Car battery cable replacement costs range from $262 to $293.
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Your battery cables are responsible for transferring the electrical current from your battery to the entire vehicle.
Without proper battery cables, your vehicle will not receive any electrical current, and you will not be able to start it or run any of the important electrical components.
It is not very rare to deal with corroded battery cables, which means that you need to replace them as soon as possible to keep your vehicle moving.
Replacing the battery cables is not a complicated job, and it should not be very expensive. You can even save on battery cable replacement costs by doing it yourself which is recommended by a lot of automotive experts.
This article walks you through all the necessary details you need to know about car battery cable replacement costs. We will also provide you with additional details you need to know about whether you should drive a vehicle with bad battery cables or not.
What is the car battery cable, and what are they do?
Your battery cables serve as the main transport or connection lines between the battery, the engine, and the different electrical components.
These cables are responsible for transferring the electrical current from the battery to your car's components needing this current.
Over time of use, battery cables corrode and have some problems resulting in connectivity issues, which causes insufficient electrical power supply.
As a result of a bad battery cable, your electrical components will not Perform properly or will not perform at all, depending on the severity of the problem.
What problems can a bad battery cable cause?
Having working battery cables is of the same importance as having a working better itself. Without perfectly working battery cables, your vehicle will not receive the required electrical current to start the car or even turn the electrical components.
Even if you tried using a jumpstart, two things might happen: either critical current will not reach the engine at all, which means that your vehicle will not start, or immediately after you remove the jump cable, your vehicle will not continue to drive or will not start.
Also, in some vehicles associated with manual transmissions, the driver might be able to deal with what's known as push-starting the vehicle. In push-starting, the driver usually pushes the manual transmission to release the clutch fast, which provides some electrical current using the vehicle's alternator.
However, if your car has faulty battery cables, this process of pushing the vehicle will not help at all because even if you create an electrical current, you're just replacing the battery, not the battery cables, and at the end of the day, your electrical can't be move anywhere beyond the battery. Thus, the engine will not receive any electrical current, which means it will not start.
Can battery cables be replaced?
Replacing a bad car battery cable is very common, especially when dealing with corroded cables. Thus, it is an option to keep your vehicle moving and prevent any starting issues.
The battery cables are not very expensive, and thus, it is recommended as a frequent repair to check the battery cables and make sure that they're not corrupted. If you've noticed that any of the cables are rusted, it is recommended to replace it immediately to prevent any damages to the battery itself or anything connected to it.
How much should it cost to replace battery cables?
Replacing battery cables costs about $262 and $293, which includes both labor and parts costs.
To break the price down by labor and parts costs, expect to pay between $187 and $198 on parts costs while labor costs might range from $75 to $95.
According to automotive experts, peoples are recommended to do it on their own. By following simple YouTube tutorials or online blogs, you can follow directions using minimal skill sets and very simple mechanical tools.
If you decided to replace your battery cables, you could save on labor costs a ton.
If you don't feel comfortable replacing your battery cables and you will still like to save on battery cable replacement, you can choose to go with a small repair shop or a professional mechanic not to a dealership because dealerships usually have higher pay rates per hour.
What are the signs of a bad battery cable?
Your vehicle's battery cables will tell you that they are going bad before they even do. Luckily, there are very common symptoms of a bad battery cable, including:
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Issues with starting the vehicle
The first sign indicating a bad battery cable is issue with starting the vehicle. Your vehicle requires a certain amount of power to get cranked.
If your battery cables are not in great condition, your engine will not receive the required amount of electrical current to help you get started. Sometimes if the battery cables are not in terrible condition, you might even experience some intermediate cranking which means that the cables are trying hard to send the electrical current but because they're not in the best condition, not the entire electrical current is getting to the engine.
That's why you will start hearing some weird clicking noises as you try to crank the vehicle.
Keep in mind that engine starting issues are also associated with additional components like the battery itself or even the starter. To get accurate information about the real culprits, you might need to reach your professional mechanic and have him speak to the vehicle to pinpoint the problem.
