{"id":65525,"date":"2023-10-26T09:26:58","date_gmt":"2023-10-26T08:26:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/carmart.africa\/blog\/?p=65525"},"modified":"2023-10-26T09:26:58","modified_gmt":"2023-10-26T08:26:58","slug":"car-battery-maintenance-every-car-owner-in-nigeria-must-know","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/carlots.ng\/motoring\/car-battery-maintenance-every-car-owner-in-nigeria-must-know\/","title":{"rendered":"Car Battery Maintenance Every Car Owner in Nigeria Must Know"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Every aspect of your car needs to be properly maintained. This includes the battery, which works especially hard to get the car running. Luckily, maintaining car batteries is incredibly straightforward, as is replacing them when they die. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s everything you should know about car battery maintenance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Safety Measures to Observe Before Working on Your Car Battery<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n
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\"putting
putting the battery in the car<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Before diving headfirst into battery maintenance, there are some safety matters that need to be addressed. For starters, your car\u2019s battery packs a lot of energy, and if handled incorrectly, can damage your car (and you). When handling car batteries, it\u2019s a good idea to wear rubber gloves, just to add a layer between the battery and your hands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On top of that, you never want to directly connect the positive and negative terminals. That may sound obvious, but is an easy mistake to make. Say you lay a metal wrench on top of the battery. If it touches the red terminal (positive) and any other metal part of the car, you can short the battery and cause a fire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keep wrenches, and pretty much everything, off the battery. That way you won\u2019t \u201cspark\u201d issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Use a Battery Terminal Brush to Get the Most Power from your Battery<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Now that you understand basic battery safety, it\u2019s time to get to work. First, head to an auto parts store and buy a battery terminal brush. It\u2019ll look like a brush on a can and is used to clean both the terminal and the connector that supplies power to the car. If there\u2019s corrosion on the battery, it limits the amount of power the battery can supply.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unscrew the connector from the battery terminal. From there, use the brush to clean the inside of the connector, and then the other side to clean the outside of the terminal. By doing this, you increase contact between the terminal and the connector, which gives the car more energy to work with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Should You Replace the Car Battery?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n
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\"Understanding
Understanding What Affects Your CAR BATTERY Lifespan<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Car batteries can last a surprisingly long time, though the rule of thumb is to replace them every three to five years. That said, the lifespan of a car battery will vary depending on how you use it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you only drive short distances, you\u2019re working the battery much harder. That\u2019s because, as you drive, the alternator recharges the battery, and if you don\u2019t drive far, the battery isn\u2019t charged enough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Buy a battery tester and check the battery every six months. The tester will let you know whether the battery is in good condition, or needs to be replaced. However, if you ever find yourself with a dead car battery, that doesn\u2019t mean you have to replace it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to Jump-start a Dead Car Battery<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If checking and cleaning the battery terminals doesn\u2019t work, then your car\u2019s battery may just need a jumpstart. Perhaps you left a light on overnight, which slowly killed the battery. Jump-starting a battery is often all you need in order to get your car running again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you have a portable battery jump pack, you can jump-start a car without anyone\u2019s help. Simply strap the red clamp to the red terminal, then the black clamp to the black terminal of the dead car battery. From there, jump some juice into the battery, start the car, and let it run for a while. Again, the alternator needs to charge that battery, so starting it and then shutting it off again doesn\u2019t help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you have jumper cables, then you\u2019ll need to borrow someone else\u2019s car. Strap one of the red clamps to the red terminal of the dead battery, then the other red clamp to the battery that\u2019s alive. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Next, attach one of the black clamps to the terminal of the good battery, and then finish by attaching the last black clamp to the black terminal of the dead car battery. Start the good car, then start the dead car, and see if that solves the problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n