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How to Look After Your Overworked Car Battery

Gladys Carter

The modern-day car is a very complicated machine and relies on an increasing number of electronic components that "talk" to each other to keep it purring along. Engineers have added a lot of driver aids in most recent years and almost all of these rely on electrical power to function, as well. With so much energy required, it's hardly surprising that your car battery complains every now and again and you need to be sure that you keep it in tiptop condition if you're going to enjoy reliability.

How can you pay more attention to its maintenance on a regular basis, by taking advantage of some easily accessible, household items?

Under Pressure

Years ago, a car battery had far less on its plate than the modern-day counterpart. Certainly, you would need to crank the car into life in the morning, but it wouldn't be called upon to repeat this feat time and again. Today, however, fuel-saving gadgetry turns off your engine every time you come to a halt at a traffic light or stop sign for more than a split second. The computer will then expect the battery to restart the engine instantaneously, so that you can continue. Even though the battery needs to be many times more resilient than its older cousin, people still take it for granted and expect full reliability.

Helping the Battery

Get into the habit of checking the external condition of the battery at least once per month. If it's been a while since you last did so, you may be surprised to see a buildup of corrosion around the terminals, and this is perfectly natural without any attention. This will need to be cleaned and you should take steps to prevent it from recurring.

To do this, you can use some household products. Begin by removing the positive and negative cables from the terminals and then pour some soda over the area. These drinks have carbonic acid within and this will go to work on the corrosion very quickly. It will help to dissolve the rust and remove any stains if you let it sit for a while. Clean off the residue with a wet sponge and then dry the area carefully.

Next, smear some petroleum jelly around the terminals, as the nature of this product will help prevent corrosion. You can then reapply the cables and make sure that they are tightened carefully.

Regular Checks

Remember, have a quick look at this area at least once per month to make sure that everything is still looking good. You'll be able to get a lot more mileage out of car batteries, no matter how much you use the vehicle.


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About Me
I Love Driving My Car

Yo! My name is Danny and I am here to tell you all about how much I love driving my car. However, this blog won't just focus on my love of cars, it will also be a place where I will post articles about every aspect of car ownership. I hope to cover everything from buying a vehicle to how to customise and maintain a second-hand car. I am not an auto professional but I have spent a lot of time hanging out with people who work in different parts of the auto trade. I hope you like this blog.

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