Batteries today are a big part of our everyday life. Think of how many batteries you have to keep charged.

Of course, our purpose here is to talk about your car battery. When people come into Auto Care Plus and need a new battery, they’re really not that happy about having to spend the money. But the fact is that 70 percent of batteries don’t make it to 4 years of service.

The hot summer is the number one killer of batteries followed by the cold winters.

There are some things that you can do to extend the life of your battery. First, keep it clean. If you see it getting dirty or greasy, let us know at Auto Care Plus and we can clean it off. A dirty battery runs hotter, and that shortens its life. If your battery terminals are corroded, let us take a look at that, too. We can clean them, and if the corrosion has gotten into the battery cables, we can replace them. All that corrosion impedes some or all of the power from getting to your cars starter which can leave you stranded out in the cold New England winter.

Also, running your battery way down is bad for it. Things like running the headlights, listening to the radio or watching a movie on your DVD player with the car turned off can deeply deplete your battery. The typical battery can only take about 10 of those deep cycle depletions before it fails.

Because we often take short trips around town with lots of stops and starts for errands, our batteries can end up not getting fully recharged just by driving around. This also shortens battery life. You can hook up a good quality automatic battery charger at home from time to time. We recommend charging once a month during hot months and every three months during cold months.

Now when it’s finally time to get a new battery, we can help you find the right replacement. We’ll always make sure to meet your vehicle manufacturer’s requirements. If you have special needs, like live in a very cold climate or run a lot of electrical accessories, tow or plow, we can look at an upgrade that’ll give you the power you need.

The good news is every time you come to Auto Care Plus for service we will always test your battery and provide you with the results and advice you need to stay charged and ready to go when you need to.