January 5, 2025
OK, so you probably take your vehicle's battery for granted. Turn the key or push a button and it starts right up. During times of warmer weather, you probably think your battery can take it easy. But it may surprise you to learn that hot weather can be much harder on a vehicle's battery than cold. So it's wise to know what condition your battery is in BEFORE you find out the hard way—being stranded by a dead battery.
Your vehicle's battery won't last forever; an average battery will last 3-5 years. When's the last time yours was replaced? You probably have no idea. Your vehicle will usually give you some hints that it's in need of attention. See if any of these are familiar:
Even if there are no signs your battery is on its last legs, it's a good idea to have it periodically checked at your vehicle service facility, at least once a year. A technician will check the date it was made (it's on the battery's case). They'll inspect your battery, cables and connections, looking for corrosion, bulges in the battery or any other abnormal signs.
Using special diagnostic equipment, the technician can run some tests on your battery and vehicle's electrical systems. They can measure how fully charged your battery is and how much potential it has to hold a charge. Then, your service advisor will tell you how much more life to expect from your battery or recommend it be replaced.
It you need a new one, your service advisor can recommend options for you. Important factors include brand, warranty, where the terminals are on the battery, the ability to handle different cranking loads and temperature ranges. Bet you didn't know vehicle batteries can be that different!
Tuffy Amherst
101 N Leavitt Road
Amherst, Ohio 44001
440-988-9402
http://www.tuffyamherst.com
March 30, 2025
Nearly every modern vehicle on the road today has power steering, a wonderful invention that makes steering take far less effort than it did in the "good old days." Today, we take our steering for granted: until something goes wrong, that is. Most power steering these days is rack-and-pinion, th... More
March 23, 2025
Your vehicle gets its power from burning fuel, usually gasoline, and it counts on something called fuel injectors to send gas to the engine in a spray that is easy to ignite. Its a precise operation, and when its working well, you have plenty of power and an efficient engine. But after time, con... More
March 16, 2025
Most Amherst drivers are too young to remember life before power steering - cranking those great big steering wheels! It was a pretty good workout. Now power steering is standard. Let's look at how it works. The heart of any power steering system is its pump. The pump pressurizes the power steeri... More