How to Buy a Car Battery

How to Buy a Car Battery

Car batteries are essential to operate your vehicle. They start your engine and provide extra power to the ignition, lighting and accessories. They also give power to the electrical system of your vehicle when the charging system is not operational.

When considering a new battery, there are a few things you should keep in mind before purchasing: cold cranking amps (CCA), reserve capacity, and group size.

Cold Cranking Amps (CCA)

CCA is the measure of a battery’s ability to start your vehicle in cold weather conditions. The size of the battery CCA rating should meet or exceed the car’s OEM (original equipment manufacturer) cranking rate. Note: If you are not sure what this rating is, check out your owner’s manual. If you live in cold climates, it is best to get a car battery with a high CCA rating since a sluggish, chilled engine requires more power to start it up.

Reserve Capacity

The reserve capacity is the number of minutes your car might run using the battery alone should your alternator fail. In technical terms, a fully charged battery runs at 25amps. If the voltage falls below 10.5 amps (the minimum needed to run your vehicle), you need a new battery.

Buy a car battery with the longest reserve capacity possible since you may need it in emergency situations when your vehicle has stalled or will not start.

Group Size

This refers to the outside dimensions and placement of power terminals on the battery. Vehicle makes have different group sizes. Always choose size recommended by the car’s manufacturer.

Common sizes are:

• 75- for General Motors vehicles (GM)
• 65- works for large Ford, Lincoln/Mercury models
• 34- for all Chrysler vehicles
• 32 -is the right size for new Honda, Nissans and Toyota models

When in doubt about the proper size, check your owner’s manual or ask your mechanic during your next tune up or oil change.

Types of Batteries

There are 2 types of car batteries: low maintenance (non-sealed) and maintenance-free batteries.

A maintenance-free battery in general has a longer operational life, faster recharging time, and longer shelf life. However, they are prone to failures (dead battery) due to shedding of an active plate material that weakens over time.

Low maintenance batteries are ideal for vehicles that are driven in hotter climates. Since the battery is not sealed, water can be added if needed.

Other Car Battery Buying Tips

While learning how to buy a car battery, you may want to consider the following tips:

• Do not buy a car battery that has been on the store shelf for more than six months. The freshest batteries can be bought at Firestone, Goodyear, Pep Boys and Sears since they work with a lot of vehicles and offer installation. The date on the battery can be checked by looking at its case or attached label. The date is defined by a 2-digit code with one number and one letter. For instance, “A” would be January, “B” February, etc. The number following it shows the year. A “7” would be considered 2007.
• Avoid buying a battery at a gas station since they do not have the freshest batteries.
• Stores like Kmart, Target and Wal-Mart may have the lowest prices, but they do not offer any installation options.
• A car battery’s warranty can be determined by a set of 2 numbers listed on it. The most important number you need to remember is for the time allowed for its free replacement period. If the battery fails after this date, you will only get a pro-rated credit towards your new battery. The other number is the date for the total warranty period. When this date hits, your pro-rated credit is completely expired and you will no longer get any discount on a purchase of a new battery.
• The most popular car battery brands are Champion, Exide, Napa, Diehard, Duralast, Interstate Motorcraft and Everstart.

It is not hard to learn how to buy a car battery. Important things to consider are its CCA rating, reserve capacity and its group size. Also consider climate conditions, warranty, installation and pricing and you are sure to buy the best battery for your car.

By Sheila Robinson