number. The battery size group number, or case size, prescribes basic dimensions agreed upon by vehicle and battery manufacturers. There are a few dozen group numbers for various vehicle applications, usually consisting of two numbers or a letter and a number . The right group number ensures your new battery will fit the space your vehicle manufacturer has allotted for it, with the positive and negative posts on the correct sides and in the proper place to reconnect the battery cables. If you canât find the battery group number in your ownerâs manual, you can Google it, or simply look at your existing battery. It should be there somewhere.
Remember that the group number speaks primarily to case size. Cranking power and reserve capacity arenât directly related. Car manufacturers typically recommend the minimum cold cranking amps for your model, and sometimes the reserve capacity in amp hours. Again, if you canât find amp hour info in your ownerâs manual, use the existing battery as your guide. We wouldnât go under the manufacturerâs CCA and or Ah minimums, because even if it works fine the replacement battery will wear out faster. Itâs generally safe to go over, though youâll likely pay more.
In many cases, upgrading to an AGM car battery isnât necessary.
If you have a newer car packed with bells and whistles, an AGM battery would be a good idea.
What Causes Car Batteries To Go Bad
One of the primary battery killers is beyond any individual’s immediate control, and it was the same 20 or 30 years ago. That would be climate, or at least ambient temperatures. No battery, whether it’s AAA alkaline, mobile-phone lithium or 12-volt automotive, likes extremes in temperature. They don’t like subfreezing temperatures, and they like 100 F even less. Automotive batteries, whatever the type, are going to generally last longer in Portland, Oregon, than in Alaska or Phoenix.
The biggest controllable threat to your battery’s life is excessive discharge. If the battery charge level drops to the point where you need a jump to start your car, you’ve already done damage. Allow that to happen multiple times and your battery won’t be long for this world. Put another way, the shallower the average discharge, the longer a 12-volt battery will last. Automotive batteries of all types last longest if they consistently stay near a full charge. That’s one reason it’s hard to over-battery your car. The larger the reserve capacity, the smaller a given discharge is, relative to the total available energy.
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Car Battery Buying Guide
Buying a new car battery is an important investment that goes beyond simply the prices of products and looking for a great site to purchase an automotive battery from. There are several other factors you need to consider when choosing the best battery replacement for your vehicle. Your decision should be influenced by several factors related to the battery needs of your vehicle. Here are some of them:
- The past performance of the battery in question
- The required battery size and fit
- Whether you have start/stop technology and
- The battery type youre looking for.
How Much Do I Need To Spend On Batteries
Top-of-the-range alkaline disposable batteries can set you back roughly £7 to £13 for a pack of four. But you dont necessarily need to spend that much. Our lab tests have uncovered Best Buy batteries that are a lot cheaper.
However, the price you pay for the pack isnt the whole story. The cost per hour of each battery when used in high, medium and low-drain devices is the best indicator of good value. Weve found AA batteries that cost as little as 4p per hour in the most power-hungry gadgets, as well as some that cost up to 13p per hour.
Weve tested batteries from Aldi and Lidl which can cost as little as 25p per battery alongside big brands Duracell and Energizer to see how they match up. Only our tests reveal whether buying cheaper batteries will save you money and hassle.
Check ourbatteries reviewsto see which batteries are best value for money.
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