Almost everyone has a smartphone, well if you don’t, you have one you can receive calls with or even surf the internet (that’s most likely why you can read this article now…lol). Without a battery for your smartphone, it obviously won’t turn up, and when the battery begins to get damaged, you need to get another. You see, just like batteries are to phones; that’s how important your car needs a battery to drive anywhere you want.
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Without a battery, your car won’t kick-start. Even worse, without the right battery, your car won’t function optimally and you might be left stranded on a journey when the bad battery eventually gives way.
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Not all batteries will work for your car, you need to be careful enough to choose the one that is specific to your car as recommended in the owner’s manual. There are various types and sizes of car batteries.
Types Of Car Batteries
- Flooded cell battery
- Enhanced flooded battery
- Calcium battery
- SLI battery
- Deep cycle battery
- Gel battery
- Absorbent Glass Mat battery (AGM)
- Lithium-ion battery
- Lead-Acid battery eg Hankok Battery
Sizes Of Car Batteries
All battery sizes are not equal. This is why you must pay due attention to the specifications of your car model and make, as directed in the owner’s manual. Here is a list of common car batteries and their peculiar car models:
- Size 75: Most General Motors cars
- Size 65: Large-bodied Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury cars
- Size 35: Recent Honda, Nissan, and Toyota cars
- Size 34: Most Chrysler cars
- Size 34/78: Some Chrysler and General Motors cars
Here are other guidelines you should pay attention to when choosing the right battery for your car:
Age Of The Battery
The performance levels of old and new batteries are starkly different. As soon as a battery is manufactured, it begins to lose its efficiency. Hence, you will want to get a battery that hasn’t stayed too long on the shelf. According to experts, it is advised that you don’t buy a battery that has stayed longer than one year on the shelf. Newly manufactured batteries are termed ‘fresh’.
To determine the freshness or the age of your battery, you should check for the manufacturing date on the battery’s pack. The manufacturing date is often coded.
How To Decode Your Car Battery’s Manufacturing Date
In most car batteries, 2-character alphanumeric codes are used to express the age of a car battery. The first character will be a letter from A to L, which represents the month of manufacture. This means A stands for January, B for February, C for March and so on till L which stands for December.
The second character in the alphanumeric code will be a number from 0 to 9, representing the year of manufacture. This means 0 is 2020, 1 is 2021, 2 is 2022, 3 is 2023 etc.
For instance, if you find on your car battery a manufacturing date or an age code of A1, this would imply that the month of manufacture is January while the Year of manufacture is 2021.
Warranties
You must pay attention to the warranty given on your car battery to your advantage. The warranty duration given for car batteries varies from manufacturer to manufacturer, however, most warranties have a duration of five years. Some manufacturers can offer a full replacement for your battery should it have damage due to a manufacturing error. For others, you get a partial reimbursement of the price you purchased the battery.
Reserve Capacity
One of the very critical factors you must look into when choosing a battery for your car is the reserve capacity. The reserve capacity of a battery is the amount of time the battery delivers the maximum amperage before discharging completely. In other words, it is the amount of time the battery can continuously supply the minimum voltage necessary to run your car should the fan belt fail.
The reserve capacity of a battery is usually written in minutes, do well to check it or ask the battery dealer if you can’t find it. It is your battery’s reserve capacity that will ensure that it can power other accessories of your car when the engine is off. The higher the reserve capacity of your battery, the less likely you are to stay stranded in a situation when your car engine suddenly goes off.
However, don’t fall into the temptation of going for the battery with the highest reserve rating. The golden rule is still to stick with the owner’s manual of your car and go for the reserve capacity range in minutes specified for the model of your vehicle.
Cranking Amps And Cold Cranking Amps
The weather is not always stable, sometimes it’s hot, and other times it’s cold. But regardless of the weather, you still need to drive your car to work every day or for whatever you need it for. In order not to experience any glitches on your car battery on a cold day, you must choose a battery with the right Cold Cranking Amps (CCA),
CCA is a rating used in the battery industry to define a battery’s ability to start an engine in cold temperatures. It refers to the number of amps a 12-volt battery can deliver at 0°F for 30 seconds while maintaining a voltage of at least 7.2 volts. If your car battery can’t supply the minimum amperage in cold weather, then your vehicle will not be able to run. You must choose a car battery with the required cold-cranking amps rating for your vehicle. This is especially important if you live in a cold area.
Cranking amps (CA) on the other hand, refer to the current your battery provides when the temperature is near freezing point (00F). In most cases, a battery’s CA rating is higher than the CCA rating.
Grade
Car batteries come in various grades, which determines their longevity. As expected, a battery with a high grade will last longer than a battery with a low grade.
Size And Fitness
As mentioned earlier, batteries have various sizes. The battery you choose should fit snugly into the battery tray of your vehicle. The size of your battery refers to the length, breadth and height which differs for different cars. Hence, pay attention to what is specific and right for your car.
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Conclusion
The quality of your car battery will determine the quality of your ride. Always ensure to choose the right battery specific to your car, to avoid unnecessary glitches and expenses that come with bad batteries.
At https://carmart.ng, we remain available to help make the right choice in sales or buy your dream car. Contact us today.
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