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How to Maintain Your Car Battery Like a Pro: 9 Tips To Make Your Car Battery Last Longer

Your car battery is the lifeline that powers your vehicle and keeps it running smoothly. Neglecting its maintenance can lead to unexpected breakdowns and frustrating delays. But not to worry; maintaining a car battery is simpler than you might think and we're here to show you how.

Marshall Batteries has been helping Australians for over 75 years, with roadside assistance in times of battery failures and supplying quality car batteries with long-term warranties. So, we know a thing or two about car battery maintenance. 

This detailed guide outlines nine tips to make your car battery last longer and ready to start, no matter the condition. We've also answered two of the most frequently asked questions about car batteries and maintenance.

Firstly...

Do Car Batteries Need Maintenance? - Yes! And Here's Why

Car batteries absolutely require maintenance to ensure optimal performance and longevity. Regularly maintaining your car battery, including checking its charge, cleaning terminals, and ensuring proper connections, and turning the vehicle off properly when it's not running, can help prevent issues and keep your car running smoothly.

9 Tips On How To Maintain Your Car Battery Like A Pro

Checking up on and regularly maintaining your car battery is easy and will significantly extend its life and performance. The last thing you want is to get held up in your driveway on the way to work in the morning because your car battery is flat. Here are nine things you can do to avoid that.

 

1. Turn Off Your Vehicle When You’re Not Driving It

The first and foremost rule in maintaining your car battery is always to turn off your vehicle and additional accessories when not in use.

As obvious as it may seem, don’t forget this step! Ensure that whenever you check into your battery and work with it, keep your vehicle completely turned off, along with your lights and all accessories. This also goes for day-to-day – when your vehicle does not need to be running, keep it off – save your battery!

Do you have a flat battery and need urgent roadside assistance? Holler for a Marshall now at 1300 695 71 and we'll be there in no time to get you back up and running.

 

2. Ensure Your Car Battery Is Secure

Your car battery should never be able to vibrate or move, so always be sure it is fastened firmly in its correct place. Any movement or vibrations can severely damage the cells within the battery.

 

3. Keep Your Car Battery Cool

While it may be difficult with some of Australia’s crazy high temperatures, we suggest you park your vehicle in shaded or cooler areas whenever possible versus in direct sunlight.

This will keep your battery as cool as possible. Believe it or not, heat can cause major damage to car batteries due to water loss as well as heat distortion. While Marshall Batteries are designed for the harshest Aussie environments, the more care you give, the longer your battery will last.

Featured Guide: Compare The Best Car Battery Replacement Providers in Australia

 

4. Keep Your Car Battery Clean

Clean your car battery regularly to avoid corrosion build-up

Keeping your car battery clean is key to ensuring its best possible performance. You should be cleaning your battery cables and around the terminals regularly to prevent corrosion build-up and to help ensure that no external material falls into the battery when you open it.

If it’s too late and you already have corrosion built up on your battery, there is no need to worry. Believe it or not, you can use a basic paste of handy household items to remove this build-up.

 

Banish Battery Corrosion: How To Clean Corrosion Off Your Car Battery

Step 1: Scrub. First, gently scrub the terminals using a paste of water mixed with baking soda and a wire brush to remove any built-up acid and dirt.

Step 2: Remove the cables carefully, always starting with the negative one first.

Step 3: Clean. Now that the cables are removed, you can further clean any more corrosion.

Step 4: Wipe off. Be sure to wipe gently with a rag and cool water following this so you don’t leave baking soda on your battery. Leaving any baking soda residue on your battery will increase the possibility of further corrosion (in the near future!).

Need help with what terminals and cables are? Our battery experts explain it all in this ultimate guide - what do a battery’s different specs mean?

 

5. Coat And Protect Your Car Battery

To protect your car battery from rust and corrosion, your best solution is to keep it coated. You can use felt protectors for your terminals. We also suggest using a protector spray coating – essentially a grease made for high temperatures.

Alternatively, many suggest the handyman approach of simply using good old Vaseline instead of a spray protector. You can test out both options and use whichever you prefer.

