A drained car battery can leave you stranded in your driveway, a parking lot or on the side of the road. Proper battery maintenance can help you avoid this unfortunate situation in most cases, but there may be times when you need to charge your automotive battery. Explore the steps to charging and maintaining your battery and see where you can turn for an affordable replacement for your vehicle.
Charging your battery requires a charger. Some chargers connect to a 120-volt outlet, some connect to another car battery and still others have a rechargeable battery included for portable convenience. It’s essential to follow the instructions of your specific battery charger, but here are the basic steps that most use to charge a drained battery:
- Check that the charger is turned off.
- Connect the positive cable to the positive terminal of your battery.
- Connect the negative cable in the same way.
- Turn on the charger.
- Wait for the recommended amount of time before removing the charger and attempting to start your vehicle.
How To Maintain Your Car Battery
A car battery can become discharged due to old age, leaving electrical items turned on or a compromised alternator. Reduce the risk of a dead Honda CRV battery or other vehicle battery by following these basic maintenance steps.
Try to take a longer drive occasionally. Starting your vehicle requires a significant amount of power from your battery. Your alternator recharges your battery as you drive, but short drives may not be enough to fully recharge it. This isn’t an issue if you mix long and short drives, but extended periods of drives that are only a few miles long may cause your battery to slowly drain.
Double-check your lights before leaving your vehicle. Most modern vehicles have warning sounds to help you remember to turn the lights off when the engine is off, but not all do. Draining your battery in this way can cause long-term damage to it and require replacement sooner.
Finally, keep track of the age of your battery. Lead-acid automotive batteries have an expected lifetime between three and five years. After this time, the reserve capacity of your battery may be significantly less than a new one.
Is there any corrosion around your battery posts? Corrosion acts as insulation and can prevent your alternator from properly recharging your battery. Use a water and baking soda mixture to scrub the terminals thoroughly, taking care not to come in contact with the corrosion or touch both terminals at once. Don’t attempt to clean a battery with a cracked case or damaged terminals, but shop for a replacement battery.
What Battery Should You Be Buying for Your Honda CRV?
Shop online or at a local auto parts store location to find a replacement 2016 Honda CRV battery or other year of CRV battery. Batteries vary considerably in size, cold-cranking amps and other important features, so use a free vehicle lookup tool to ensure you’re purchasing the right replacement option to keep your vehicle powered. Shop at a local store to enjoy convenient recycling and replacement services before cruising safely.
