Cars
Cold Winters? Not a Big Deal for Your Car!
Ever experienced a strange clicking noise coming from your car engine? There’s nothing worse than being stuck in front of your house on a cold winter morning. Guess what? Your car battery is probably dead. Winter with its temperatures below zero is certainly one of your car battery’s worst enemies. The reason why lies in the chemical reaction within the battery that produces electrical current.
Once the temperatures significantly drop, the current is reduced due to a slower chemical reaction. In colder seasons, the battery thus requires more power than when it’s warm.
Jump-Starting A Dead Battery
Luckily, jump-starting a dead car battery is very simple. Here are some hints:
- Position the donor vehicle next to your car so that the batteries are as close as possible.
- Attach one of the red cables to the positive terminal of the donor vehicle and the other one to the positive terminal of your car.
- Attach one of the black cables to the battery of the donor vehicle and the other one to the unpainted metal surface on your car, which should not be near the battery.
- Start the donor vehicle and let it run for a few minutes. Do the same with your car.
- Disconnect the cables in the reverse order they were attached.
- Your car should then be driven for the time necessary for it to be recharged by its alternator.
CAUTION: It is strongly recommended to wear a pair of protective glasses and gloves when jump starting a car battery. Acid inside the battery is corrosive and can damage your eyes as well as your skin.
Winter Battery Care
In order to avoid unpleasant car battery breakdowns, which usually happen in the morning and with no previous warning, proper car battery maintenance should become part of your daily routine, especially during winter. Here are some rules you should follow:
- Test your battery before winter. Average car batteries last up to 5 years and are likely to die in cold weather.
- Keep the battery connections tight, clean and free of corrosion. Clean battery terminals using a wire brush.
- Ensure you check battery voltage every time you get the oil changed for your car. A fully charged battery should have a charge of 12.5 to 12.6 volts.
- Keep the battery fully charged during winter. A fully charged battery has a lower freezing point than a discharged battery and can thus be kept at lower temperatures.
- If possible, keep your car in a garage when not in use.
- Pay attention to any unusual sounds coming from your car.
Bear in mind over 52% of vehicle breakdowns are related to a dead car battery, which is in many cases improperly maintained.
CarLock alert system can make your car battery maintenance much easier. It actively monitors your vehicle and alerts you if your car battery is running suspiciously low or is experiencing high battery drain. Using CarLock device, you will always be notified in the event of high battery drain, low battery or even when your battery goes completely dead.
Check battery voltage with just one tap! A simple CarLock App will always keep you connected with your car battery. It provides a simple chart showing periodical voltage readings and thus enables you to check if the battery is fully charged or is failing.