 

6. Recharge Your Car Battery Regularly

One of the most important tips to make your car battery last longer is to keep it charged with regular recharging.

We can give an average lifespan of a car battery that's regularly recharged, but it is very tough to predict the exact life expectancy of your battery. The longer a car sits idle, the more a battery slowly, but surely, loses its charge.

The simplest solution to this is to drive your car regularly, while making a point to drive distances of over 10km regularly. Additionally, you can buy a standard car battery charger and charge it approximately every two months.

Just remember that, like any battery, there is such a thing as overcharging which can shorten its life. Everybody runs into the unexpected dilemma of a dead battery. It is never fun and always comes at the worst possible time.

So, you may be wondering...

How Long Does It Take To Recharge My Car Battery?

It can take around twelve hours to recharge if the battery is completely dead. Of course, this will all depend on your usage, age, size and battery type.

If you need urgent roadside assistance with jump-starting your battery, Holler for a Marshall at 1300 695 71 and we'll get you back up and running.

 

7. Replace The Car Battery Terminal

While you can hand clean your battery yourself, if you’re a little too late and corrosion has already set in, you should be replacing your battery terminals.

An excellent tool for this is battery terminal removers. Using these will save you from the trouble of any unnecessary damage. It is also important to remember to always remove the negative terminal first before positive, to remove the possibility of an electrical shock.

 

8. Top Up Your Car Battery Fluids

Unless you have a Marshall Maintenance-Free Battery, topping up your fluids is essentially your car battery’s lifeline. If you keep the fluids topped up, it will extend the battery's life – simple as that.

To do this, be sure only to use distilled water to fill the battery cells. You can find this quite easily at most supermarkets or Marshall Battery stores. Using any other types of water will bring in extra minerals, which will decrease your battery’s lifespan – not recommended!

This leads us to the question...

 

How Full Should A Battery Be With Water? And How Do I Top Up My Battery Liquid?

Step 1: First, check if your battery has ‘low level’ and ‘full level’ markings on it.

Step 2: Remembering your safety gear, remove the cell caps or cover and using a battery filler spout, a clean funnel – even a (clean) turkey baster can work – carefully top up the tubes with distilled water.

If your battery does not have level lines, you should fill the water level just below the bottom of the battery cap (when it is put back into place) and cover the cells.

Step 3: After doing this, always leave the battery for a few hours before recharging it any further, which will let the water and electrolytes mix and settle.

 

9. Carry Out Car Battery Maintenance Twice A Year!

Last but not least, we recommend following all the above eight steps at least TWICE A YEAR. However, the more the better! Checking your car battery more regularly will only help keep it at its peak performance.

Additionally, regular servicing of your vehicle is important and if in doubt Holler for a Marshall or drop into a Marshall Battery Store for a free battery test. This will ensure that your battery maintains the highest performance levels possible.

How Often Should You Get Your Car Battery Charged?

For the best battery life, make sure to recharge your battery every three months. Use a suitable battery charger to keep it performing at its best. Regular recharging helps your battery last longer and ensures it works well when you need it most.

Recap Of How To Maintain Your Car Battery

Here are the key points to remember from this guide;

  • Car batteries absolutely need regular maintenance for optimal performance and a longer lifespan
  • The nine tips for maintaining your car battery include:
    1. Always turn off your vehicle when not in use,
    2. Ensure your battery is secured,
    3. Keep your battery cool,
    4. Clean your battery regularly,
    5. Coat and protect your battery,
    6. Recharge your battery regularly,
    7. Consider replacing battery terminals,
    8. Top up your battery fluids with distilled water,
    9. Perform car battery maintenance at least twice a year
  • Regular servicing of your vehicle is important, and getting your battery charged every three months can help prolong its life.

Following these nine simple tips will help you keep your car battery running smoothly and keep it at its best! If you are ever in doubt, be sure to read and follow the safety and handling instructions.

If you have any questions or think it's time to replace your car battery, check out our extensive Marshall Batteries range online or contact us at 1300 695 717 today.

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