battery

Which Battery Do I Need For My Car?

batteryRunning out of car battery? Well, this can be the worst situation any vehicle owner can come across as the battery is the most important component of a vehicle, allowing it to have enough power to start with its engine. Without a proper working car battery, your car may face trouble in the ignition process. Also, it provides required power that may be needed for sliding windows, door locks, lights, and other car accessories. The moment your car’s battery dies, your car is dead too.

Keeping this in mind, it’s really important to ensure that your battery is working properly to its maximum potential. While the battery may be required throughout the year, but its importance can be felt during the winters as cooler temperatures can cause trouble for the engine to start. While do-it-yourself battery replacement is a great money-saver, but you need to take care of a lot of things like careful disposal of the old battery and which battery to choose as the range of options available here at Partsavatar.ca is quite vast. Hence it can be difficult to know which one is right for your vehicle. Before you get the new battery, you must discard the old one properly and following are two options for it.

  • Recycling stations
  • Automotive supply stores

Now the next step here is to understand the tips to consider which battery to purchase for your vehicle.

Size Matters

engine

Online platforms offer a wide range of vehicle batteries in the aftermarket auto parts category, but the main difference between each is that of size. The size or group refers to the heights, length, and width of the battery. Different car types have different sizes of battery tray and hence it is important to pick the best suitable one that fits in your vehicle’s given space. If you are unsure about the size that would fit your vehicle, then refer to the car user manual as this can help to know your car’s specific battery group size. Also, you can consult the local mechanics to know which one would be batter according to them.

Buying a wrong battery size will just be a waste of money and efforts and might just set off more damage to your vehicle. Hence, make sure to discuss your vehicle make and model with the experts to eliminate the confusion.

Calcium or Lead

Not many car owners may be aware of the fact that car batteries are available in two types – calcium and lead. Because the lead batteries are more reliable, long-lasting and affordable, Partsavatar Ontario ensures you get the best for your bucks. The lead batteries will typically start your vehicle 20,000 times before it’ll need to be replaced, which is pretty much long time.

A calcium or high-end absorbent glass mat (AGM) battery may be a great way to go for something with a little more longevity. These batteries will need replacing after 30,000 and 50,000 starts respectively.

CCA and AH

After the size and type of battery you need to buy comes the main thing to remember about batteries are ampere/hours (AH) and cold cranking amps (CCA). The CCA means the battery’s ability to start your vehicle during the extreme weather conditions. It may be hard to start for a vehicle during freezing conditions as the vehicle’s engine oil thickens and chemical reactions.

If you are living in a cold area like Canada, then buying a battery with a higher number of CCA is a better choice. Refer to the car’s user manual to know the specific CCA rating battery for your vehicle and always make sure to avoid the ones that are with much lower or higher to the rating recommended by your car manufacturer. A higher CCA assures that your car’s engine will start obediently even after the snowfall. AH, on the other hand, refers to how long a battery will last before you will need to recharge it.

Reserve Capacity

This is again something important that must be kept in mind while buying a new battery for your vehicle. Reserve Capacity (RC) refers to the battery’s standing power. In a layman’s language, it’s the amount of minutes the battery can continuously supply minimum voltage needed to run a car. Buying a battery with higher RC rating can be a great choice as this ensures your car can run on the battery alone when the alternator stops working. It can be a great help as your alternator or fan belt may fail sometimes, unexpectedly. So, you need to be prepared for the emergency conditions.

The Final Words

To conclude this article, I would like to mention here that the warranty by the car battery manufacturer should be kept in mind as your battery may sometimes face trouble due to manufacturing defect. You must check thoroughly that everything is in order before buying though. Otherwise, the discount you got will be paid for purchase and re-installation fee of replacement battery. You may want to know what is covered under the warranty.

Now, if you are not an expert at battery replacement, you may want to take a short learning session from the experts on how to change your car battery as changing the old battery may be hazardous for those who are new to the process. Go through the videos available online and make a safer choice while battery replacement and have everything that may be recommended by the experts.