Interstate Batteries
Extending Interstate Battery Life And Jumpstarting a Dead Battery
How long will your car battery typically last?
The life of your car battery is a function of many different things. Since Interstate Battery manufacturers to very high quality standards, You Can be assured they are some of the best batteries around, and are built to last. But the maintenance the battery receives over time will be the biggest determining factor in how long it will last.
The vast majority of batteries have a life expectancy of between three and five years. Unfortunately, it’s almost impossible to determine when your battery will die. The dashboard charge indicator simply measures the charge of the battery and not its expected life.
There’s one sure sign of a battery that is nearing the end of its service life: when you crank the engine the engine turns over more slowly than it used to. Beyond that it’s very clear that the battery has reached the end of its life when for no apparent reason it refuses to start your car.
One test that most every repair shop on the planet and even a lot of parts houses can perform is called a load test. That test is a good indicator of the battery’s ability to hold a charge and therefore how much longer you can expect it to give good service – or not, as the case may be.
Battery life and any associated warranty is listed in months: anywhere from 36 up to 60 months. A lot of people like to go ahead and purchase a new battery before the warranty expires. After all, a brand-new battery will give you a lot of confidence and you won’t be fretting whether your battery will start the car or not.
The most common time for battery failure is, yes, you guessed it – the winter! Cold weather is simply hard on a battery. As the battery ages, subsequent winters will be even harder on your battery year after year. It’s always a good idea to check your battery every fall prior to the return of cold weather.
What do RC and CCA mean?
RC and CCA are two ways to rate the capacity of the battery. RC means reserve capacity and that will tell you how long your battery will last if the alternator and/or the fan belt is not working. As you shop for a new battery, be sure to choose a battery with the highest reserve capacity within your budget.
CCA stands for “cold cranking amps”. That’s what enables your battery to start your car when it’s cold outside. If you live in a part of the country that has harsh winter weather cold cranking amps will be an important consideration as you shop for a new battery.
Jumpstarting a car battery
If you’ve never had to jump a battery before now — just wait — your turn is coming. It happens to everyone sooner or later. And if you’re ready to jump Your Own battery, that puts you in a position to be a good Samaritan whenever someone grins sheepishly at you in a parking lot asking if you can help jump their car!
How to jumpstart a car battery:
Pull the cars close together but without touching.
Turn both cars’ ignitions off.
Check the connections to see if there is any white, chalky corrosion on either of the terminals. If so, pour Pepsi or Coke on the corrosion to clear it off (seriously – they’re great at removing corrosion) or simply use a wire brush.
Attach the red positive cable clamp to the positive terminal of the dead battery.
Attach the other end of the positive cable clamp to the positive terminal of the good battery.
Attach the black negative cable clamp on the negative terminal of the good battery.
Attach the other end of the black cable to the negative terminal of the dead battery, or to something metal, like the engine block.
Start the car with the good battery, letting it run for a few minutes.
Try to start the car that has the dead battery.
If it does start, you’re home free.
If not, that battery has reached the end of its life, and it’s time to grab a new battery for your ride!
If you purchase a well-made battery, and keep it sufficiently charged and properly maintained, it should last three to five years, giving you thousands upon thousands of trouble-free starts.
Joseph Cinwell is a writer who specializes in cars and car repairs. You can check out his latest website at
Interstate Battery
, where he provides reviews and buying advice on the full range of Interstate Batteries as well as tips on
battery recycling
and battery maintenance.
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