The Importance of a Well Maintained Battery

If you’ve ever been unable to start you car in cold weather, you know how important battery maintenance is. Aside from monitoring for corrosion, you will also want to make sure that the battery is not running low on water. In addition, when you are purchasing a used car, you should make sure that the battery is clean and in good condition.

Among other things, you will want to make sure there are no cracks in the battery. These may easily be hidden on the side facing the firewall. You can ask the car dealer to remove the battery so that you can inspect it from all angles. This will also give you an opportunity to take note of corroded terminals. 

If they are clean, look for signs of pitting. This can indicate sparks, or some type of short. If the terminals appear clean, but recently sanded down, or even replaced you may want to pass the car up altogether. Electrical shorts can amount to thousands of dollars in diagnostic bills without ever solving the issue. Even a used Audi can have everything from phantom radio playing to trunks opening by themselves. 

One thing is for certain. If you must bear the expense of car loans, you will want to deal with paying expenses related to the car’s electrical system. In addition, if you cannot obtain cheap car insurance, you will only be throwing your money away on a vehicle you are not likely to keep once it is all paid off.