The average lifespan of a car battery is three-to-four years. At the three-year mark, it’s a good idea to have the battery inspected. Your car, truck, or C/SUV’s owner’s manual might suggest battery service intervals in the preventative maintenance section. Check this to see when you should have your battery serviced. Regardless, once the battery reaches its estimated lifespan, let AmeriFix perform the following four battery services to ensure its overall health.
Load Test
As your battery ages, its ability to hold a charge diminishes. A battery charge/discharge test, also known as a load test, gives us a picture of your vehicle battery’s ability to receive and hold a charge from the alternator. If it cannot hold a charge anymore, it’s time to replace the battery. A clear sign your vehicle isn’t holding a charge is your headlights getting dimmer as you drive.
Tie-Down Inspection
Your battery is bolted down on the battery tray to ensure it does not move around. Movement and vibration, especially extreme motion, can damage the battery case. We will inspect the battery tie-downs to ensure they aren’t worn out. We’ll also ensure your battery is securely tied down and does not have a chance of loosening and moving around.
Voltage Check
Your battery is made up of several cells that carry a certain amount of voltage. If you dissected your car battery – don’t actually do this, please! – you’d find twelve lead plates. These plates double up to create six battery cells. Each cell, or two plates, produces 2.1 volts. Combined, the six cells create 12.6 volts. We’ll test each cell’s voltage to ensure it’s producing 2.1 volts.
Fluid Level
In your vehicle’s battery is also a liquid solution that works with the cells to create a chemical reaction. This liquid is a mixture of water and acid, specifically, sulfuric acid. Your battery consumes the water during normal operation but not the sulfuric acid. This creates a mixture imbalance and water is added to the battery to restore the acid/water balance. We will test the water balance.
Located in Franklin, TN, you can count on AmeriFix to keep your car battery healthy for as long as we can. Once the battery needs to be replaced, we’ll do that, too. If the battery problem isn’t the battery but rather the alternator, we can replace it. In other words, call us to schedule a service appointment if you are having problems with your vehicle’s battery or electrical system.
