Dead car battery is for sure something what we all hate to deal with especially when we rush somewhere! Car battery can die because of few reasons, but if your battery keep dying over and over again there probably is some sort of underlying problem that needs to be dealt with before you end up stranded somewhere. Keep reading the article to find out more about this issue.

What can drain a car battery?

We all know how annoying dead battery in car can be, but in some situations we can avoid that. Here goes the reason why your car battery could die completely:

• headlights on,
• a parasitic draw,
• loose or corroded battery cables,
• extreme temperatures,
• battery is not charging while the car is going,
• old battery,
• too many short drives.

Headlights on

Leaved headlights on are example of parasitic drain. It is in fact an age-old issue, who didn’t at least once leave the lights on over the night? Well you should also know that not only the headlights could cause this proble but also dome light or other similar lights. Some car’s especially those modern vehicles have headlights designed to turn off after a certain amount of time but not all of them.

A parasitic draw

Things like leaved interior lights, door lights, alarm system, radio or even bad relays can affect the car battery when it is turned off and it may cause the same problem as leaved headlights on. This means that they an drain your car battery.

Loose or corroded battery cables

When it comes to this problem you can be also dealing with corroded wires which creates more resistance which makes it harder for the electricity to go where it is supposed to go. If positive and negative terminals are loose it may also cause reduced power from the battery. However you can deal with this problem by cleaning your car’s battery terminals regularly, in fact corrosion related problems requires you to clean the battery regularly.

Extreme temperatures

Extreme weather can be the reason why your battery can die, but do not let fool yourself it’s not only cold temperature that can affect it but you can also experience this when it is extremely hot.

You should know that the new batteries are more resistance to extreme seasonal temperatures. However if you have older type and you feel like your battery is having harder time, go and check it.

Battery is not charging while the car is going

Isn’t your battery charging while you are driving your car? Well the cause of this is that the alternator isn’t working good, which can’t charge your car battery. You should have that check as fast as it is only possible.

Old battery

Old battery can also be the reason why your car battery died. When people say that nothing last forever they are right, some batteries can stay alive for up to 5 years but not all of them will. It all depends on where you live and how you are driving. Sometimes new battery will be needed faster than expected.

Too many short drives

When you are doing too many shorts drives you can experience some troubles when it comes to the battery’s lifespan. You should be aware of this that alternator might not have enough time to properly recharge your battery while your short drieves and this might cause dead battery. That is why you should be avoiding frequent short trips!

Why car batteries die?

To be honest the list of issues which are causing dead battery is long. However there are three main categories we can list battery problems, electrical system problems and also simple user errors. It is quite important to remember that if the battery dies while you are driving your car it is probably the most possible thar you are having problems with the charging system.

Tips & facts

• when your battery dies there is a thing that you can check on your own. This thing is an alternator belt. If it seems loose it may be stopping the alternator from generating enough power to charge the battery,
• alternator is responsible for electrical component like for example the lights and when it isn’t charging your battery effectively it might be hard to start your car,
• try checking your battery connectors every 2 to 3 months,
• it is quite important to remember that the battery relies on the alternator when it comes to helping it to stay charged,
• replace your battery every 4 to 5 years (or more often if it’s needed),
• newer vehicles are mostly designed to leave dome lights, headlights and other things on for a while but then they just simply shut the engine off and remove the keys. When everything will be working correctly you can simply walk away,
• if you want to check for a drain you should simply disconnect a battery cable and then check the current flow,

Conclusion

We hope that this article was helpful to you and that you know way more than you used to.

There is a thing which you should be always remember of ! This thing is this that there are many reasons why car’s electrical system cut off while you were driving but you can only check few of them yourself.