Three Maintenance Tips To Prevent A Sudden Breakdown Of Your Car's Battery

If your car's battery ever breaks down while you're on the highway, the right towing service will be able to reach you and transport you to your destination without too much delay. But if you want to save money and head off a potentially serious problem with your car, good battery maintenance practices are essential. To minimize the chance of your car battery suddenly breaking down, follow these three tips:

1. Regularly Check For Signs Of Leaking Around The Battery

One of the most common reasons for a battery to suddenly breakdown is for the water level inside of it to get critically low. If you don't specifically look for them, the leaks causing this decrease in water level will go completely unseen in the bottom of your car's engine compartment.

Using a flashlight, regularly examine the area of your car's engine compartment in the immediate vicinity of your battery. If you spot one or more water puddles, either replace your battery or take steps to stop your current one from leaking. While some batteries can be refilled with water yourself, others can only have their faults properly addressed at a body shop.

2. Ensure That Your Car's Ignition System Is Up-to-date

An old or inadequate ignition system puts a lot of undue strain on your car's battery. Even long after you've turned your car on, this strain can still be a contributing factor in your battery breaking down. To ensure that your ignition system isn't part of the problem, get it checked out at a body shop and see what parts are aging and need to be replaced.

3. Use A Dehumidifier In Your Garage

Excess heat and moisture wreak havoc on the lifespan of a car battery. While you can't do much about heat, using a small dehumidifier in your garage will help reduce the chance of a sudden battery breakdown tremendously.

As long as it has access to all of the free air in your garage, it doesn't matter where you place your dehumidifier. What matters more is keeping your dehumidifier on at all times to remove residual moisture even when the weather outside is relatively dry.

While it can be difficult to fully understand how batteries work, caring for them doesn't have to be an overly complicated affair. In fact, if you go the extra mile ahead of time and avoid a sudden crisis with your battery, maintenance shouldn't be any more complicated than if you were wiping down a misty windowpane.

To learn more, contact a company like Roadway Towing Ltd. with any questions you have.