State of the art cars have more and more technology on board, which is a challenge for car batteries. That is why you should check you battery from time to time to make sure that your car works reliably whenever you need it.
The easy test
When it is dark outside you can check your battery easily by parking in front of a wall or a window. Turn the engine off and observe whether the lights are getting darker or not. If they get darker after a short time, it shows that your battery is not in a good condition anymore. Another signal is that your car takes longer and longer to start. When you recognize that, it is time to check or change the battery.
The exact test
Use a digital multimeter (prices from £15) to measure the voltage of your battery. Connect the red cable of the multimeter to the positive pole of the battery and the black cable to the negative pole. A few hours after you drive the car, the voltage should still be between 12,4 and 12,7 volts.
If it’s less than 12 volts, you should recharge or change the battery.
Make your battery live longer
The worst things for a battery are extremely low temperatures and driving short distances. When you drive longer distances from time to time and park your car in a garage, your battery is going to work longer.
On Autobutler you can easily find the right mechanic to get your car fixed or maintananced. If you are not sure whether you need a new battery or not, just create a job and let a mechanic check or change it.
