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Don’t let a weak battery run you down.



https://www.hewlettvw.com/AboutService

(Tech Geek Alert… skip to the advice section to save boredom]

Car batteries store an amazing amount of potential energy in the form of a chemical reaction set up between the sulfuric acid and the lead plates submerged in that acid bath.  The energy leaves the battery pretty quickly during the starting process because the starter consumes a bunch in a short period of time. When the engine is running, your car’s alternator recharges the battery, but at a much slower rate. Therefore it takes longer to charge than it does to drain a car battery. All batteries have a limited number of times they can be charged. The physical parts and chemicals just wear out over time. Letting a car battery go completely dead dramatically reduces the longevity of the battery; so don’t let this happen if you can avoid it. A fully charged 6 cell lead/acid battery has an open cell voltage of around 13.5-14 volts (these numbers can vary slightly with materials and temperature). A volt is a measure of electrical pressure. Ampere or Amp for short, is a measure of electrical volume or quantity. Amps X Volts = Watts in a DC circuit… 746 watts = 1 horsepower. Hey… I gave a tech geek alert at the beginning. Efficient cycle batteries EFB (Enhanced Flooded Battery) and AGM (Absorbed Glass Mat) batteries are found in newer vehicles with auto start/stop functionality. They have superior recharge times compared to the traditional battery which is needed for the additional starts per trip in these vehicles.


Battery life is limited and diminishes over time. In Texas you can expect a battery to last somewhere between 3 and 4 … maybe 5 years if you are lucky. But, as time marches on, its capacity wears out. Very cold temperatures 30’s and below, and very hot 90’s and above significantly impact your car battery’s performance and ability to start your car. If it is two or three years old, the first cold snap can render it useless and leave you out in the cold. Low battery voltage can cause a multitude of error codes, window auto function reset, and sometimes warning lights that all need to be reset. We can do this all while you wait.

Good news! We test batteries for free. And since we are past the techie part, I’ll just say modern day battery testers are really expensive and really good at judging a battery’s capacity and health.
Come on by and let us check your battery. There is no charge for the test and we will provide you with a print-out showing your battery’s relative health. Then you can drive away with confidence or with a new budget item. Either way, you will know, and you can prepare and plan. 

I mentioned the newer auto start/stop vehicles and their specialized batteries (AGM & EFB). The vehicles with these batteries in them have computerized on-board battery management systems. When replacing a battery in these cars, the systems need to be coded to the new battery and most shops and parts stores cannot perform that programming. So, if you use one of these other outlets for your battery and it causes error codes or warning light problems, make that second trip to us and we may be able to reset those for you.

Either way, we hope you let us help making your ownership and driving experience something to smile about. 

Be safe and be kind on the roads… happy motoring.
Tom Fornshell




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