Back to all

Charge It in Livonia for Extended Battery Life

January 27, 2019

Here's an interesting statistic for our in Livonia, MI, drivers: Only 30 percent of car batteries make it to 48 months. And the life expectancy varies by where you live. It ranges from 51 months in extremely cold areas to just 30 months in extremely hot climates.

Why is that? It turns out that it's our modern cars with all their electric accessories that are to blame. Things like, GPS, DVDs and entertainment computers are keeping vehicle batteries from maintaining a full charge. The longer a battery goes with a low charge, the sooner it'll die.

It's clear that you Livonia drivers need to recharge your batteries. This is the job of the alternator. The problem comes when the car's demand for electricity is high and we are driving in stop and go conditions or short trips around Livonia. The alternator just can't keep up.

The result is shortened battery life. So what can we do to improve our battery's health?

We need to keep the battery as close to a full charge as possible. That can be hard because sitting for just 24 hours in hot weather between charges can be too long. When the weather's cold in Livonia, sitting for several days will cause discharge.

So some highway driving around MI will help keep a full charge if the battery has not been deeply depleted. Car batteries are not designed to be run down really low, or deep cycled, as it's called. So using your headlights or other power accessories when the car is off can deeply deplete your battery. Using the alternator to recharge from a deeply depleted state is also very dangerous to your battery because it charges too fast. In fact, on average, your battery would only last for ten recharges like that.

If you do find yourself with a dead battery or very low battery, use a good quality battery charger to slowly bring the battery up to full charge. Follow the instructions on the charger or talk to your friendly and knowledgeable service advisor at Auto Lab Livonia .

Auto Lab Livonia
36251 Five Miles Rd
Livonia, MI 48154
734-432-6000
http://www.autolablivonia.com



Need Service?

Request a Quote

More articles from Auto Lab Livonia

A Non-Starter (Alternator Problems in Cold Weather)

March 9, 2025

As the temperatures dip, we all know there could be problems starting our vehicles. After all, batteries can grow old and not hold a charge as well as when they were newer. Or starters can go bad. But there's one more component to keep an especially sharp eye on during winter: your alternator. T... More

Change is Good (Oil Change)

March 2, 2025

You've heard that expression, change is good. When it comes to your vehicle's oil, change is not only good, it's vital for the health of the engine. But there's one question that puzzles many drivers: how frequently should my vehicle's oil be changed? There is not one simple answer, but here ar... More

Keeping Yourself in Suspension (Control Arm Assembly Replacement)

February 23, 2025

When you are pointing your vehicle straight down the street, it should go straight. Thats pretty straightforward, right? Sometimes, though, you may notice you have to keep adjusting the steering wheel to keep going straight. While that could be caused by many different issues, one possibility i... More