One of the worst feelings in the world is climbing into the driver’s seat of your car, going to start your car, and realizing that nothing is happening. More often than not, it’s an indication that your car battery has died and will either need to be jumped or replaced. In the meantime, you’ll be left to wonder how in the world you’re going to get around without a car when you have a dead battery on your hands. You’ll pay whatever the car battery cost is to get back out on the road. Let’s discuss what makes your car battery so important to your car and talk about what the car battery cost might be the next time you have a dead battery and need it to be replaced.
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What Does a Car Battery Do?
The car battery that you have underneath the hood of your car does pretty much exactly what you would expect it to do. It provides your car with the power that it needs to get up and running when you stick your car key into the ignition and turn it. Without a fully functional car battery, your car isn’t going to do much at all for you. Everything from your engine to the lights inside your car will shut down without a working battery.
Your car battery is responsible for providing your car’s starter with power when you go to turn your car on. The starter uses this power to start up the engine so that you can start driving your car around. It also continues to supply power for your car’s electrical system for as long as you need it to. So it’s easy to see why driving around with a bad battery in your car is a big no-no.
If you ever find that you have a really old battery in your car or if your battery has been giving you fits in recent days and weeks, it probably means that you need to buy a new battery for your car. The car battery cost will be minimal at best, and it’ll be well worth it when you consider what an important role your battery plays in the overall well-being of your vehicle.
How Long Does a Car Battery Last?
Now that you know what makes your car battery so important, you should have a better understanding of why you need to keep a close eye on it to prevent it from dying on you. The last thing you want to do is allow your car battery to die at the worst possible time simply because you didn’t bother to monitor it over the years. You should have some idea of how long your car battery is going to last.
Generally speaking, most car batteries are designed to last for around 3 years. There are, however, some car batteries that will hang around for 4, 5, or even 6 years before needing to be replaced. It really all depends on whether or not you invested in a high-quality car battery the last time you bought one. The extra car battery cost that comes along with doing this is often worth it for those who want to be sure they have the best battery possible in their car.
Even if you go all out when buying a car battery, though, you’re not going to be able to keep it around forever. Once it reaches and passes the 5-year mark, your car battery is definitely going to be on borrowed time. You’ll want to seriously consider replacing it ASAP.
How Can You Tell If a Car Battery Needs to Be Replaced?
As we just mentioned, you can tell that a car battery likely needs to be replaced based on its age. If you have a car battery that is at least a few years old, that will be reason enough to think about replacing it. But that’s far from the only reason why you should consider replacing your car battery. There are also a whole host of signs that will suggest you need to shoulder the car battery cost and put a new battery in your car.
Here are some of the ways in which you’ll be able to tell that you need to have your car battery replaced:
- Your car’s engine doesn’t start up right away when you turn your car key in the ignition
- Your car’s interior lights are very dim and your car seems to be experiencing electrical issues as a whole
- Your car’s check engine light has come on
- Your car’s battery seems to be producing a very pungent smell when you turn your car on
- Your car’s battery has connectors on it that are noticeably corroded
- Your car’s battery has a case on it that has morphed into a different shape than it used to be
If your car’s battery appears to be telling you that you need to install a new battery by exhibiting any of these signs, you should spring into action quickly. Pay the car battery cost to get a new battery put into your car right away.
What Might Happen If You Don’t Replace a Car Battery?
There are some people who will, unfortunately, ignore all the signs of trouble with a car battery that we just talked about and continue to drive a car around with a bad battery in it. You should avoid doing this at all costs!
The good news is that you probably won’t experience any major issues with your car when you push a car battery too far. But the bad news is that you could very well find yourself stuck somewhere with a dead battery before long. That could force you to either tow your car or to leave it in an unfamiliar place until you can come back and put a new battery in it.
You’re so much better off finding out what the car battery cost is going to be and paying to have a new battery put in your old battery’s place. It’ll give you peace of mind when you’re behind the wheel of your car and prevent you from getting stuck somewhere in your car.
