Dead Car Battery? Here are the Most Common Reasons It Keeps Dying

If you’ve ever been the victim of a dead car battery you know that they die at the most inconvenient of times. Whether it’s on your way to the airport, work or picking up your kids from school it is always a pain. If you have recently noticed your car not starting consistently, it could mean that your battery is close to dead. If you see the symptoms of a dead battery in your own car you should try to figure out why it is happening. Here are some of the most common reasons for a dead car battery.

It’s Lived Its Life

Many people don’t pay attention to the lifespan of batteries until it’s too late. Typically, they last for three to five years. If you find that it’s not holding a charge as well as it should be and it is in this age range, it is likely that it is time to invest in a new one.

Parasitic Drain

Like a parasite, it is possible that there are electronic accessories in your car that are draining the battery. There are some accessories such as the clock and security system that continue to run even after the key has been taken out of the ignition; however, these accessories usually use very minimal energy and are taken into account when designing the car. Unfortunately, there are things such as dome and interior lights, and the radio that don’t turn off when they’re supposed to and end up draining energy. If you suspect something like this is going on you need to investigate all possible areas of your car where your issue could lie. Yes, it’s tedious, but it’ll be worth it!

Sulfite Crystals

It might sound pretty, but trust us, you want to avoid sulfite crystals at all costs. If your car battery sits at below 100% too often or for too long, sulfur can begin to crystalize on its plates. Over time this will cause a reduced current within the electrolyte which simply means that your battery will no longer be able to hold a charge. If this is the case it is unlikely that you will be able to undo the damage.

Bad Connections

Whether it be loose cable or corroded battery terminals, your battery’s death may be caused by a bad connection. Check to see whether or not the cables are attached securely and use a corrosion protection spray to prevent build up.

 

Human Error

Bad driving habits, such as heavy accessory power when driving short distances, can prevent your car’s battery from fully charging. In this case, it is important to sometimes take the scenic route and take a longer ride. Common human errors at fault can include not closing doors completely or leaving the headlights or interior lights on. Maybe you turned off your automatic headlight setting and forgot to turn them off as you were leaving your car. Or, you were in a rush and didn’t stay around to hear whether or not the trunk closed all the way. Either way, these are often the culprits for a dead battery.

Sometimes a battery dying before it is expected to is out of your hands, such as living somewhere with an extreme weather climate (whether that be hot or cold). But, a lot of times it is something that you can prevent. Try not to use electronic car accessories while the engine is off, take longer car rides and make sure that you are having a trained professional check it out when you go for an inspection. While it may be too late for your current batter, hopefully these tips can save some in the future!

 

Sources:

• The Top 5 Things That Will Drain Your Battery: https://www.yourmechanic.com/article/the-top-5-things-that-will-drain-your-battery
• What Causes Car Batteries to Fail?: http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/archive/what_causes_car_batteries_to_fail
• Why is My Car Battery Dead?: http://www.atbatt.com/car-battery/why-is-my-car-battery-dead
• How do Batteries Die? Well, Let Me Tell You…: https://www.batterystuff.com/kb/articles/battery-articles/how-do-batteries-die.html
• Why Car Batteries Die: https://www.esurance.com/info/car/why-car-batteries-die

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