Top 5 tips to extend the life of car batteries

12 August 2020

At the heart of every car, whether it’s petrol, diesel, or hybrid, is the car battery. Providing the power that drives the ignition, lights, and every other electrical system within the car, a strong and well-maintained battery will give you years of faultless performance.

However, all car batteries are ‘consumables’, which means eventually they will wear out. There’s nothing worse than getting ready to go to work in the morning, or preparing to set off on that exciting road trip with the family and finding that you have a dead car battery – you’re going nowhere! To avoid that sinking feeling of hearing the ignition click over forlornly, we have some top tips on how to extend the life of your car battery.

Drive regularly and avoid too many short journeys

Batteries hate sitting idly for weeks on end doing nothing, or only being used occasionally for short trips. No matter how thorough your car maintenance checklist, your battery will live longer if you use it regularly. A longer run will give it the opportunity to recharge properly, which seems like an ideal excuse for a weekend road trip to us! If you know that your car is going to be parked in the garage for a long time then it’s best to disconnect the battery completely. If you’re only doing infrequent short trips then consider fitting an absorbed glass mat (AGM) battery.

Keep the terminals clean

The most common cause for a dead car battery is dirty terminals. Part of your weekly recommended car maintenance should be an inspection of the battery terminals to make sure there is no corrosion, that the cables are in good condition, and that the connections are secure. If you do see any corrosion on the terminals you can either disconnect the battery and, using a thick paste of baking soda and a little water, gently use a toothbrush to scrub the terminals clean, or take the vehicle to your local Toyota UAE Service Center and ask one of our technicians to carry out a car battery service for you.

Regular services mean fewer breakdowns

One of our top car maintenance tips is to add a voltmeter to your tool kit so that you can check that your battery is charging properly and delivering the right level of charge to your electrical system. A significant drop in voltage can mean that your battery is faulty and needs replacing. Your Toyota Service centre will be able to help if you do notice that your battery is starting to struggle to maintain a full charge. Even if you’re not due a standard service you can always book a 60-minute short service, where a technician will check that your battery and electrical system is performing properly. If they find any issues then they will be able to repair or replace the car battery for you.

It is easy to replace a car battery for yourself as part of your recommended car maintenance routine – simply disconnect the positive and negative terminals, remove the old battery, and replace it with a new one, remembering to reconnect the terminals the right way round!

Watch out for extreme temperatures

Batteries hate temperature extremes, and in the UAE we often encounter extremely high temperatures, especially during the summer months. Very high temperatures can cause the battery to degrade faster, so try to avoid parking your car in direct sunlight for prolonged periods wherever possible.

Keep that air-con turned off on start-up

All those little electronic extras such as climate control, air conditioning, lights, navigation systems and even in-car entertainment can all be a big drain on your car battery. When you start up your car you don’t need all of these to be on, so cut down the amount of work your battery has to do by turning off all non-essential electrical operations (even the lights). Then once you’ve started your vehicle you can switch on everything you need to make your journey.

Visit our car battery Service Center

If you have any queries or issues with your battery or are looking for car battery replacement in Dubai for your Toyota, drop into one of our service centres and talk to our friendly team. They’ll be able to answer your questions, check the health of your battery and give you some handy car maintenance tips to keep your battery in tip-top condition.