Where Can You Find the Best Battery for Your Car?
If you suspect that your car battery might be on its way out and you want to replace it before it’s too late, there are a number of places where you can find a new battery. You can, of course, pick one up at any auto parts store. Most of these stores carry a large selection of car batteries for almost any make and model car.
You can also drive your car down to your mechanic and have them hook you up with a new car battery. Just be warned that you may need to pick up a battery from an auto part store on your way there in some cases. Not all auto repair shops have a large supply of car batteries on hand at all times.
In this day and age, you can also buy a new car battery at many of the big-box stores like Walmart. Oftentimes, they’ll offer a car battery cost that is even lower than the cost that you’ll find at auto part stores. It could be worth shopping around for car batteries before landing on the right one for your budget.
How Much Does a Car Battery Cost?
Since car batteries play such an important role in vehicles, you might be under the impression that buying one is going to set you back quite a bit of money. If you happen to have a luxury car, you could very well spend a small fortune replacing a car battery. But if you just need to put a regular old battery into your vehicle, your car battery cost isn’t going to be that high.
While the exact car battery cost that you’ll have to pay will vary based on which battery you pick out, the typical car battery cost is somewhere between $50 and $220. That’s not expensive at all when you consider that your car battery is one of the most essential aspects of your entire vehicle.
Should You Buy a Cheap Car Battery?
Even though the car battery cost isn’t that high, there are people out there who will do just about anything to cut back on how much they spend on their car. That sometimes means putting a cheap car battery into their vehicle when they have an old battery that needs to be replaced. In some instances, people are able to find car batteries that cost under $50.
In theory, this might sound like a great idea to you. It’ll prevent you from having to pay an arm and a leg for a new car battery and get you the battery that your car needs. But it could come at a greater cost. Your $50 car battery might only last you a year or two before it starts giving you problems again. It might also be made by a manufacturer that’s not all that interested in helping you if you run into any issues with your car battery.
Rather than going the cheap route, you should always go the reliable route when it comes to car batteries. You’ll feel so much better about driving your car around when you know that it has a high-quality battery in it. It’ll make the slightly higher car battery cost that you’ll pay more than worth it.
Should You Replace a Car Battery on Your Own?
Working on or even around a car battery might be intimidating to a lot of people. There are some people who won’t even attempt to jump a car battery when theirs dies because they’re afraid of what might happen. But you should know that, if you want to replace a car battery on your own, it’s possible for you to do it. And it’s not even that hard thanks to all of the internet articles that have been done on it.
We would not recommend popping the hood on your car and haphazardly ripping your old car battery out and replacing it with a new one. But we wouldn’t be against you reading up on how to change a car battery and getting the job done. It’s one of the simpler car maintenance projects that you can take on.
How Can You Make a Car Battery Last Longer?
As we’ve talked about time and time again today, the car battery cost isn’t that high at all. You shouldn’t be scared about having to replace it at some point. But you should do everything that you can to make sure your car battery lasts as long as possible. This is actually pretty easy to do.
Here are just some of the steps you can take to extend the lifespan of your car battery:
- Limit the number of short car rides that you take
- Make sure you shut off your car’s interior lights when exiting your vehicle
- Clean any corrosion on your car battery as soon as you see it
- Get into the habit of testing your car battery as often as you can
- Avoid plugging too many electronics in inside your car
You’re not necessarily going to get years of extra life out of your car battery by doing these things. But you should very well ensure that you don’t have to face the car battery cost any sooner than you should have to.
Can You Sell a Car With a Dead Car Battery?
With the car battery cost being as low as it is, there is no reason to consider selling an old car simply because it has a dead battery. But we do want to point out that, if you have a car that isn’t running right now, you shouldn’t assume that a dead battery is going to stop someone from buying it. Junk car buyers from Cash Cars Buyer will pay cash for your car and tow it away for you if it doesn’t run.
Want to discover how this process works? Contact us today to learn about what we might pay you for your car despite its current condition.