{"id":103,"date":"2017-02-13T14:56:05","date_gmt":"2017-02-13T14:56:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.racshop.co.uk\/advice\/?p=103"},"modified":"2022-11-28T12:19:24","modified_gmt":"2022-11-28T12:19:24","slug":"top-10-car-battery-facts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.racshop.co.uk\/advice\/top-10-car-battery-facts\/","title":{"rendered":"Top 10 Car Battery Facts"},"content":{"rendered":"

A car battery<\/a><\/strong> gives the initial boost that cranks and starts the engine of your vehicle. Once the engine is running, the battery could, theoretically be removed and the car would run quite happily. However, we wouldn\u2019t recommend testing this theory as you\u2019d have a problem restarting the engine once the ignition was switched off.<\/p>\n

There are many misconceptions and myths surrounding car batteries, so below we have set out ten facts about the battery under your bonnet, facts that may provide you with a better understanding of how it works and how to get the best out of your battery.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\tBatteries naturally discharge<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Vehicles need to be driven regularly and for distances that allow the battery to recharge itself properly or it will discharge its power and run flat. In fact, regular longer runs could double the life of your battery<\/span>
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\tThe charging system or starter can be affected by a weak battery<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\nA weak battery can have a knock-on effect on other parts of the vehicle such as the charging system and starter as they have to draw excessive voltage due to the reduced battery power.<\/span>
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\tBatteries can last up to 5 years<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\nProviding the battery fitted to your vehicle is designed to meet the demands of your particular make and model, is properly maintained, and your vehicle driven for distances that give the battery time to recharge itself, it should last for up to five years.<\/span>
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\tIt is best to have a new battery fitted by a professional<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\nWe strongly recommend that you avoid replacing the battery yourself because if you make a simple mistake it could damage the whole electrical system of the vehicle.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\tDashboard battery light warnings<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Don\u2019t be fooled, or rush out to buy a new battery if the battery warning lights up on your dashboard; it doesn\u2019t always mean that there is a fault with the battery. It could be a problem with the vehicle\u2019s charging system, or some other electrical fault. But we do recommend that you check with your nearest garage or contact us as soon as possible because to delay could result in serious damage to the electrical system and may indicate an imminent breakdown <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\tConnecting a battery incorrectly can cause serious damage<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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If the car battery leads are connected incorrectly it can cause the electrical current to flow in reverse polarity resulting in serious damage to the vehicle\u2019s electronic system. Consequently the fuses could be destroyed and potentially cause the battery to explode.<\/span><\/p>\n

For this reason many motorists have their batteries fitted by a professional and why we encourage motorists to have their batteries fitted by us.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\tFaulty or failing batteries can affect fuel economy<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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A faulty or failing battery can affect the fuel economy as the vehicle\u2019s alternator will have to draw more horsepower to charge the battery adequately, meaning the added load puts more pressure onto the battery and uses more fuel.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\tCold weather can result in the battery losing power<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Extremely cold weather can result in the battery losing power. For this reason, today\u2019s batteries include cold cranking amps (CCA) that give that extra boost to assist starting on cold winter mornings. CCA is the number of amps delivered by the car battery at 0\u2109 within 30 seconds without dropping below 7.2 volts. The higher the CCA of a particular battery the better will be the performance. But be aware, hot outside temperatures can also deaden your battery \u2013 for more on this click here to view our article titled \u2018Has my car battery died\u2019<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\tDead batteries cannot simply be discarded<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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All dead car batteries should be recycled as they contain lead dioxide and sulphuric acid which can harm the environment, as well as being dangerous to your health. <\/span><\/p>\n

If you have replaced the battery yourself you should take the old one to your local recycling centre or scrap metal facility, however as part of our fitting service, we can do this for you, completely free!<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\tChoosing the correct size battery matters<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Car battery size and choosing the correct battery for your make and model of vehicle is important \u2013 pick the wrong one, then no matter your cars specification, or how well it is maintained, it simply will not perform as it should or could.<\/span>
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When you need a new car battery, simply visit the RAC Shop<\/a><\/strong> and enter either your vehicle registration or the make and model then pick from the selection of batteries chosen for being the correct one for your car. You can then decide whether you want to fit it yourself, or leave the job up to a professional by contacting us here at the RAC Shop.<\/p>\n

When you need a new car battery, simply visit the RAC Shop<\/a><\/strong> and enter either your vehicle registration or the make and model then pick from the selection of batteries chosen for being the correct one for your car. You can then decide whether you want to fit it yourself, or leave the job up to a professional by contacting us here at the RAC Shop.<\/p>\n

Whichever battery you have, make sure you use the right charger. Choose the correct charger<\/strong><\/a> for your battery<\/a> <\/strong>by clicking on the link, or if you would prefer to speak with one of our advisors regarding the appropriate battery or charger for your vehicle, then give us a call on 0800 8620676. We are here to help.<\/p>\n

\"Enter<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A car battery gives the initial boost that cranks and starts the engine of your vehicle. Once the engine is running, the battery could, theoretically be removed and the car would run quite happily. However, we wouldn\u2019t recommend testing this theory as you\u2019d have a problem restarting the engine once the ignition was switched off. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":275,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[20,18,19,17,21],"class_list":["post-103","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-car-battery-advice","tag-agm-car-batteries","tag-car-batteries","tag-car-battery-facts","tag-cold-cranking-amps","tag-stop-start-engines"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.racshop.co.uk\/advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.racshop.co.uk\/advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.racshop.co.uk\/advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.racshop.co.uk\/advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.racshop.co.uk\/advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=103"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.racshop.co.uk\/advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.racshop.co.uk\/advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/275"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.racshop.co.uk\/advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=103"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.racshop.co.uk\/advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=103"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.racshop.co.uk\/advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=103"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}