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Battery terminals corrosion
Since your battery is located near one of the hottest areas near the vehicle, there is a high chance that many people inside this very acidic vapor can cause some occlusion around battery cables.
Therefore, another sign of a bad better cable might be seeing some corrosion around the battery terminals. Your vehicle or electrical current might even be completely blocked with severe corrosion and will not reach the engine.
Sometimes the corrosion gets inside the cables themselves, and therefore, you need to replace them immediately to get the problem resolved.
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Electrical components are not working
Another clear symptom of bad battery cables might be your electrical components not working.
If you tried to turn the keys and notice that your vehicle's internal lights are not turning on, there might be a battery cable problem.
Since the problem was electrical components not working might be related to any other issues, you might need to have a conversation with your mechanic to have him inspect the vehicle and confirm that is the problem is coming from the battery cables, not the battery itself.
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No power
Like the issue of the electrical components not working, you might even experience that there is no power at all in your vehicle.
If you've tried to turn the key, you might notice no power in your vehicle, and it's not cranking the engine.
If that's the case, you might need to do an in-depth investigation of your vehicle's cables and make sure that they are not split, or there's no severe corrosion blocking the electrical current from getting transported from the battery to the engine.
Keep in mind that dealing with no power can be associated with many other problems, and therefore, you can't simply say that I have a problem with my battery cables just because there is no power. Thus, your best option would be to reach out to a professional mechanic and have him inspect the vehicle and confirmed the culprit.
How often do battery cables need to be replaced?
In general, battery cables are expected to live between 50,000 to 100,000 miles. This range depends heavily on your vehicle's condition and your driving style, and the environment you drive your vehicle in.
For example, if your vehicle experiences many overheating situations, your battery might overheat and result in a lot of acidic vapor, which could cause some severe corrosion to your vehicle's battery cables. In that case, you will experience issues with the battery cables much more often than someone driving in lower temperature areas.
Can I drive with a bad battery cable?
If you're dealing with severe battery cable problems, you might not be able to drive the vehicle at all. In some situations, battery cable corrosion might block and interfere theological current from getting to the engine block.
As a result, your engine will not have the necessary power to get cranked. Thus, you can't start the vehicle.
You might start hearing some clicking noises coming from the engine in fewer severity degrees, indicating that there is an intermediate supply of electrical current. Still, it's not reaching the required current level your vehicle needs to get started.
When dealing with battery cable issues, you need to get the problem resolved immediately to prevent dealing with issues related to no power or problem starting your vehicle.
Sometimes your vehicle might have safety features associated with the electrical current, and if it's not activated, you might put yourself at risk of getting involved in car accidents.
Is it worth fixing bad battery cables?
Although bad battery cable replacement costs are not very expensive, you might need to evaluate your situation and make sure you're putting the amount of money towards the right vehicle.
For example, if your car is experiencing major engine problems with additional issues with the transmission, fixing the car battery cables might not help the car.
In that case, you might need to sell this car and invest in a new better vehicle instead. It's all about saving yourself time and effort rather than saving the amount of money.
While we say that if your vehicle has high mileage, usually repairs are not recommended because the vehicle will start experiencing major issues. Fixing bad battery cables to this type of vehicle might not be a big issue. Thus, it might be worth repairing the vehicle's battery cables even if it's has a lot of mileage.
The bottom line
Your vehicle's battery cables are very important because they transfer the electrical current from the battery to the engine or the other electrical components.
Without working battery cables, your engine might not even start, and you will notice that your vehicle is losing power.
In that case, you need to get your vehicle inspected by a version of the mechanic to confirm that the problem is coming from the battery cables. Once the problem is confirmed, you can go ahead and replace these cables.
Car battery replacement is not a complicated job, and you can do it on your own without needing to spend money on labor costs.
If you've noticed that your vehicle has major problems and battery cable issues came on top of these problems, it might be the right time to sell this vehicle and use the money towards a better car.
Luckily, Cash Cars Buyer is one of the fewest companies that guarantee to buy vehicles even if they have major problems. Whether these problems are associated with the battery cables or the engine itself, we guarantee to buy your car.
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