These Things Could Drain Your Car Battery

In fact, a dead car battery can be avoided if you first know what causes one. Here are a few causes of dead batteries so you can move on informed and prepared.

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What Drains A Car Battery?

1. Your battery is old. Car batteries typically last around five years or so, depending on how you drive and where you live. Factors that suck the life out of batteries include frequent short trips, high temperatures, and general everyday use.
2. The battery is not charging when you drive. Your battery relies on your alternator to help keep it charged. If your alternator is not working properly, it will not charge your battery effectively. This makes it difficult to start your car even after you were driving.
3. Your battery connections are loose or corroded. If your positive and negative terminals are loose or corroded, then you might have trouble starting your car since the battery cannot properly transmit its power. Loose or corroded terminals can even cause your vehicle to stall while driving and even impact your electronic components.
4. Extreme temperatures. If you have an older battery, then intense cold or heat can weaken its performance or even cause it to stop working. Newer batteries, however, are more resistant to seasonal temperature swings.
5. Parasitic draw. When your car is off, the battery still provides power to the electrical components, like the clock, radio, and alarm. Interior lights, door lights, or bad relays, however, can drain your battery’s life. Remember, the alternator does not charge the battery when the car is off. Little things will drain the life out of your battery, which is called a parasitic draw.
6. Leaving headlights on. If your vehicle does not have the feature where the headlights turn off after a period of time, then you want to ensure that your lights are off each time you stop driving. This will cause your battery to quickly drain.