There’s no worse feeling than getting behind the wheel of your car, turning the key (or pressing the start/stop button!) only for nothing to happen because, gulp, you’ve got a dead battery. It makes your stomach turn. And of course, you won’t have a backup plan in place to ensure you arrive to where you need to be on time. Alas, this exact situation played itself out to my gorgeous wife last week as she was heading off to work in our five-year-old BMW. Surprise, surprise, she was not amused. But luckily, my wife is a very cool cucumber and immediately spotted a neighbour who was about to leave, so got him to give our dead battery a jump-start. Phew.
With the cold weather now upon us, the likelihood of this happening to you has been heightened considerably. Why? It comes down to the inability of the chemicals in the battery to react properly in colder temperatures. Funnily enough, the same can happen in extremely hot temperatures too but here in ol’ Blighty that’s something we will likely never face! This little write-up is going to provide you with a few helpful tips to avoid being stranded.
To begin with, if you are driving a car that is less than three years old then you are officially dismissed from this class. Your battery will be just fine for at least another 18 months. But if, like me, you’re rolling in something a little more ‘mature’ then pay attention! Batteries are normally designed to last to the end of their specified date (typically three, four or five years) and really, not at all beyond. On my previous car I made a point of writing the purchase date on the top of the battery in an indelible Sharpie as a basic reminder that as I approach the useful end period of the battery, I should be wary. So I took my car into Halfords to have my battery checked at the 5-yr mark despite having no difficulties whatsoever up to that point. The Halfords technician thought I was mad when I wanted my battery checked as he assumed that it would be fine since I hadn’t experienced any problems. And yet, low and behold, his high-tech voltmeter revealed that my battery had completely passed its useful life and needed immediate replacement! Doh! The happy ending to this tale was that my Halfords 5-yr battery warranty was still valid thus entitling me to a free replacement battery. Result! I digress…But if I learned one thing, it’s that car batteries really do work only to their specified “date of expiration” and not beyond.
So how to check if your battery is up to snuff in the absence of any high-tech battery tester gadgetry? A first indicator will be failing to unlock the doors using your remote-control key fob. Be sure to check using the second key fob (assuming you have two, and you should!) to make certain it’s not simply the little battery within the fob that needs replacing. If both fobs fail to unlock the doors, chances are it’s your car battery. Fortunately, most fobs have a blade-like key hidden within so you should still be able to unlock your door manually.
Other tell-tale signs include a sluggish turning over of the engine when starting it up from cold. Does it take a few extra turns before catching? Can you count to three Mississippi before it eventually catches? If yes, you could be nearing the dreaded dead-battery-zone. Also, if you notice that your head lights aren’t quite as dazzling as they once were this could be a sign of a weakening battery. Don’t be fooled into thinking that it’s your bulbs that need replacing – if they’re blown you won’t have any lights at all! Lastly, if you notice your windscreen wipers aren’t quite wiping with their usual enthusiasm, a potential culprit could be a dying battery.
Have a look for any of these tell-tale signs that your battery is getting close to the end of its useful life. If you do indeed notice any of the above, take your car to your local garage and have him check it for you with his battery checker. This might sound like an inconvenience unto itself, and you might be annoyed to learn that you need a new battery, but at least you can arrange for it to be replaced on your schedule. Because really, there’s no worse feeling then getting left out in the cold – literally!
Keep calm and drive on,
Car Sleuth
