What to do if you have a flat car battery
What to do if your car battery is flat?
If you’ve ever jumped into your car only to discover the battery has gone flat you’ll know how annoying it can be. There’s never a convenient time to have a flat battery, but it always seems to be when you’re in a hurry or are about to head off on an important trip. Flat batteries are the number one reason vehicle owners call a breakdown service which illustrates what a common problem this is, especially in the winter.
The good news is, recharging or replacing a battery shouldn’t take too long and with a bit of help the chances are you’ll be back up and running in no time at all.
Why has my car battery gone flat?
There are several reasons why a car battery goes flat including age, a sudden spell of cold weather or if you’ve accidentally left your lights on.
With more people working from home, vehicles are being used less often and having them stood for an extended period of time can also cause the battery to lose charge.
Things that put a strain on your battery, causing it to lose power are:
- Battery age
- Frequent short journeys
- Leaving your car standing for an extended period
- Leaving your lights on without the engine running
- Freezing weather conditions
What to do if you have a flat battery
If your battery has died there are a few things you can try before buying a replacement.
- Charge it back up with a specialist battery charger
- Jump-start your car and go for a drive, so the engine recharges the battery
Once you’re able to drive your car then it’s worth calling in for a free battery health check which will determine the battery voltage and start capacity & confirm whether you need to replace it. The results will show:
- Good battery – no action required
- Good battery Recharge – battery needs re-charging, this can be done by taking the car for a 45-min journey.
- Recharge Battery then re-test – the battery is drained and in need of recharging, this will need to be re-tested again in 7 days’ time
- Replace battery – the battery is entering the end of its service life and a new battery is recommended.
The right battery for your car
If you need a replacement battery then choosing the right one is essential if your vehicle is to perform as it should.
Just because a battery fits into the vehicle’s battery holding tray doesn’t mean it’s the correct one. Along with battery size you also need to check where the terminals are located, what type of terminal you need, the voltage, ampage & number of cells.
We’ve been supplying and fitting Exide batteries for over a decade and believe they deliver the perfect balance in being very high quality yet affordable. They come with a 4-year guarantee as standard.
As most modern vehicles feature smart technology such as stop/start we’d always recommend that batteries are professionally fitted. New batteries often have to be registered with the onboard computer system to ensure all the smart features continue to operate as they should & we often have to use professional diagnostic tools to do this.
If you’d like a quote on an Exide battery for your vehicle please contact our team all you’ll need is your registration number.
