CAR CARE BLOG

Before trying to understand why your car battery might be dying, it would be good to understand a bit about car batteries.  Your vehicle’s battery is like its heart--without it, your vehicle doesn't have the power to start, move, or do anything else. The typical battery is a “wet-cell” battery, a plastic cube containing sulfuric acid and lead, with two terminals coming out of the top or the side.

Let’s look at three signs how to tell if your car battery is dying:

Are you able to stop your car on the proverbial dime? If not, it’s time to schedule a brake service. No one wants to be the cause of an accident. There is no clear-cut schedule that tells you when it's time to replace your brakes, so you need to rely on your observations when driving also on the recommendations of a brake repair technician. As you know, a tire rotation should be done about every six months, so that is a good reminder to also have the brakes inspected at the same time.

Listed below are some signs of brake problems:

There is no way to tell exactly how long a tire will last. The lifespan and mileage of a tire depend on a combination of factors--design, the driver’s habits, climate, road conditions and the care that's put into the tires. Here are a few tips to keep in mind as you’re watching the miles add up on your tires:

1. After 5 Years - After five years or so, your tires should be thoroughly inspected at least once per year by a professional tire repair technician.
2. Maximum of 10 years - If the tires haven't been replaced 10 years after their date of manufacture, as a precaution, it’s time to replace them with new tires even if they appear to be in usable condition and have not worn down to the tread wear indicator. This applies to spare tires as well.
3. Proper care - You can increase your tire's longevity by maintaining the correct air pressure, performing regular tire rotations and keepin your suspension system in good condition.

What is the proper care of your tires?