How Often to Replace a Car Battery

Typically a battery should be replaced every 4-5 years depending on several factors. Explore the potential reasons why your battery needs to be replaced with Edwards Kia near Council Bluffs, and contact our service department if you are in the market for a new battery.

How to Know If Your Car Battery Needs to Be Replaced

Some things to watch out for to know if your battery is about to die:

• Dimming headlights
• More frequent jump-starts or engine revving
• If it takes longer to start the car engine
• Suspicious and unusual power fluctuations

What Causes Car Battery Deterioration?

• Heat: Hot weather can cause the liquid in your battery to evaporate, meaning that it’s time to replace it.
• Vibrations: Your battery may die quicker if its hold-down clamps are loose due to vibrations.
• Needing a Jump: If you find yourself constantly requiring a jumpstart, this can shorten battery life significantly.
• Time: A battery can deteriorate over some time due to natural causes or electrical issues. 

Consult your owner’s manual or schedule a service appointment with us if you are ever near the Omaha or Bellevue area.

How to Test a Car Battery

It is recommended to have your battery tested at least twice a year. If you want to test it by yourself if you are not in the Des Moines area, there are two options you could try:

The Headlight Test: 

1. Turn on the engine while in park, making sure the engine lights are on.
2. Rev the engine to see if the headlight brightness changes.
3. If the headlights get brighter, this means the battery is not strong enough to keep the light at a normal level when the car is in an idle position.
4. Visit our Bellevue service center for more assessments.

Using a Digital Multimeter:

1. Set the voltmeter to 20 DC volts.
2. Touch the negative terminal (black) with the negative probe meter (black) under the hood. 
3. Touch the positive terminal (red) with the positive meter probe (also red)
4. Have a friend turn on the headlights and check the voltmeter reading.
5. At 80℉, 12.5 volts or higher means your battery is fully charged. 12.3 volts means it’s at about 75% charged.11.8 volts or lower means you have 25% or less charge. 

How Much is a Replacement Car Battery? 

Typically car batteries are between $75-120, but can also cost up to $200. Hybrid batteries can be more expensive, running anywhere from $1000-6000, but this is offset by how little gas these vehicles consume.

Keep Your Vehicle in Top Shape at Edwards Kia

If you are ready to replace your battery, visit our Edwards Kia parts department. You could also check out our parts coupons to save more and offset potential costs. We hope to hear from you soon and get you driving on Council Bluff roads in no time.