Here's “how to tell if your car has a bad battery?”
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- Irresponsive vehicle after ignition
- The engine won't turn over after a starter motor cranks
- Sluggish cranking
- Engine dying immediately after cranking
- No dorm lights
- Dimmer headlights
- Check engine light illuminating
- Weird battery shape
- Strange smell
- Corroded battery terminals
Your vehicle's battery is a critical component, and when it goes bad, it can easily impact your vehicle's driveability and even prevent you from starting your car. While jumpstarting your vehicle might be a temporary option, it should be the permanent solution because you'll have to replace the battery, so you don't cause problems with the sensitive electric components in your vehicle.
The batteries are not going to last forever, and you'll deal with some problems that indicate your battery is failing. While most batteries will have an expected lifetime, sometimes they might fail before then.
This article walks you through the main symptoms that help you identify battery problems. It will eventually answer the question, “how to tell if your car has a bad battery?” Once you confirm that the battery is going bad, you'll have to replace it or think about other alternatives like selling your car if you're dealing with complicated problems.
What does your car battery do?
Before we dive into the details about “how to tell if your car has a bad battery,” we must get a general understanding of the main role of your car battery. This way, you'll understand why it's important to fix the bad battery immediately.
Your vehicle's battery is responsible for providing your car with an initial electric charge to get the engine going. In other words, it is not what you might be thinking that the battery continuously charges the electric components as your vehicle is driving; That's the alternator's job.
Overtime reviews, the battery is expected to fail, and it's not designed to last forever. Unfortunately, this happens; you must check with your mechanic and replace it immediately.
How to tell if your car has a bad battery? 10 symptoms
While there might be an expected lifetime of your car battery based on information on the expiration date, sometimes the battery might fail prematurely. Therefore, it is essential for you as a driver to keep an eye on any symptoms that could indicate your battery is failing.
Let's look at the 10 symptoms to help you answer the question, “how to tell if your car has a bad battery?”
1. Irresponsive vehicle after ignition
The first and most common symptom indicating that your battery is failing is when you feel that the battery doesn't get the vehicle started. Have you ever tried turning the key in the ignition switch and realized that the vehicle is not responding? That's what we're talking about.
When this happens, it could be a problem with various potential components involved in the sorting process. Once your mechanic takes a closer look at the car, he should first inspect the battery because it is the most common Culprit.
2. The engine won't turn over after a starter motor cranks
Another common symptom of a failing or bad battery is when the starter motor cranks but the engine doesn't turn over. Well, it's telling you that the battery doesn't have enough charge to send this massive electric current to the engine to get it going.
Again, this symptom might also be linked to other culprits, which means your mechanic needs to perform a thorough inspection before replacing the battery just in case.
3. Sluggish cranking
Sluggish cranking is another common symptom of a bad battery, and once you notice that the cranking is uneven and sometimes takes more time than before, that's a good indication of how to tell if your car has a bad battery.
4. Engine dying immediately after cranking
Sometimes you might not deal with injured not cranking, but instead, the engine will crank for a couple of seconds and then die out immediately. When this happens, it could indicate that the battery doesn't have sufficient charge to hit the engine, going for what's needed.
Therefore, your mechanic might tell you that the battery didn't completely fail, but it cannot store the charge and keep it for a long time. This could be a problem with the battery itself, but also it can be related to something else like the alternator.
5. No dorm lights
Have you ever tried turning on the dorm light stand and found that they don't work? The first thing that could come to your mind is that the light itself is burnt. However, it could be an issue with the battery itself. Therefore, as you're looking for ways to confirm and to tell if your car has a bad battery or not, check out the dorm's lights and see if they're working.
6. Dimmer headlights
Like the dorm lights, the headlights might be dimmer than before, and, in some instances, they might not turn on at all. So, of course, you might first think that they're burnt, but the problem could be related to a bad battery.
7. Check engine light illuminating
A bad battery might trigger a check engine light in some instances. Looking at the dashboard and realizing that you're dealing with a check engine light is extremely critical and ignoring a check engine light is never a good idea.
