A healthy battery is very vital for your vehicle, as it provides the power that cranks your engine and enables it to start. As time passes, your battery will gradually weaken and eventually fail. As your GMC dealership, we’d like you to know a few signs that you may need to visit us for a new car battery very soon.
Signs You Need a New Car Battery From Your GMC Dealership
Damaged Rectifier
Sometimes, the battery is in good condition, but a problem in another system is draining it. A prime candidate for this type of trouble is a damaged rectifier in the alternator. The alternator generates electricity by converting mechanical energy from the crankshaft into magnetic energy. The magnetic energy is converted into AC and DC for your car’s systems.
The rectifier is responsible for converting AC into DC. If the rectifier fails, the alternator will continue to produce AC, but it’s useless for your GMC. The battery will have to take over supplying electricity for your vehicle, which can drain its power within a couple of hours at most. We can easily replace the damaged rectifier and then test your battery before we recharge it.
Old Battery
A car battery only lasts for three to five years before it wears out and needs replacement. The battery’s short lifespan is due to the way it stores and supplies electricity. A battery uses sulfuric acid, an electrolyte solution, and copper plates to store electricity as chemical energy. As time passes, the sulfuric acid slowly breaks down, and the battery becomes less effective at storing energy.
We can test your battery to determine its condition. We’ll connect your battery to our battery tester which assesses the battery’s strength and capacity and highlights any potential problems. If your battery is in good condition, we recommend a further test in a year. If the battery has been damaged, we can install a new one for you.
Parasitic Drain
A parasitic drain is caused by a system or device that doesn’t switch off when it is supposed to. The circuit remains open, and the device will continue to draw from the battery as soon as the engine is switched off. Two of the most common culprits are the glove box light and the trunk light. Neither of these lights is visible when their lid is closed, and this makes it difficult to realize there’s a problem.
The first sign you’ll usually have that there’s trouble is your battery warning light will illuminate. Our technicians will trace the electricity flow through your car until we find the drain. Once we find the source of the drain, we’ll fix it.
If you experience any of the above signs, visit us today at Pierre GMC of Everett, WA.
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