How can you avoid a flat car battery?

It can be a nightmare being stranded away from home because your car battery failed on you. Car batteries can go flat for several reasons. The Big Car Buyer and his team have put together a basic guide to help prevent the worst happening.

With the cold weather in play, this has a massive impact on the battery and can slow down the chemical processes which occur within. So here are some things you can do to help:

1. Drive on a regular basis
Batteries are put under strain when doing a high number of short journeys. The engine and alternator have to work together to keep the battery charged but isn’t given enough chance to recharge the battery to its previous state. Therefore it’s best to do longer journeys to give the car a chance to recharge itself.

2. Switch the car off
Newer cars are packed with energy eating technology, which, if left on, will work to drain the battery very quickly. The biggest threat to a car battery is lights and heaters, however, items plugged in such as USB or cigarette light 12v supply will also quickly drain the battery’s charge.

3. Check your vehicle on a regular basis. Your local garage usually does this for free or even your local Halfords store.

4. Service your car
Service your car on a regular basis. Things like underinflated tyres to an overworked engine can reflect on how long the battery lasts. A yearly service is a must when it comes to the servicing of your car.

5. Don’t put stress on your car
People don’t do this as often as they use to back in the day but depressing the clutch when starting the engine can help take the strain off your car and the battery itself. It reduces the effort needed to start, which means the starter motor is just turning over the engine without the extra drag of turning over the gearbox.