How Often to Replace Car Battery

If you own a vehicle in Portland, it’s important to know how often to replace a car battery. Most car batteries need to be replaced every 4-5 years, however, environment and other factors play a significant role in their longevity. Let’s learn more about how to determine whether your car battery needs replacement with Dick Hannah RAM. Please contact us if you have any questions.

Signs That Your Car Battery Needs To Be Replaced

It’s important to know exactly when your car battery needs to be replaced, as it is one of the simplest forms of vehicle maintenance. Here are a few signs that your battery might need to be replaced:

• You jump-start your car.
• Your headlights are dim.
• Power issues become prevalent.
• It takes a while for the vehicle to turn over.

It’s important to replace your battery soon if you experience any of these issues, as replacement will alleviate the headache of your vehicle malfunctioning around Vancouver.

Why Do Batteries Deteriorate?

Batteries will not last forever, therefore, when learning how often to replace a car battery, you might be wondering what causes them to go bad. Extreme high temperatures are one of the main reasons, as it will cause the liquid inside the battery to deteriorate more rapidly. Here are a few more factors:

• Leaving Light On: Leaving any lights on will quickly drain your battery, and you might have issues starting your vehicle when getting ready to hit the Beaverton roads.
• Vibrations: Vibrations could cause issues if the battery clamps are loose, as frequent vibration could damage the components inside the battery.

How to Test a Car Battery

When learning more about how to know if your car battery needs to be replaced, you should also learn how to test a car battery. Let’s check out a few ways to test your vehicle battery below:

The Headlight Test

• Place your vehicle in park, start it, and turn on the headlights.
• Tap the gas pedal and rev the engine and see if the lights are getting brighter.
• It might be time for battery replacement if you notice the light getting brighter.
• To change the battery, you should visit our service center.

The Digital Multimeter Test

• Set the multimeter at 20 volts.
• Open the hood and connect the black (-) terminal to the black (-) meter probe. Follow the same process for red (+) terminal, and red (+) meter probe.
• Turn the key just so the headlights come on without starting the vehicle.
• It’s important to note that measurements can vary, however, if you’re at 12.5 volts or higher, the battery is fully charged, 12.3 volts for 75% battery, and 11.8 volts or lower means a charge of 25% or less.

Schedule Service With the Experts at Dick Hannah RAM!

Now that you know more about when to know your battery needs to be replaced, schedule an appointment with the Dick Hannah RAM service department. Be sure to use our service coupons to save on vehicle maintenance near Hillsboro and Vancouver!