Does Your Vehicle Need a Brand New Battery?

Your vehicle's battery is not something you want to ignore, especially if you are seeing some of the signs and symptoms that something is wrong. A bad battery can leave you stranded on the side of the road, and an emergency jump will only get you to your destination. Here are some signs that your vehicle's battery needs to be replaced.

1. Slow Starting

One early warning sign that it's time for a new car battery is a slow start. If you try to crank your engine and the car is taking longer than normal to start up, this is sometimes a problem related to your battery. Should you immediately run out and get a new battery? Not necessarily, because it could be due to other issues not related to the battery as well, such as cold weather. Just keep it in mind in case you run into other signs and symptoms.

2. Dashboard Warnings

Every vehicle's dashboard has a warning light to indicate that there is something related to the battery, charging system, or a component associated with the battery system. Thankfully, these dashboard lights do give off a code that will tell you exactly what is wrong with the battery system. Take your vehicle to a local mechanic or auto parts store, and they'll hook up a computer to your vehicle and tell you exactly what the code means. 

3. Light Dimming

Have you noticed that your headlights are slightly dimmer than normal when driving at night, or that the internal dome lights are not as bright? This could be due to the battery being weak and not giving off the amount of power necessary to run the lights. It is worth looking at any electronic component of your vehicle and noting if it is not working right. This includes your radio, power windows, and power mirrors.

4. Battery Swelling

Your battery has a casing that surrounds the actual battery, and that casing is going to be very flat on every side. What you want to look out for is if the casing has started to swell. This is not normal and can be a huge indication that the battery needs to be replaced with a new one. A bloating battery is not normal, and it needs to be replaced soon.

Reach out to various companies like Electro Battery Inc. if you need to replace your battery with a new one.