How Often Should You Should Replace a Car Battery?

So, do you know how often to replace car batteries? A good rule of thumb is to change your car battery every four to five years. However, there are other factors that could affect the lifespan of your car battery. Learn more about your car battery with the experts at Ford of Latham! For more information about how often to replace a car battery near Troy, feel free to contact us anytime!

How to Know If Your Car Battery Needs to Be Replaced

When your car battery needs to be replaced, there are often a few ways to tell. Let’s take a look at how to know if your car battery needs to be replaced below:

• Dimming headlights
• You need to rev the engine to start the vehicle
• Becomes increasingly difficult to start the vehicle
• Power issues

Why Do Car Batteries Deteriorate?

• Heat: Hot weather can often evaporate the liquids inside your battery, so if you live in a warm climate, you may have to change your battery more often.
• Vibrations: Frequent vibrations, such as rough roads around Albany could cause your battery to break down much quicker.
• Needing a Jump: If you’ve left a light on in your vehicle for an extended period or need a jumpstart, it could cause your battery to deteriorate quicker.
• Time: Batteries only last so long, therefore, time contributes to the lifespan of your battery. However, proper care can significantly extend the lifespan of your battery.

How To Test a Car Battery?

Do you know how to test a car battery? It’s quite easy, however, you could always bring it to the Ford of Latham service center to have it tested by our certified technicians. However, if you want to learn how to test a car battery in your Latham driveway, here are a few tests to run:

The Headlight Test

1. Place your vehicle in park with the headlights on.
2. Rev the engine and check to see if there is any change in the brightness of your headlights.
3. If the brightness of your headlights do change, this could mean that your battery does not have enough charge to keep the headlights at their normal brightness.
4. For more information, you can schedule service with Ford of Latham.

Using a Digital Multimeter

1. Place the voltmeter to 20 DC volts.
2. Open the hood and place the negative meter probe (black)to the negative terminal(also black).
3. Place the positive meter probe on the positive terminal (red) with the positive meter probe(also red).
4. Turn on the headlights to begin a charge
5. At 80℉, 12.5 volts or higher indicates your battery is fully charged. 12.3 volts indicates it’s around 75% charged.11.8 volts or less means your battery has 25% or less charge remaining.

How Much is a Replacement Car Battery?

Your battery will eventually need to be replaced, therefore, you may wonder how much is a replacement car battery? On average, a car battery costs around $75 and $120, with more premium batteries costing up to $200. However, if you drive a hybrid, the cost of battery replacement will increase and can cost anywhere from $1000 and $6000. However, due to the reduced cost of gasoline, the battery pays for itself.

Schedule a Service Appointment with Ford of Latham Today!

Now that you know how often to replace a car battery, come stop by and see our Ford of Latham service center and schedule a service appointment with our expert technicians. Follow us to learn more vehicle service tips like how to program your key fob. Be sure to take advantage of our service specials to save near Schenectady!