Car Battery Tips & Tricks

A Complete Guide On How to To Maintain Your Car Battery in Singapore (2023)

By / 14 February 2022 / No Comment

A properly functioning car battery is something every driver wants in their cars. However, many are the times when you will find car owners struggling with their cars because of a battery problem. In fact, most Singapore car battery sellers say motorists come to them only when their old batteries are virtually dead. One thing that is clear about auto batteries is that they can last longer and serve you better if they are properly maintained.

The problem is that most car owners don’t know how to go about maintaining car batteries. Luckily, you can use the tips in this guide to get you started. You will always be glad that you took time to pamper your car battery. The best thing is that most of these tips are DIY, which means no cost or expertise is required. Here you go:

 

6 Important Tips on Maintaining Car Batteries in Singapore

 

1. Cover Your Car

Park under cover or if possible, cover your car to avoid exposure to direct sunlight or freezing weather. Extreme temperatures on both ends will ruin your car battery due to temperature fluctuations.

 

2. Regularly Check The Electrolyte Level

To enjoy a well performing battery, you have to be proactive in monitoring the electrolyte. The correct electrolyte level for lead-acid batteries requires full volume of electrolyte in the battery and specific gravity (SG) of 1.265 when fully charged and at room temperature.

 

3. Take Longer Drives

Short drives eventually ruin your car battery. The fact that starting a car takes a lot out of your battery should be at the top of your mind. With only shorter trips, the alternator will not fully recharge the battery. If the battery develops a charge memory that is low, it will never accept a charge higher than it is used to. Take longer trips to allow the alternator to fully recharge the battery.

 

4. Clean and Maintain Your Car Battery

In humid climates, moisture that collects on the battery can lead to short circuiting. At the same time, a lot of dirt and grime collects on the battery terminals. This leads to acid and copper-sulphate accumulation. This leads to undercharging or low power supply. Eventually, terminals overheat and get damaged. This is the reason you need to constantly clean the battery using baking soda solution. It is also important to make sure the battery is firmly in position and choose the right battery to avoid unnecessary problems.

 

5. Avoid The Car Battery Maintenance Myths

There are many misconceptions about car battery maintenance. For instance, remember that short trips don’t fully recharge the battery and when a car isn’t driven regularly, the battery will go flat. In addition, you don’t have to disconnect terminals if you are not driving your car for some time as many electronic functions run on this power even when the car is idle.

 

6. When To Change Your Car Battery, And How Frequent?

When was the last time you had your car battery checked? Most likely you can’t remember and you probably haven’t done it before. Now that the car battery is usually out of sight, most car owners only remember this crucial car part when the engine won’t start. If you are looking for a car battery replacement service in Singapore, maybe you have this problem now and you want to get a new car battery as fast as possible.

However, you don’t have to wait until your car battery dies on you in order to get a replacement. The best way to go about this is to be proactive in order to avoid being caught unawares.

 

What Things to Look Out for When Choosing a Car Battery

If there is one thing that every driver dreads, then it has to be a dead battery. This is because the battery always dies at the most inconvenient time. You are rushing for an important meeting and your car won’t start or probably you are in the middle of the road during rush hour when your car battery decides to die.

While most people only think about car battery replacement when such problems arise, it is advisable to know what to look for in order to make the right choice early enough. Some of the warning signs include a slow engine crank, low battery fluid level, old age, bloating and swelling of the car battery, and battery leak. Of course, your car mechanic can come in handy to advise whether it is time to buy a new car battery after inspections.

So, what do you consider when looking for a new car battery replacement in Singapore? Here are some ideas:

1. Understand Car Battery Type And Specs

Before you hit the stress button, make sure you have an idea about the battery type your car requires. Major battery types include Lithium Ion, Deep cycle, valve regulated lead acid battery (VRLA), wet/flooded battery, and Starting, Lighting and Ignition (SLI) batteries among others. Consider too the specs including amps and volt size.

 

2. Compare Different Brands

The brand you choose will determine the value for money you get. It is advisable to go for widely reputable car battery brands that have a long track record in the automotive industry. Major brands include Bosch, Amaron, Varta, Yuasa among others. Always make sure you talk to your mechanic to ensure you make a more informed choice.

