The average price of battery replacement cost is between $286 and $296, with the cost of the parts making up much of the total price at around $245. The labor price is between $41 and $51, showing how this quick-fix can usually be done in less than 30-40 minutes at most dealerships and mechanics’ offices.
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What is the car battery?
The car battery provides the necessary electricity to power the electrical components within your vehicle. Without the battery power from the car’s internal battery, no electrical component will work, like the lights, dashboard lights, or power windows. If you realize your internal parts are not getting the necessary power to run at the right level, you need to look at the battery replacement cost for your specific vehicle.
Without the battery, the car would not have the energy required to start and maintain the power to run your vehicle. If faulty car battery symptoms prevent your car from giving the right amperage of voltage, you need to bring your car to a mechanic as soon as you can to obtain a quote for the car battery replacement cost.
Symptoms of a Faulty Car Battery
Noticing the signs of a faulty battery can help you when troubleshooting and diagnosing the symptoms you are experiencing in your vehicle. Knowing the most common warning signs of a malfunctioning car battery can help you prevent this issue from getting any worse in your car and causing a high battery replacement cost.
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Dim Headlights
If you find that your headlights are dim all of the time and do not get any brighter when you rev your engine, this is due to a dying battery that will soon be completely dead. When analyzing the signs of faulty car battery symptoms, in this situation, the lights will not get any brighter after you drive your car and will stay at a suboptimal brightness for the entire drive.
Causes of Dim Headlights
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- Corroded ground wire – One of the most common causes of dim headlights and faulty car battery symptoms are ground wires that have become corroded or rusted over time, due to the build-up of debris, disrupting the flow of electricity.
- Replacing a corroded ground strap typically costs between $80 and $100 for labor and $10 to $20 for the parts, coming to around $100 total.
- Discoloring deposits – Over time, gas within the halogen bulb inside of your car can create a discoloring film that builds upon the inside of the bulb, causing lower lights and faulty car battery symptoms.
- Replacing the headlight bulb costs around $15 and $20 for aftermarket parts, while HID bulbs can cost upward of around $120. Replacing the entire headlight assembly is between $250 and $700 in most cars.
- Loose alternator belt – dimming lights can be a sign of a faulty alternator belt, meaning that the loose connection can cause it to slip and fail to grab.
- Replacing the alternator belt costs between $100 and $200, with the parts between $25 and $80 and the labor between $75 and $120 for around 1 hour of work.
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Key Clicking Sound
When looking at the symptoms of a faulty car battery, clicking sounds while you turn the key in the ignition is a sure sign of your vehicle’s battery issues. When you turn the key, the battery sends an electrical current to the starter solenoid to power up the vehicle. If the battery is dead, the solenoid will not receive the signal, and you will have to look into the car battery replacement cost.
Causes of Key Clicking Sound
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- Damaged Alternator – The car won’t start if the alternator can’t provide enough voltage output necessary, with the only solution being to fix or replace the alternator. The alternator plays a key role in turning on the vehicle, so if your alternator is broken or damaged, your car will not work at the required performance level.
- Replacing the alternator typically costs between $130 and $250 to avoid paying the hefty battery replacement cost.
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- Starter Motor – The starter motor might not be receiving enough power to turn on the car properly and efficiently. The starter motor works together with the ignition to quickly and efficiently turn on the vehicle without any problems. If the starter is not working correctly, then the battery replacement cost will be much higher.
- Replacing the starter motor averages between $344 and $562, with the parts costing between $16 and $399.
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- Corroded battery terminals – if your battery terminals are filled with dust, debris, and rust build-up, can lead to the terminals having a green or blue buildup and a lack of connectivity. To fix this, you need to clean the terminals to restore the power supply and prevent the hefty car battery replacement cost.
- You can replace your car’s corroded battery terminals for around $20 per terminal, with the labor taking less than one hour.
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- Loose battery cables – if you have a frayed wire, loose battery cable ends, or disconnected wires, this could prevent the car from starting and cause the high battery replacement cost. The loose battery cables can cause the car not to turn on quickly and effectively.
- Replacing the battery cables in your car typically costs around $262 and $293, with the labor taking around 1 hour and costing between $75 and $95.
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Engine Misfiring
Luckily for you and most drivers, this is a warning sign that is nearly impossible to miss. When researching the signs of a faulty car battery, this is a sign that you can directly attribute to a dying battery. Faulty car battery symptoms can cause intermittent sparks, leading to fuel build-up within the cylinders, causing engine backfiring, and a high battery replacement cost.
