If you own a car for a long enough time, you’re eventually going to be forced to deal with a dead battery. And while you might be able to jumpstart a dead battery and get it going again, you’ll have to replace your car’s battery at some point. Fortunately, the car battery replacement cost shouldn’t break the bank in most cases. You can usually purchase a new car battery for just a few hundred dollars if that. But before you do, you should make sure you know what a car battery is, how it works, and which one you should buy when the time comes. Here is everything you need to know about car batteries and the car battery replacement cost.
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What Is a Car Battery?
Contrary to popular belief, the battery in your car isn’t responsible for powering up every single aspect of your vehicle. It’s your engine that’s going to actually make your car move forward. But your car battery is in charge of providing power for all of the different electrical components within your vehicle. That includes your lights, your stereo, and so much more.
Maybe more importantly, your car battery also plays a big part in your ability to start your car up. It stores up electrical power when your car isn’t turned on and uses that power, in conjunction with your car’s alternator, to produce the necessary power to get your car up and running when you turn the key for it. As you can imagine, your car battery is an essential part of your vehicle, and you’re not going to be able to drive your car like normal when it’s not able to do its job for one reason or another.
How Does a Car Battery Work?
Most people have a pretty good understanding of what a car battery is and what it does. But they aren’t always 100 percent sure how it works to keep everything in your car turned on. So let’s discuss that next before we begin to get into talking about the car battery replacement cost. It’ll reinforce why you need to make sure that you have a newer battery in your car at all times.
When your car is turned on and running, your alternator will actually provide your car with a lot of the power that it needs to keep things like your lights and stereo turned on. But it’ll also work to recharge your battery so that it’s powered up by the time you turn your car off. Your battery will then spring into action the next time that you go to turn your car on. When you put your car key into your ignition and turn it, the battery will release the power that it’s been storing so that your car can use it to start up the engine.
As your car battery starts to get up there in age, it won’t be able to store energy like it used to. This will often result in you having a tough time getting your car to start. You might be able to jumpstart it using another car. But you might also find that, even then, your car battery isn’t able to provide your car with the power it needs. At that point, you’ll have no choice but to bite the bullet and pay the car battery replacement cost.
How Long Does a Car Battery Last?
The good news for vehicle owners is that you’re not going to have to worry about putting a new battery into your car every year or two. Generally speaking, you should only have to do it once every three to five years. And in some instances, you might even be able to get away with not replacing a car battery for between five and ten years. It all depends on a variety of factors.
The brand of your battery is going to play a big role in how long that it lasts. The climate that you drive your car around in is almost going to impact your car battery’s lifespan. And your individual driving habits might also limit how long your car battery lasts. If you’re always taking very short trips in your car, you might not give your battery the time it needs to recharge, which could potentially put you in a position where you have to face the car battery replacement cost sooner rather than later.
What Are the Signs of a Bad Car Battery?
More often than not, it’s going to be very easy to tell that your car battery has died. You’ll go to start your car one day and you’ll realize that you can’t get it to start. While there could be something else to blame for this, like a bad starter or a bad alternator, it’ll likely be caused by a bad battery. You’ll have to shoulder the car battery replacement cost to put a new battery into place.
There are also some other signs that will suggest that your car battery might be on the verge of giving out on you. Here are several of these signs:
- The lights on the interior of your car are always very dim
- Your engine cranks slowly when you attempt to start your car
- Your battery warning light appears on your dashboard
You shouldn’t ignore any of these signs of a bad battery. Even though you might not feel like dealing with the car battery replacement cost, it’ll be better than allowing your battery to die on you completely when you least expect it.
Should You Continue to Drive a Car With a Bad Battery? – Car Battery Replacement Cost
If you sense that your car battery is going to die on you, you should think about getting it replaced as soon as you can. You should not continue to drive around in your car with a bad battery in it, no matter what your car battery replacement cost is going to be.
