5 things which are guaranteed to drain your car’s battery
How many times have you been in the dreadful situation where you are running late and your car won’t start?
Naturally, our first instinct is to check the batteries and in most cases, we do find the batteries drained. There can be many reasons behind the miserable ordeal. Contrary to popular belief, there are numerous factors that lead to a drainage of your car’s battery.
The five main reasons are:
1. Human Error
One of the most common causes of total battery drainage is human error. At least once in your life, you must have returned home so tired that you forgot to switch off the headlights or didn’t close the trunk properly. Your battery will keep sending power to your car all night until all the energy is drained off. You will be waking up to a dead car battery and your car will not start.
Despite modern car warning systems, this is still a very common issue. Even leaving the door slightly ajar is enough to cause the internal lights to stay on. However, you can easily fix this with a jump start and your battery will be back to normal. If you keep draining your battery multiple times because of the same reason, its lifespan will decrease or it will completely stop working. In case your car battery completely dies, you should replace it with a new one right away. For those who are in need of a replacement, this battery supplier are guaranteed to have a product that meets your specifications. All you need to do is enter your car's make, model and registration and it will bring up some recommendations for you.
2. Parasitic Drain
Parasitic drain happens when segments in your vehicle keep running, drawing power from your vehicle’s 12V system even after the key is turned off. Some drainage is ordinary as the battery needs to power some essential things like the clock and radio. It also needs to power alarm operators such as your security alarm, power locks and doors at all times. However, at times the power exceeds the normal limit and causes the battery to drain. In instances where there is an electrical problem, the parasitic drain is common as larger systems could be running even when powered off.
This is common, especially if you have third party accessories installed in your car that dont shut off automatically and need to be turned off manually.
3. Loose or Corroded Cables
If you have a new car battery, but the performance is still poor and requires regular jump-starts, it could be because of poor installation and maintenance. If the leads of your car are incorrectly installed and tightened, there is a good chance that they shake loose occasionally. Even if the battery is in good shape, the car won’t start because of the loose cable. In order to avoid this problem, make sure that the leads are in place and tighten them properly with a wrench.
Corrosion is also one of the reasons of electrical failure. Blue or fuzzy build up near the terminals of the battery can be indicators of corrosion. Make sure you clean off all the corrosive build up and replace battery leads to see if it is working properly or not. Corrosion can also mean that the electrical system is faulty so make sure you get it checked by a professional.
4. Worn Out Battery
Batteries don’t live forever and once they are old they cannot hold a full charge. Most batteries last for about 4-5 years and if they have lived their life, they will be unable to deliver the power your engine needs to start up. If your car has problems starting up consistently, there is a possibility that the battery is exhausted. It’s a sign that you need to replace your battery. A qualified technician can help you figure out what the actual issue with your car is by analysing the electrical system. It’s frustrating to have a battery that won’t hold a charge and prolonged use of the battery causes it to wear and tear.
Loss of water, plate corrosion and the buckling of lead-acid plates can have an adverse impact on the ability of the battery to hold a charge. You can easily take the battery out and get it tested at an auto parts store and change it if needed.
5. Defect in Alternator Diode
A car alternator powers certain electrical systems and recharges the battery. If the alternator has a faulty diode, the battery can drain quickly. It also causes the circuit to charge even when the car engine is off. The alternator provides electrical power to the primary systems of the car and is responsible for charging the battery to make sure it has enough power to start. A faulty alternator will drain the battery again and again every time you start the car which is why it won’t start.
If you keep finding faults in the battery or noticing other electrical issues such as abnormal noises and flickering light, you may want to get your alternator examined by a professional.
Having a faulty battery is quite frustrating and finding out the issue can be a little tricky. If you are having trouble figuring out the issue with the battery you can take the car to an auto repair expert who can diagnose the actual problem.