What are the signs of a dying car battery?

The most common sign of a dying car battery is a slow start: the engine turns over more lazily than usual, especially on a cold morning. Dim headlights, a clicking noise when you turn the key, and warning lights flickering on the dashboard are the other usual clues.

Batteries tend to give a few hints before they give up. The trick is noticing them before the morning you're already late.

What are the warning signs to look for?

• Slow cranking. The starter sounds tired, "rur-rur-rur" instead of a quick start. This is the big one.
• A click and nothing else. You turn the key or press the button, hear a click or a rapid ticking, and the engine doesn't turn.
• Dim lights at idle. Headlights or interior lights that look weak, or that brighten when you rev the engine.
• Electrics acting up. The clock resets, the radio forgets its stations, or the dashboard lights flicker when you start.
• Needing a jump start. Once is bad luck. Twice in a month is a message.
• Age. As a rough guide, many car batteries last around three to five years. Short trips, long spells parked up, and summer heat all shorten that.
• A swollen case or corroded terminals. A white or green crust on the terminals, or a battery case that bulges, is worth getting looked at.

Batteries don't always give notice, though. Some just stop. That's why it's worth testing one that's getting on in years before winter, rather than finding out in the car park at Westfield Albany.

Is it the battery or the alternator?

This is the question that saves you buying a battery you didn't need.

The battery stores power to start the car. The alternator, driven by a belt off the engine, makes power once the engine is running and charges the battery back up. If the alternator or its belt is failing, a perfectly good battery will go flat over and over.

Some clues:

• The battery light comes on while you're driving. That points to the charging system (alternator or belt), not just the battery. Head straight to us or home, and switch off what you don't need, like the fan and phone chargers. Our article on dashboard warning lights covers this light and the others.
• The car starts fine after a jump, then dies again on the drive. Again, suspect charging.
• The car is slow to start after sitting, but fine once it's going. That's more often the battery itself.
• The battery goes flat overnight, every night. Something may be draining it with the car switched off.

The only way to know is to test it. A proper battery test checks how the battery holds up under load, and a charging system check shows whether the alternator is doing its job. At Midas Albany, batteries are tested before anything is replaced.

How long do car batteries last in Auckland?

There's no fixed number. It depends on the battery, the car and how you drive it. As a rough guide, many last three to five years. Cars that only do short trips, like school runs and the hop to the shops, are harder on batteries because the alternator never gets long enough to top them back up. Newer cars with stop-start systems use a different type of battery, and fitting the wrong one can cause problems.

A battery test is part of our full service checks, along with the charging system. See what our full service checks. If you're not sure when your car was last serviced, our article on how often you should service your car will help.

What should you do if your car won't start?

1. Check the obvious: lights left on, a door not quite shut, or the car not in Park.
2. If you hear a click or a slow crank, it's likely the battery or its connections.
3. If the engine cranks at a normal speed but won't fire, it's probably not the battery. That's a job for our $89 diagnostic, credited against the repair if we do it.
4. Give us a ring and we'll tell you the best way to get the car to us.

Get your battery tested in Albany

We're at 3C Saturn Place, Albany, and have looked after North Shore cars since 2004. Family owned, MTA Assured, and the price is agreed before any work starts.

Call Robin on 09 415 6595, Book online, or Request a callback. Open Mon-Fri 7:30am-4:30pm and Sat 8am-12pm.

FAQ

Written by the Midas Albany team.