You might try to get around the car battery replacement cost by jumpstarting your car over and over again. This will work for a little while, but it’s only going to be a matter of time before your car battery stops responding to jumpstarts. And you never know when that time is going to come. You could end up getting stranded in your car before long if you’re not careful.
Although you might not want to put buying a new car battery at the top of your to-do list, you should consider doing it to avoid finding yourself in this kind of scenario. You’ll wish you would have just paid the car battery replacement cost if you ever find yourself in it.
Where Can You Buy a New Car Battery?
Buying a new car battery is very easy to do, which is why you shouldn’t put it off for too long when you know that you need one. It’s also very easy to get your car battery replacement cost as low as you can get it by shopping around for the best prices on batteries in your area.
You should be able to pick up a new car battery at any auto repair shop. You might also be able to get one by contacting your roadside assistance company, if you have an account with one. Either way, you can find a battery that’s going to fit into your car and get you back out on the road again. It should only take a mechanic a few minutes to pop your old battery out and put a new one into its place.
You do have the option of buying a new car battery and installing it yourself if you would like. But the labor associated with installing a new battery in a car is usually minimal at best. There are a lot of shops that won’t even charge you for any labor when you buy a new battery for them. So you should seriously consider having someone else install your battery properly as opposed to trying to do it on your own.
What Are the Best Car Battery Brands? – Car Battery Replacement
When you’re in the market for a new battery for your car, you should think about more than just the car battery replacement cost. You should also think about which car battery brand you’re going to go with when investing in a new battery. You don’t want to buy a car battery from a no-name company just to save a few bucks and pay the price for it later on.
There are lots of great car battery brands out there that you should consider going with the next time that you need a battery for your vehicle. Purchasing a battery from them will provide you with peace of mind when you’re driving around with your new battery. Take a look at a few of the brands that have earned a reputation for producing high-quality car batteries:
- Optima Batteries
- ACDelco
- DieHard
- Kinetik
- AutoCraft
As long as you go with a car battery from one of these brands, you shouldn’t have to worry about it giving out on you anytime soon. Your car battery replacement cost might be slightly higher than it would be otherwise, but it’ll be worth the extra investment that you’ll make in your car battery.
What Will a Car Battery Replacement Cost?
As we alluded to earlier, buying a new battery for your car isn’t something that’s going to blow up your monthly budget. While the battery in your car is very important, it’s not one of the most expensive parts under your hood by any means. You should be able to find a decent battery for your car for under $300 in most cases.
On average, people pay right around $280 to $290 for a new car battery when they’re in need of one. That includes the price of the battery, which is about $250, and around $40 or so for labor. There might also be some taxes and other fees that will increase this price slightly. But even still, your car battery replacement cost is going to come out to way less than what you would pay for most other car repair services.
There are also some things that you can do to lower your car battery replacement cost if you’re in a bind and can’t afford to pay several hundred dollars for a new battery. You can try these things out to save yourself some money:
- Call around to different auto repair shops to see what they sell their batteries for so that you can compare their prices
- See if trading your old battery in to a shop will save you some money on a new battery
- Check out the websites for battery brands to find out if they have coupons available for their products
You might not be able to bring the car battery replacement cost down dramatically by taking these steps. But it’s certainly worth giving it a shot if you want to save some money on a new car battery.
Can You Sell a Car With a Dead Battery?
Let’s say that you have a very old car with a battery that is beyond dead in it. You might think that selling a car like that is going to be impossible since you’re not going to be able to prove that it runs. As a result, you might end up leaving that car parked in your driveway or out in the street for months or even years on end.
Why do that when you can sell your car without having to pay the car battery replacement cost? Cash Cars Buyer will gladly give you cash for your old car in spite of the fact that it has a dead battery in it. Additionally, we’ll take a trip out to your home or business to pick your car up so that you don’t have to worry about bringing it to us. It’s the most convenient way to sell an old car that has seen better days.
Contact us today to find out more about how to sell an old car with a dead battery in it.