Winters cold temperatures often shorten the life of our car battery, reducing capacity and easily resulting in a car that won’t start.
Here are some lessons I have learned on maintaining my car battery that I hope you find helpful.

First, be diligent in inspecting your battery

The average service life of car batteries is about 3 years. But nowadays, our car is part of our connected lives and, in addition to a mode of transportation, it is a place to play. We charge our phones in our cars, listen to music when the car engine is turned off, and the car is equipped with more electric motors and gizmos than ever before. Pay close attention in the cold weather to draining the battery when the engine is off.

Second, extreme cold will wear the battery down quicly. Most of us have had the experience of a dead battery on a cold morning. When it is very cold, a block heater is very helpful and/or frequently letting your car warm up. If your car is sitting idle for an extended period outside, consider removing the battery and keeping it in a warm place to prevent freezing.