One of the most frequent problems when owning a car is finding a dead battery. What Can Drain a Car Battery?? The factors can be several, such as leaving the vehicle at rest for a long time, a failure in the electrical system, carelessness in the use of internal equipment, or the way of driving.
Understanding why your vehicle’s battery can discharge involves understanding how this element works and its vital role in the vehicle’s system. If you want to know how to recover a discharged car battery, how long it takes to discharge a car battery, and, of course, learn how to take care of your car battery, consider the following tips.
What Can Drain a Car Battery?
There are several reasons why a car battery can drain. These are 3 of the most important:
Lack of use
Mainly, vehicle batteries can discharge due to lack of use. Either by an extreme measure at the national level in which it is prohibited to go out or simply by not needing to use the car, it is always advisable to start the engine at least once a week. Even in the winter season, when the engine is exposed to low temperatures, it needs to prevent the mechanical system parts from atrophying or rusting due to lack of use.
Useful life
Another reason behind the discharge of a car battery is the natural wear and tear of its useful life, which can damage the battery’s proper functioning after two to four years. At this point, the determining factor will be the care and maintenance that has been given to this element, but if it fails, it is very likely that charging the car battery will not be enough and that you will have to change it for a new one.
Overloads
Battery life is also affected by overcharging. Although understanding how long a car battery discharges can give you an idea that the part will fulfill its function for about 4 years without interruption, not being careful and causing overcharges can considerably reduce its life. Damage due to overload occurs when the vehicle has electronic systems such as audio and video, which consume more energy and are combined with low temperatures. The recommendation, in this case, is not to expose the car to temperatures below zero, keep it indoors and avoid using the radio, charging cell phones, or the air conditioning.
How to recover a discharged car battery?
To avoid battery failures and understand why a car battery can discharge, you must carry out reviews and continuous maintenance to know the state of the electrical system; These checks can help you prevent all kinds of battery damage. Also, remember to clean the car battery every so often. On the other hand, you may face cases where your car does not want to start from one day to the next.
In situations of this type, the initial recommendation is to pass the current from one car to another through a pass-through cable, a technique known as bridging.; Of course, he considers that this procedure requires knowing it backward and forwards, or otherwise the vehicle’s electrical system could be altered or, even, put people at risk.
Don’t forget to turn off electronic systems when parking the vehicle – such as the flashing lights or the air conditioner -, avoid exposure to temperatures that are too low, and keep the battery terminals clean. With these recommendations, you will be able to take care of your battery system, extend its useful life and avoid expenses due to misuse of this essential part. Good maintenance by an authorized technical service and following the manufacturer’s recommendations will help keep the battery and the general condition of your vehicle in good condition.
