Your car’s battery is where your car’s engine gets the power it needs to turn over. Without the battery, nothing else happens. Davis & Clark Auto Repair wants to help you recognize when you might have issues with your car’s battery.
The Battery Is Stinky
Are you smelling a rotten egg smell around the hood of your car? You’re probably not imagining things. Battery acid contains sulfuric acid, which smells a lot like rotten eggs. This smell means that there’s battery acid getting out of the battery case somehow, like through a crack in the case. The important thing to know is that the smell means the battery definitely needs to be inspected.
Or the Battery Looks Pretty Bad
If you’re looking at the battery fairly regularly, say every few weeks or so, you’ll start to notice whether there are any changes. That can include things like cracks that could let out battery acid, but there are other smaller issues, too. Look around the posts to see if you see corrosion. Pay attention also to whether the case starts to bow out or bulge.
You Know the Battery Is Old
Do you already know how old the battery is? There are a couple of ways you might be able to figure that out. First, you can look at the battery’s top. There could be a sticker on the top that has the date the battery was either made or installed. Second, you can check your car’s paperwork to see if you have receipts for the most recent battery purchase. If you bought the car new and you’ve never replaced the battery, then the battery is the same age as the car. Batteries older than three or four years old are nearing their upper limit.
The Car Won’t Start at All
Eventually battery troubles get so severe that the car isn’t able to start at all. When it gets to that point, you may be able to jump the car a time or two to get it started, but that’s not reliable. It’s a stopgap solution that will ultimately leave you stranded somewhere if you don’t get the battery inspected and possibly replaced if there is indeed a problem with the battery.
Worried about your car’s battery? Contact Davis & Clark Auto Repair in Bend, OR today. We’ll test your battery for you and help you to determine if there are other issues or if you just need a new battery.
