Let's say you want to keep your battery. Well, first of all, cleaning is needed with a wire brush. 2nd, if your not driving it for two weeks or more, it's advised to disconnect the battery, and finally, a drive for at least 20 minutes, twice a week is advised, but I'm sure that's not a big deal for most. Anyway, have any of you tried these techniques? How about tips on buying car batteries? Which ones are the best value etc.?
I think there is logic in disconnecting the battery when not in use for a long time. But sometimes there are battery poles that are not easy to handle so I am not tinkering with that. My contribution to this thread is the culture of drivers here – turning off the headlights when in a traffic stop. And, of course, turning off the engine when waiting for more than a minute. You save not only in the battery but also in gas consumption.
This is a very important topic. There are many a times when car owners travel to long journeys such that they leave their cars at home. Someone spends there a great deal of time, let us say three months. The owner of the car has not instructed anyone to be igniting his car at least for twenty minutes daily. What happens next? The car develops a problem with the battery due to overstaying without being ignited. We have to follow correct methods of caring for the battery.
I'm not a car owner yet and doesn't drive as well, but it's quite okay to read about these tips on how we can preserve the life of the car battery. Driving it every 20 mins, 3 times in a week can be beneficial for it is going to keep the battery active to last longer than required. @Athanas You're right on this as well. There was a time my friend travelled out of the state but pleaded with my pal to always ignore the engine every morning for it is going to make the car be in good condition once he is back. So, it's quite true to keep the car active whether at work or not.
I live in Michigan and the winters are so harsh that if your battery is weak your car will not start. Little alone if your battery has problems. Batteries last 2 to 5 years here depending on what brand you buy. And they are not cheap a refurbished battery will cost you $60~$80 and a new one will cost you $100~$160.
