Car Battery Replacement & Installation
When Do You Replace a Car Battery?
A dead battery can ruin your day. The good news is that is super easy for the mechanics at Driver’s Edge to perform a quick car battery replacement and have you back on the road. As a full-service Dallas auto repair shop, Driver’s Edge offers battery services and other auto repairs to help keep your vehicle in top condition.
Driver’s Edge is proud to be an ACDelco battery shop, where our expert mechanics offer complete car battery replacement and battery installation services at all of our locations. Our battery services include:
- We install a new, high-quality ACDelco battery and properly dispose of your old one.
- We clean your battery terminals and apply a protectant against corrosion.
- If you believe your battery is failing or you are having trouble starting your car or truck, we will check your battery’s output and determine if it needs to be replaced.
Changing the battery on a newer car can be slightly more complicated and make it difficult for a car owner to change it. Sometimes just locating the battery is a challenge for some car owners. It used to be so easy, now the battery can be encased, under a seat or just hidden in plain sight.
Contact Driver’s Edge if your vehicle displays any of these signs:
- Dim headlights
- Slow engines
- Jump start fails
- Clicking noise when you try to start the vehicle
- Dashboard warning lights
- Burning rubber smell
The signs above may be indicators that there is an issue with the battery or charging system. If your battery needs more than a simple recharge or replacement, our skilled technicians offer comprehensive auto repair services to get your car back on the road. If your battery needs more than a simple recharge or replacement, our skilled mechanics offer comprehensive auto repair services to get your car back on the road.
How A Car Battery Works
Even though your car battery is fairly small in comparison to other components under the hood, it is, of course, essential. Your vehicle’s battery does a lot more than just provide the electricity needed to power all of the electrical components throughout the car, however—the battery is also a critical element of the vehicle’s starting and charging systems. A car battery performs two essential functions:
- Helping to start the car: The battery quickly converts chemical energy, which is stored inside the battery, into the electrical energy that your starter needs to start the vehicle.
- Keeps the engine running: After helping to start the car, your car battery also provides a steady supply of electrical voltage to keep the engine running as you drive.
Simply put, when you go to start your vehicle, a cycle is initiated that helps power your vehicle and keep it running. This cycle all starts with your car battery.
To break it down further, your vehicle’s starter receives a jolt of electrical energy and then converts this into the mechanical energy needed to crank the engine. Then, the rotation of the engine powers the alternator, which helps to recharge your battery by pushing this mechanical energy back into the battery where it’s stored as chemical energy. The chemical energy is then converted back into electrical energy again to continue to power the starter and your vehicle’s various accessories. This cycle continues as the car is running.
That’s why including battery checks in your vehicle’s preventative car maintenance is so important. Because it impacts so many other systems, it is critical to regularly check your battery and its connections. The expert mechanics at Driver’s Edge will help ensure you have the best car battery for your vehicle and that it remains in optimal condition to keep you on the road.
Book an appointment now to have your battery checked and a car battery replacement done if needed.
Important Battery Replacement Facts
Most car batteries last about three to six years. Of course, like many parts on your vehicle, the life of your battery depends on how you treat it. There are some important things to know about batteries to avoid draining them of energy prematurely and incurring a car battery cost before you need to.
Using Electronic Components Without The Engine Running
When the engine is running, the alternator works to recharge the battery as it provides electrical energy. So when the engine is off, there is nothing pushing energy back into your battery. This translates into using electronic components for too long without the engine running, one of the quickest ways to a dead battery.
To avoid draining the car battery, make sure that your headlights are turned off and no interior lights are left on when you exit the vehicle. Leaving cell phone chargers, GPS or other electronics plugged in when the car is off can also drain the battery.
The Affect Weather Can Have On A Car Battery
Both hot and cold weather can have a significant impact on the performance and life of a battery. This is because most car batteries consist of an iron-based electrolyte solution that holds the charge and is affected by extreme temperatures.
