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Automotive Batteries
The battery in your car or truck starts your
engine
and it allows you to run the
headlights,
interior lights, radio, and other
accessories
when the engine is off. Over
its lifetime,
your car battery will discharge
and recharge
thousands of times. Eventually,
it will lose
its ability to hold a strong
enough charge
to start the car, and it will
be time for
a new battery. What should you
know when
looking for a replacement?
- Match the new battery to your car - Not all batteries work in all cars because
there is quite a bit of variation in the
size and capacity of the battery as well
as the size, type, and placement of the battery
terminals.
- Meet at least the Cold Cranking Amperes of
the original battery - "Cold Cranking Amps" are a measure
of how much power the battery produces. The
older your car, the more amps you may need.
You also need more power to start your car
on cold days because the engine is harder
to turn and the power the battery can generate
decreases significantly as the temperature
goes down.
- Take the newest battery in the lot - Batteries lose their ability to hold a
charge with time as well as use, so buy the
most recently made battery you can find.
Batteries carry freshness dating just like
food so that you know when it was manufactured
and how long it has been sitting on the shelf.
The manufacturing date may be encoded with
letters to represent the month or something
similar, so you may need some help in reading
the date.
- Consider the reserve capacity - Without the alternator, the battery alone
will be providing the electrical power to
keep the headlights on and the engine running.
The reserve capacity is an indicator of how
long you can keep drawing power after stopping
the car or driving after the alternator fails.
Though an unusual circumstance, alternators
do fail, and a large reserve capacity may
be of great value to you if your car is getting
very old, you have a history of problems
with the alternator, or you drive in at night
or in areas where it can be difficult to
get help if you suffer a problem.
- Get the right warranty and lifetime - There is no point in paying more for a
battery that will last longer than you expect
to own your car.
Insist on a maintenance free
battery that
eliminates the old requirement
of topping
off the cells with pure water
every now and
then. That is one less thing
you will have
to worry about and saves you
from exposure
to the sulfuric acid that the
battery contains. |
| Where to Shop (click to visit) |
PartsAmerica - The on-line presence for two of the largest
auto part retailers in America:
CSK Auto
(Checker, Schucks and Kragen)
and Advance
Auto Parts. PartsAmerica provides
quick and
easy access to nearly $1.5B in
inventory
and 3,000 locations in all 50
states. Search
their real-time inventory, purchase
items
on-line, pick up and return at
a local store,
or have products delivered to
their home
or business. |
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