3 Signs Your CDJR Needs a New Car Battery

Old Battery

Age can be a telltale sign you need a new car battery. The average life of a battery is three to five years before it wears out. This can be further reduced due to extreme environmental factors or electrical issues. A battery usually fails due to the naturally occurring breakdown of its sulfuric acid. Sulfuric acid plays a major role in the chemical reactions that allow the battery to store electricity, but as the sulfuric acid degrades, it reduces the battery’s storage capacity.

As its storage capacity drops, the battery will weaken, and eventually, it won’t be able to supply enough charge to power the starter that cranks your engine. Long before this happens, you’ll see signs like longer cranking times, dim lights, and slow or failing accessories when under battery power. Our technicians will test your battery and can quickly install a replacement if the original is failing.

Rotten Egg Smell

As we saw above, sulfuric acid breaks down, and in the end stage of this breakdown, it releases hydrogen. The hydrogen molecules can escape the battery casing and join with sulfur molecules, released into the engine due to the presence of fuel.

These two chemicals form hydrogen sulfide, which smells like rotten eggs. Your battery may still carry charge, but that awful smell means it’s wearing out. We’ll replace the battery to prevent it from failing and potentially leaving you stranded.

Phantom Drain

This strange situation is caused by a fault in the electrical system. A phantom drain can cause a battery to lose almost all its stored power in a few hours. When your engine is switched off, the battery uses its stored reserves to power various systems like the alarm, doors, and lights. It doesn’t require much electricity to sustain these systems, especially as many of them only draw power when they’re switched on.

Systems that remain on draw power and the phantom drain is usually caused by a light that remains on when it should have switched off. Two of the most likely culprits are the lights inside the glove box and the trunk, as they’re impossible to see once their lids are closed. A faulty relay can allow either of them to remain on to drain the battery. We’ll trace the electricity flow to identify the cause of the problem then we’ll repair it.

These are just a few of the many potential signs you might need a new car battery from your local dealer. If you have these or any other signs of a battery problem, contact the experts today at Auffenberg CDJR in Shiloh, IL for testing and service right away!

Tags: Battery, maintenance, Performance, repair, Safety, service
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