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Re: Re : my battery died Posted by Ari [Email]  (#2847) [Profile/Gallery]
(more from Ari) on Wed, 7 Nov 2001 10:10:39
In Reply to: Re : my battery died, Becky, Wed, 7 Nov 2001 09:13:55 Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup |
Two things cause batteries to lose charge - current drain and time. There is always a current drain - the clock, some current to keep the memory in the radio and the fuel control happy, and an alarm, if you have one. These aren't big drains, but over time they add up. Second is time. Just sitting there, a car battery loses a little bit of its charge every day. Not a lot, but it does build up.
A newer battery holds a charge better, so it can handle current drains better, and loses less with time. An old battery is tired, loses its charge faster, and has less 'margin'.
So yes, if the car battery is old, I can fully expect it to be low after a few weeks of sitting. If you have an alarm or other current drains, it's even more possible.
Once a car battery is completely discharged, it dies a little. Car batteries aren't designed to fully discharge - they're designed to start a car, then get recharged when you drive. If the battery was tired to begin with, the complete discharge can finish it off. You can charge it, but it won't hold the charge - exactly what you're seeing now.
A new battery is $60-$80 or so. Most places will install it for free. Shop around. Most of the time Sears has a sale of one sort or another on batteries. Don't be too impressed by battery warrantees. They are a good guide, but longer isn't always a better battery. There are two kinds of guarantees - complete replacement, and partial replacement. Many '60 Month' batteries give you back a pro-rated portion, depending on how old the battery is. So if a 60 month battery dies after 30 months, you'll get something less than 50% of the price back. Other warranties are complete replacement - it dies, and they give you a new one, no matter how old. And then there are mixes - full replacement for the first two years, pro-rated after that.
Basically, find yourself a good 60 month battery. In my opinion, anything longer is just guessing on their part. Call a few places and get quotes - there should be no mystery to this. Decent names are Sears (Die Hard), AC Delco, and Interstate.
Good luck!
posted by 140.157....
, Wed, 7 Nov 2001 10:10:39 <-- Viewing This Message
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