Even with the misfire, your car will still be able to run and function, but you might notice that the performance is subpar and leads to jerking while accelerating and problems with smooth driving. Diagnosing the cylinder misfire can reduce any performance issues and a high car battery replacement cost.
- You can diagnose the car misfiring by inspecting the spark plugs. Replacing spark plugs costs around $40 and $150 total per plug, with the recommendation to replace all spark plugs at one time to reduce labor costs.
- Another cause of engine misfiring is a weak fuel injector, with the replacement price coming to around $800 and $1,450 for a full replacement.
- The third cause of engine misfiring is a worn-down valve seal on the engine, with the replacement price coming to between $900 and $1,800 depending on the make, model, and year of the vehicle.
- The final most common cause of engine misfiring is a vacuum leak, with diagnosing a vacuum leak costing between $88 and $111 at most mechanic's offices. Although this may seem expensive for a diagnosis, it can save on the overall battery replacement cost.
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Slow to Start
If your car is slow to start and the engine is too slow to crank and turn over, this is a sign of a battery issue that can enhance the car’s performance issues. As you know by now, the battery is responsible for producing the power to start the car. If the power is not stored in the battery, the car will not start. Without your car being able to start, you need to calculate the battery replacement cost.
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Oversized Battery Case
If you live in very cold or very warm conditions that can harm your battery or internal engine components, this can cause the battery case to swell while sitting idle. The result of this swelling is that the battery inside of the case will die and have the car battery show 13 volts. This is a battery issue where it is very obvious to the eye that you need to calculate the battery replacement cost to prevent any further problems.
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Faulty Alternator
Since the alternator is such an important component of your car’s charging system, diagnosing the issue, testing the system, figuring out the most common problems, and determining a plan to fix the alternator is crucial in maintaining a healthy car and charging system.
- The average alternator replacement cost ranges from about $500-$1,000, rebuilding an alternator being a lower-priced option. You need to look into the alternator replacement steps and the overall battery replacement cost to prevent having to pay both expensive prices for your vehicle.
Car Battery Replacement Cost comparison
To give you an idea of how much you might spend on the car battery replacement cost, you need to know the average price at your local mechanic’s office, chain shops around the country, and parts-only stores that can help you save on the labor costs of this procedure.
- Your Mechanic – You can expect the battery replacement to run between $115 and $225 at your local mechanic.
- Midas – At this chain store, the process costs between $110 and $211 for the battery replacement cost.
- Mr. Tire – This chain store has virtually the same price as its competitor, Midas, coming in at between $114 and $231 for the battery replacement cost.
- Pep Boys – The final chain store in this comparison is Pep Boys, costing $105 and $249 for the total price.
- Walmart – If you find you can do the labor by yourself and want to save around $80 – $100 on the total battery replacement cost, you can buy only the parts at a Walmart near your house. The price of the parts for this fix is between $49 and $199 in total.
- Amazon – For those who love online shopping, buying the parts on Amazon costs between $35 and $180 depending on the make, model, and year of your car.
Sample Battery Replacement Cost Examples
For drivers to understand why it is important to pay for the battery replacement cost for their vehicle, they must first know how much they should expect to spend at their local mechanic or dealership based on their make, model, and year of car. We have included sample prices of new batteries for common cars on the road, such as Toyota, Nissan, and Honda vehicles.
- Ford F-Series – The cheapest option or a new battery in this lineup is the Ford F-Series, with the labor costing between $39 and $50, and the cost of the pars between $79 and $121, bringing the total battery replacement cost to $118 to $171.
- Honda Cars – The second-cheapest option in terms of the battery replacement cost is the Honda cars: the Honda Civic and Honda Accord. Both of these cars have a total price of between $120 and $176, with the parts between $96 and $146, and the labor between $24 and $30 for around 20-30 minutes of work.
- Toyota Cars – The total price of the battery replacement cost for Toyota cars ranges between $124 and $177, with the cost of the parts for the Toyota Camry and Corolla coming to between $100 and $147, and the labor between $25 and $30.
- Ford Focus – The second-most-expensive option for the car battery replacement cost is the Focus, coming to around $157 to $209, with the parts between $110 and $149.
- Nissan Altima – The most expensive car for the battery replacement cost is the Altima, with the total price of the procedure between $164 and $216. The cost of the parts is between $109 and $146, with the price of the labor between $55 and $70 for nearly one hour of work.
The Bottom Line
Although most drivers will not want to pay for the battery replacement cost in their vehicle, this procedure is often necessary to keep your car working at a high-level and safe condition! The average replacement price is just below $300 for most vehicles, coming to a quite inexpensive solution that keeps your car running and on the road for a long time!