When it is hot outside, the battery solution can sometimes start to evaporate which limits its ability to hold a charge. This results in hesitation when starting the car. Another indicator that this might be happening to your vehicle’s battery is if you notice a rotten egg smell. This is from the sulfur in the electrolyte solution. If you are noticing this happening, it may be time for a car battery replacement.
Alternatively, cold temperatures also affect your car battery. When it is cold out, the battery’s electrolyte solution can’t transfer full power as efficiently. This is why it can sometimes be hard to start your vehicle in the winter if it’s been sitting outside.
The best solution to keep your battery protected and lasting longer during extreme temperatures is to keep it garaged if you can.
Proudly Serving the Following Locations:
- Driver’s Edge | Allen
- Driver’s Edge | Arlington
- Driver’s Edge | Basswood Blvd
- Driver’s Edge | Flower Mound
- Driver’s Edge | Fort Worth
- Driver’s Edge | Frisco
- Driver’s Edge | Grapevine
- Driver’s Edge | Irving
- Driver’s Edge | Keller
- Driver’s Edge | Lewisville
- Driver’s Edge | Mansfield
- Driver’s Edge | McKinney
- Driver’s Edge | Plano
- Driver’s Edge | Prosper
- Driver’s Edge | Southlake
- Affordable Auto | Little Elm
- Affordable Auto | McKinney
- Car Care Central | Plano
- Overseas Service Haus | Dallas
- Road Runner Lube & Tune | Fort Worth
- Valvoline Express Lube | Rockwall
Frequently Asked Questions
If your vehicle won’t start, more often than not it’s because of your battery not having a charge, but other circumstances can cause similar starting issues. These include:
- Corrosion on the battery terminals: Sometimes white, chalky corrosion can build up on each of the terminals located on the top of your battery. When this happens, it can prevent the proper flow of electricity through the battery cable attached to them. Luckily, this can easily be cleaned off with a wire brush or steel wool.
- Faulty starter: If your vehicle’s starter has gone bad, it cannot convert the electrical energy from the battery into mechanical energy to start the engine. In this case, you’ll often hear the same kind of clicking noise when you try to start the car as you would with a dead battery.
- Bad alternator: If your alternator fails, it won’t recharge your battery when the engine is on. In this situation, after you’ve been driving for a while and then turn your car off, then go to start it again later, your car won’t start. A bad alternator can also, in some cases, cause a parasitic drain on your battery which would also result in the car not starting.
- Clogged or worn fuel/ignition system components: Clogged fuel injectors or worn spark plugs can cause vehicle starting problems. In these instances, the car cannot get the necessary fuel or ignition levels to be able to start and run the engine.
If you’re having trouble starting your vehicle you may need a new car battery installation done or it could be another issue. Either way, the ASE-certified mechanics at any one of our 19 Driver’s Edge locations can help diagnose the problem and get you back on the road.
Book your appointment online now for the location nearest you! Make sure to check out our coupons page for the latest deals to help save you money on car battery replacement or other auto repair services.
Different types of vehicles, driving styles, and uses can call for different types of batteries. You want to follow your vehicle’s manufacturer-recommended guidelines when it comes to what the best car battery for your vehicle would be.
The first place to look to answer this question is in your vehicle’s owner’s manual. You can also talk to the mechanics at your nearest Driver’s Edge location. We will be glad to help you determine the OE (original equipment) manufacturer’s recommendation for your vehicle.
The first place to look is on the top of your battery’s case. You’ll see a four-digit code stamped on the cover or printed on a sticker. The first two characters of this code indicate when the battery was shipped from the factory to the distributor. The letter at the beginning refers to the month — A for January, B for February, etc. The number that follows refers to the year. For example, 9 for 2009 and 1 for 2011.
Keep in mind that car batteries usually last three to six years. If you start to notice your battery case being swollen, a sulfuric rotten egg smell coming from the battery, or hesitation on starting, it might be time to start looking at getting a car battery replacement done.