The check engine light illuminates for various reasons, and one of them could be bad. Still, it could also mean something internally happening that requires immediate attention before it gets to a Catastrophic outcome costing you thousands of dollars on repair.
8. Weird battery shape
If you want to learn how to tell if your car has a bad battery, you can perform a quick visual inspection. For example, if you realize that the battery shape is not as good as it used to be or if it looks a little bit weird to you, that's a strong indication that your battery is about to fail or it fails.
You mustn't touch the battery if it's misshaped because some chemicals could be leaking out of it, and these chemicals are extremely toxic. Therefore, it is important to leave it to professionals and have them take care of the battery issue rather than sacrificing your life.
9. Strange smell
Strange smells might happen as the car battery ages or as it gets to the end of its lifetime. If you start noticing some strong chemical smell like those associated with a car battery, that's a strong indication that you need to replace it immediately.
As a rule of thumb, whenever you notice any weird smell coming from your car, whether the smell is good or bad, you should take it seriously because it indicates an internal issue. As you drive your car, you'll get familiar with the normal smells, and you will immediately notice that this smell is different. When this happens, you must consult your mechanic and mention what you noticed to help him narrow down the list of potential culprits.
10. Corroded battery terminals
Sometimes the battery itself might not be bad, and your issues could be related to problems with the terminals or the connections. So therefore, you might take a closer look at the battery terminals. For example, if you notice that there is a lot of corrosion, that's a strong indication that you have to clean them, but if you've tried cleaning them, but things didn't work, it could be an issue related to the battery itself meaning that you're dealing with a bad battery.
How much does it cost to replace the car battery?
Once you confirm that you're dealing with that bad battery, the next step is to replace it. Otherwise, you'll deal with all sorts of problems mentioned earlier. Determining how much it costs to fix a car battery depends heavily on your vehicle type and the location where you get the job done.
Replacing a car battery is not very expensive, and it should cost you somewhere between $45 and $250. Obviously, repair cost increases depending on your vehicle side, especially if you're driving a luxury car.
Furthermore, labor cost is a big component. If you decide to go to a dealership, your expected labor cost will be much higher when going to a small independent shop or replacing the battery yourself. However, you make sure that you have the right person and place your battery so you don't introduce other complications that could cost you a lot of money.
Is it worth fixing my car battery?
Fixing the car battery is essential, and there is no way you can continue driving your car without fixing it. However, the question remains whether you should spend the money fixing it or get rid of the vehicle instead.
It all depends on the total repair costs. It is important to think holistically and comprehensively as you're thinking of fixing the car battery. You don't want to only focus on the repair costs you're going to replace the battery. You should consider any other types of mechanical or electrical problems in your vehicle here; for example, if your car has a better engine or a horrible transmission, you should Add all these repair costs. Even simple repairs like oil changes or tire rotations should be added up to the total Repair costs.
Once you have a final number, the next step is to compare this repair number to your vehicle's value. If you confirm that your car's value is getting close to the repair costs, you should step back and think about selling your vehicle and step.
By selling your car with problems, you reduce repair costs and eliminate all types of headaches you might be dealing with when trying to fix these problems, and they never get fixed.
The biggest challenge about selling a car with problems is finding the right buyer. Most private buyers won't be interested in purchasing your vehicle, and you should have a strong reason for convincing them to buy this car. However, it's not the end of the world because cash cars buyer is willing to purchase your car no matter what side or condition! All it takes is a quick conversation with our team, like giving us a call at 866-924-4608!
Final thoughts
Your vehicle's battery is a core component, and when it goes bad, it leads to many different problems that you never want to deal with. Being proactive about your battery and placing it when it goes bad is extremely helpful to prevent additional consequences that could cost you thousands of dollars on repair.
This article walks you through the 10 common symptoms of a bad car battery to help you answer the question, “how to tell if your car has a bad battery?”
While fixing the car battery is not a very expensive repair, sometimes it might not be worth the investment. In other words, if your car has other major complications, you'd better think about selling it instead of wasting your time, energy, and money. Are you looking to sell a car with problems? Cash cars buyer is always here to help you!
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