How to extend car battery life?

Wilson’s Question: My car battery just died for the second time in the last year and a half. Nothing shows wrong in the charging system. How can I extend car battery life on my car?

Answer: Well, if you’ve been buying the same brand, I’d switch brands. Batterys generally average between 3 and four years lifespan in modern cars with all their electrical power usage. So you’re well below normal. And if you want a battery that really lasts a long time, get one of those fancy spiral battery’s (one company that makes them is Optima and they even sell them at discount chains like Auto Zone.) These spiral batteries cost a lot more, but I’ve seen them last well over ten years with no problems at all. If you live in a really cold area, like Alaska, that would be a good idea.

Some car batterys are susceptible to draining. So if you leave your car in the driveway for few days or even weeks it can deplete the charge. Short trips is also detrimental to battery life. When you start a car, tremendous amount of current flows from car’s battery. Short trip might not be enough time your alternator to recover lost energy and over time your car’s battery lose charge. If you continue driving this way and don’t recharge battery fully time from time, it will shorten the life of the battery.

Best way to check your car battery is in good condition is to measure voltage. Leave the car for some time after driving and then measure voltage across battery terminals. If it reads below 12.3Volts that means your charge is about 60%. Car battery doesn’t like to be undercharged so to extend its life you have to keep it charged. Either by car charger or making longer trips to give enough time for alternator to recharge.

Another car battery enemy is parasitic drain. When you turn off the car, all other electronics should consume no more than 100 mA. If you have a shorted wire or faulty auxiliary electronics (e.g. car alarm or sound system) it can drain your battery overnight or in few hours.