 

3. Battery Warranty

Make sure you compare warranty and choose the battery with the longest free replacement period. In determining this, check the free replacement period against the prorated period, which only has a partial reimbursement.

 

4. Reserve Capacity Rating

The Reserve Capacity Rating (RC) refers to the standing power or time a battery can supply voltage without need to run your car. This is crucial if the alternator belt fails and the longer the RC the better.

 

5. Cold-Cranking Amps (CCA) and Cranking Amps (CA)

This is the measure of a car battery’s ability to start your car even in freezing conditions. A battery with higher CCA is better especially if you are in a cold area. Cranking Amps (CA) is the measure of current in the battery at freezing point.

Other factors include reputation of the seller to ensure they have the capacity to offer after sales service.

 

Trouble Signs for Your Car Battery

Now that you are wondering whether it is time to go for a car battery replacement, consider whether you have experienced any of the trouble signs:

  • Battery light warning to indicate a weak battery.
  • Sluggish engine cranking when you start the vehicle.
  • Engine cranking but car doesn’t start
  • No cranking, no lights and no starting, which is a clear indication that the battery is at fault.
  • Erratic performance of the battery could indicate the cables are loose or there is corrosion.
  • Hard work when cold cranking where you need to put more energy into starting the car yet the battery shouldn’t have such problem even in cold weather.
  • Low battery fluid below the lead plates
  • Battery leak detectable through corrosions around the battery posts
  • Frequent jump starts are a clear indication that you need a new battery.
  • Old age of the battery, mostly above 3 years.

 

Preventing Car Battery Problems

Well, every car is unique and different conditions will lead to varying battery problems. However, these are the major sign that could indicate a problem with your car battery. The main question that comes to mind at this point is of course, what you can do to void these problems. Below are some ideas on how to make your battery last longer:

  1. Avoid short trips, which make it harder to recharge the battery
  2. Clean the battery using baking soda to remove grime and dirt and also excess moisture layer.
  3. Park your car under cover to avoid extreme temperatures on both ends, which ruin car batteries.

Maintaining your battery is advisable to avoid the cost of replacement or repair. Life expectancy of a car battery is 1.5 to 2 years and you should always replace it within this time to guarantee you avoid common battery problems.

 

Why Won’t My Car Start?

It is the most embarrassing moment for every motorist yet also the most common. Just when you are in a rush to leave, you realize that your car won’t start. Worse still, you could be in the middle of a busy highway when the engine decides not to work anymore. If there is one problem every driver has encountered, it has to be failure to start. It is no wonder then that most auto mechanics get this question.

If you are looking for a car battery service in your neighborhood, it is most likely that your car has experienced this problem. So, why won’t your car start anyway? The problem of course, lies in the battery and as such the best place to start would be to look at the problems that mostly afflict this part.

Here are some quick answers:
 

1. High Temperatures

One of the most common problems for drivers especially in hot and temperate areas is engine failure.  For the battery, the problem comes in due to accelerated grid corrosion and growth on the growth plat. Ultimately, this affects the batteries capacity and ability to start.

 

2. Wrong Battery Application

It is true you might want to optimize your car by adding more features up, but then this requires a lot of power. The car battery will not support all these new applications and you might find yourself requiring a car battery replacement very soon. Avoid using the battery for applications it wasn’t designed for. If the car has too many electrical accessories, there will be a problem when it comes to starting the engine.

 

3. Faulty Alternator

Another common problem is a faulty alternator, which leads to undercharging of the battery. You might find yourself with a fully discharged battery, which can lead to sulfation. An undercharged battery on the other hand has no capacity to start an engine.

 

4. High Vibration

There is a reason why a car battery is placed in a tight box that is well padded. With time however, your car battery might become loose and eventually the vibrations caused will damage internal parts, which translates to low power output.

 

5. Failure to Charge Discharged Materials

After discharging a battery, there are active materials left inside the plate and if they are not recharged they combine to form large crystals. The problem now comes in trying to dissolve these larger crystals in order to recharge them and ultimately, it leads to battery failure.

Other issues include poor battery service and maintenance, which can be done by a qualified auto technician. Go on and look for a car battery service in your area to avoid engine problems.