Q&A for How to Maintain Car Batteries

Make sure you are connecting your battery cables correctly. It's a common mistake to connect the cables backwards. You should also know the specifications of your vehicle when looking to replace the battery, as you need a battery that is the right size for your car.

If one or more of your wet car battery's caps are missing, then the acid will slosh out when you take the first corner or brake.

It likely means that the battery is dead or very low. Have your battery checked.

As long as your garage is dry and the temperature never drops below freezing, yes.

Electrical faults can mean different things. Most cars have power drains for clocks and computers and even alarms. However, excessive drains will ruin a battery. To check a power drain in your system, you can purchase a DC amp meter at Batteries Plus Bulbs or a similar store. Most amp meters are AC only. Some are simple enough to use: just wrap the sensor clips around the battery cable and read any amperage draws. The stores can also test your alternator to tell if there is an issue with it as well.

Yes. Never start a car connected to charging cables. You run the risk of shorting out the battery or having a surge of power which could in some cases start a fire.

If the battery light remains lit after your car has been started, this mean either your battery needs changing or your charging system is not working properly.

In order to clean your car battery poles, you need to disconnect the wires. Doing so will reset any error codes stored on the ECU, also any settings on the radio, and may trigger the alarm when the battery is reconnected, but that is the only way to do it.

The battery needs to be replaced. It can no longer hold a charge. If it's brand new, then it could be a factory defect.

Once the car is running, it's fine. The power is drawn from the engine. Before the car is started it may drain your battery to the point where your engine will not have enough power to start. It's recommended to start the car before any other electronics, just to make sure you're not stuck needing a jump start.

Replace it at the shop. New batteries probably have 2 years of warranty and if there will are any problems, then they will change it or fix free of charge.

Buy a battery charger and follow the enclosed instructions. The chargers are inexpensive, easy to operate, and will extend the life of your battery.