Your car is easy to take for granted, especially if you’re driving a model from Honda, which is known for its excellent reliability and value. You jump in, start the ignition, and head to your destination. It may not even occur to you that you could be doing more to prolong the lifespan of a vital component in your vehicle—the battery—until it’s too late. No one plans to get stuck in the parking lot after work with a dead battery, but it happens more often than you may realize.

Thankfully, with some simple tips, you’ll be able to get the most out of your car’s battery. You may be running a search for “Honda service near me,” and when you want to be completely satisfied with the level of service you receive, you’ll want to turn to Klein Honda for all your vehicle’s needs. Here’s how to maintain the life of your car’s battery so that you can continue to rely on your vehicle to start up and deliver you to all the places you need to go.

Drive Your Vehicle

Although it may seem silly to even include this tip, let alone start off with it, driving your vehicle is one of the best ways to ensure your battery stays charged. It can be easy to forget about this, especially if you work from home or don’t venture out too often, leaving your vehicle to sit in the driveway for days or weeks on end. It’s recommended to drive your vehicle once a week for at least 30 minutes to keep the battery charged, allowing the alternator to charge the battery so that it continues to offer you a dependable ride. Another element to consider when it comes to driving your vehicle regularly is to try and avoid short trips that cause you to turn your vehicle on and off quickly. This can drain the battery with all the energy it takes to complete the ignition process. The longer your vehicle runs, the longer the alternator charges your battery.

Try to Avoid Extreme Heat and Cold

Sometimes, this is unavoidable, but anything you can do to keep your car out of extreme hot and cold environments can help you prolong the life of your battery. You see, these extreme temps deplete your battery’s energy at a faster rate. That’s why it’s recommended to park in a shaded area when it’s hot out, like under a tree or in a carport, and keep your vehicle in the garage during cold weather. If you don’t have a garage or a place to keep your vehicle when it’s cold, there are battery blankets available that you can utilize to help keep your battery from becoming too cold and losing its charge. It’s also recommended to take your vehicle for a spin during cold weather if you don’t regularly drive to maintain its charge.

Keep Up With Vehicle Maintenance

One of the most important things you can do as a vehicle owner is to keep up with scheduled maintenance. Not only does this allow you to remain updated on how your vehicle is performing, but it also alerts you to anything that may be amiss with your vehicle. Taking your vehicle to a reputable service center, like Klein Honda, will allow a team of technicians to become familiar with your vehicle, running diagnostics to take note of anything that may need to be replaced soon. Your battery can be tested as well, which can alert you to when it’s time to replace it. Don’t skip maintenance, as this is the best way to remedy an issue before it erupts into a major inconvenience.

Don’t Ignore the Signals

Your vehicle wants to work at its peak, which is why it will give you signs when something isn’t operating properly. The good news is that when you notice a subtle sign that your battery’s lifespan is depleting, you can work to fix this by driving more and keeping your car’s battery charged. You’ll notice signals from your vehicle when your battery is an issue, such as if it’s difficult to start, sputtering instead of roaring to life. You may also notice your battery indicator lighting up on your dash or the various lights inside your cabin and headlights dimming while you drive.

Keep Your Battery Clean

This may be a task that not many drivers know to complete, but keeping the various parts of your battery clean can help extend its lifespan. As we travel, it just makes sense that dirt and grime build up inside the various parts of our vehicles. Taking a few minutes to clean the battery connectors and terminals can help your battery perform at its best so that you can enjoy the quality of your ride for miles. It’s recommended to utilize a mixture of baking soda and water to deal with any corrosion that might be present and use some petroleum jelly to help combat corrosion in the future.

Ensure Your Battery is Secure

There’s probably no driver out there who has perfect conditions on their way to their destinations. Whether your route is littered with potholes or you frequently deal with uneven terrain, bumps during your journey are just as commonplace as traffic in the city. This can cause your battery to jostle a bit out of position, and if it becomes too loose, you’ll begin to notice, as this affects the internal connections in the battery. Every vehicle has a component to help secure the battery in its place, but if this becomes loose, your car’s battery can vibrate too much and lose its connections. A simple check to ensure that this part is doing its job, fixing or replacing it, if need be, can help you maintain the life of your battery.

Limit the Use of Electronics

We’re not telling you to drive in silence or not use your heated seats when the weather is chilly. What we are saying is that using these features when the engine is off can deplete your battery at a faster rate. This is because it’s not being actively charged, so when you turn on the radio, interior lighting elements, and so forth, the battery is responsible for powering these various creature comforts and therefore, runs out of juice at a quicker rate. If you can, try limiting the usage of these features when your engine is off. Always remember to turn off dome lighting, headlights, and so forth when you’ve returned home for the evening because this will surely deplete your battery by morning if your vehicle doesn’t have an automatic shut-off function.

Keep These Helpful Tips in Mind to Maximize Your Battery's Power

As you can see, it’s not difficult to prolong the lifespan of your car’s battery, especially when you adopt some helpful practices each day. Just by driving your vehicle you’re able to keep the battery charged and ready to go for any travel adventure. With the help of a trusted service crew, you’ll be able to remain in tune with how your vehicle is performing, addressing any concerns before they begin to affect your ride.

So, if you want to maximize your vehicle’s performance, start with its heart and soul. Regularly check its battery, ensure that it’s being taken care of, and don’t ignore what your vehicle is trying to tell you. Fortunately, when you have the team at Klein Honda helping you take care of your vehicle, you won’t have to worry, as we’ll keep you updated on how your vehicle is performing and most importantly, how to take care of the various components inside—your battery included. You deserve to drive a vehicle that performs at its best, and it all starts with how you take care of your trusted travel companion.