Car Battery Maintenance

A car’s battery is central to how it works. Without a properly working battery, your car won’t be going anywhere quickly, which is why looking after it is essential. Here at Eden, we offer a variety of service plans that can help keep your car in tip-top shape while checking over key elements, including the battery.

But in the meantime, how can you look after your battery, and what can you do to help prolong its lifespan? Let’s take a look.

Make sure you drive your car regularly

One of the easiest ways to keep your car’s battery in good health is to drive the vehicle regularly. Longer journeys provide a great opportunity for the engine and alternator to fully top up a battery, so make sure you take your car for a decent drive, particularly if it has been sitting still for a little while.

A lack of use is one of the key ways in which a battery is allowed to fail, and from that point, a car’s engine and alternator will struggle to charge a battery back up.

Invest in a battery trickle charger

If you’re not able to drive your car that often, or know you’ll be leaving it away for a long period, then it could be worth investing in a trickle charger. These devices connect to the car’s battery and, as the name suggests, ‘trickle’ electricity into the battery to make sure it’s kept up.

You can even get ‘smart’ trickle chargers which can intelligently work out when a battery requires more electricity, adding to it. Of course, you’ll need a plug socket near where the car is parked to use one of these.

Check for ‘parasitic drain’

Parasitic drain might sound like an insect has made itself at home inside a car’s engine bay, but it’s a term used to describe an unwanted ‘pull’ on a battery. This could be a vehicle component which is drawing power even when the car is switched off and, as a result, can lead to a flat battery in no time.

One of the best ways to test this out is with a battery tester. If you’ve not got one of these to hand, then it’s something that our specialists here at Eden would be able to help with.

Keep the battery topped up with water

It might sound odd, but batteries do need water to work properly. Most car batteries use deionised water, which is stored in the battery’s cells. To make sure that your car’s battery is working effectively, you’ll need to make sure that this is kept at the right level, with a lot of batteries having a ‘gauge’ that you can use to view the amount of water left inside. However, this often only applies to batteries on older vehicles - so double-check to see what type you’ve got in your car. It might be worth consulting with a trained technician if you have any doubts as to what type of battery you have.

Be careful when topping up a battery’s water and, if you’re unsure, always consult the help of a trained technician.

Keep the battery terminal clean

A car’s battery terminals can often get clogged up. This could be with dirt and dust which has accumulated over time, or with corrosion which might occur if moisture has been present near the battery terminals. If this is the case, you should disconnect the battery from the car and give the terminals a good clean.

Again, this is something that we’d be happy to assist with at Eden.

Replace your battery if it isn’t working properly

Sometimes, no amount of saving can keep a battery going. If your car is routinely struggling to start, then you might just need to replace the battery with a new one, which will give the vehicle a new lease of life and ensure that it gets going with each turn of the key.

Many retailers offer new batteries - and some of them can fit it for you, too - but, again, we’re happy to help if you need assistance.

The good news is that all of the cars we have on sale here at Eden have been thoroughly checked over to make sure that they’re in perfect working order - battery included. Take a look through our current stock of pre-owned vehicles today or consider swapping into a brand-new model from some of our well-known manufacturers.