Car battery life. Car batteries: types, instruction manual

2024 Author: Erin Ralphs | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-19 11:42

A car battery (battery) is one of the main parts of a car, without which you simply won’t be able to start it. The essence of the long uninterrupted operation of the device in question lies in the reversibility of the chemical processes occurring inside it. You can learn about the types, properties and prices of car batteries from this article.

Car battery specifications

The battery was invented back in the 19th century and has hardly changed since then. What is the principle of operation of a car battery? Inside the sealed high-strength plastic case there are 6 lead plates, each of which is soldered into plastic “cases” and has an active surface. Plates with a negative charge are coated with finely porous lead, and those with a positive charge are coated with lead dioxide. In this case, all the plates are immersed in sulfuric acid electrolyte, which interacts with the active substances of the plates. As a resultThis chemical reaction generates an electric current. On the plates at this point, lead sulfate precipitates. When you put the battery on charge, all the described chemical processes proceed in reverse order, which allows the battery to work for many years.

Currently, scientists continue to work on improving the technical characteristics of the battery. All motorists are familiar with the situation when the car refuses to start in severe frost. In most cases, this is due to batteries, which are still quite sensitive to ambient temperature. In addition, scientists are trying to reduce the volume of these devices, while increasing their capacity. Whether their efforts will be crowned with success, time will tell, but for now we will list what types of batteries can be found in the store.

Types of car batteries

The start of the engine depends on the state of this device, which means that it must be chosen with great care. At the moment, there are three types of batteries for cars on the market:

1. Lead-acid - the most common and reliable. They are characterized by low cost and long service life, so they are most often found in stores.
2. Batteries with AGM technology are already a more modern development. Its essence is to reduce the loss of electricity produced, resulting in increased productivity. But it makes sense to install such batteries only on cars with a recovery system.energy.
3. Gel batteries - the electrolyte in them is thickened with silica gel. They differ from conventional acid ones in that they do not require maintenance (their body is completely sealed).

Operating instructions

Many car owners are surprised to learn that the battery also needs regular maintenance. For a long and correct operation of the car, you need to follow the instructions for using the battery.

• The first and most important rule: these devices must never be turned over!
• Even if the battery is working properly, every 2-3 months it needs to measure the voltage at the terminals with the engine running and not running.
• All batteries lose water from the electrolyte. The rate of loss depends on the age of the battery and related factors. It is very important to check the fluid level in the battery about once every 3 months and, if necessary, top up with distilled fluid to the correct level.
• If you plan to leave the car for a long time, it is better to disconnect the battery. Otherwise, it may turn out that the battery charge is not enough even to start the engine.
• During the cold season, it is best to remove the battery after each ride and keep it warm. This will help you avoid unnecessary problems. If you are still too lazy to do this, warm up the car a little longer before driving in winter.
• The electrolyte in the battery must be transparent. If it turns dark, it means that some banks have a short circuit.
• Store the battery only completelycharged.

These requirements may seem like too many, but doing them all will save you a lot of nerves and money.

Car battery life

Everything has its expiration date. This also applies to the battery, although many simply forget that it also has its own time limits. How long does a standard battery last with careful use? Typically, a car's battery lasts 5 to 10 years. This figure is very approximate, since the service life depends on many factors. Here are some of them:

• The quality of a battery is highly dependent on the brand that made it. Companies with world-famous names usually give a guarantee for a new battery in 2-4 years, which itself already serves as a confirmation of its quality. Less well-known and cheaper companies are often limited to 1-3 years of guaranteed service.
• Temperature has a significant impact on battery life. In winter, the battery “freezes”, as a result of this, it loses its charge and fails. But the summer period is no less dangerous. At high temperatures, lead sulfate begins to settle on the surfaces of the plates, which is formed as a result of chemical processes already at around 30-40 degrees Celsius.
• Serviceability of other vehicle systems. An incorrectly connected radio can contribute to the "leakage" of current, and the machine's generator, if it breaks down, can cut the battery life in half.

Despite these common to all speciesthese devices have problems, yet the service life of each type is different.

Lifetime of a car acid battery

How long can a regular battery, which is installed in most modern cars, last? The typical battery life of an acid-type vehicle is approximately 5 years. If the owner carefully handles, observing all the necessary requirements, then a quality part can last up to 7 years. However, don't expect a cheap Chinese-made battery to last that long. Most likely, it will have to be thrown out in a couple of years. If you are not satisfied with such a short period of time, look at another option.

Gel battery

Consider the life of a gel car battery. These are batteries in which the electrolyte is replaced with a gel version based on silicon dioxide. Such a battery has a number of advantages: it starts easily in cold weather, does not poison the environment with harmful fumes, and, most importantly, lasts almost twice as long as an acid one. Extended service life reaches 7-9 years. Of course, the price of gel batteries is several times higher than regular batteries.

How to check battery age

When buying a battery or if you have bought a used car, the first thing to check is the date of manufacture of the battery. This is not so easy to do, since the month and year of issue are indicated in a slightly differentsequences than we are used to.

Different companies indicate the age of the battery in different ways. There is no single labeling system. For Western manufacturers (Varta, Bosch, Berga, Blackmax), the code consists of 24 characters. The fourth position in them indicates the year, and the fifth and sixth - the month.

For Titan, Titan Arctic, the month is indicated by the third and fourth digits, and the year by the fifth and sixth. Atlas and Bost are distinguished by a special system: the first digit indicates the year of manufacture, the letters following it indicate the month of manufacture. Having understood the combination of numbers, you can always independently check the suitability of the battery for further work.

How to choose the right battery

In addition to dividing into gel and acid batteries, batteries also differ by country of manufacture. If you need to choose one thing from the whole variety, many people's heads are spinning. Let's see, because different batteries are suitable for different purposes.

For example, a gel battery should be chosen if you have an expensive foreign car and you are ready to invest in such an important detail. Of course, if you are the owner of a domestic or used car, there will be no point in such a purchase. But more often than not, people still buy lead-acid batteries. And here's something to think about. European brands are traditionally considered to be of higher quality. The fact is that the manufacturing standards there are much higher than Russian ones. But even in our country you can meet worthy firms, if you make some effort. ButRussian producers outperform their import competitors in price.

Battery capacity is better to choose the same one that was on the old one. If you are not sure, it is better to look at the vehicle data sheet, which indicates the recommended number of amperes. Before buying, be sure to ask the seller to apply voltage for 10-15 seconds. During this time, the indicators should not fall below 9 or even 7 V.

How to extend the "life" of the battery?

Even the highest quality device will not work for long without following the rules of operation. How can you extend the life of your car battery?

• Keep your charge: Try to charge a stationary car every month in the summer and a couple of times in the winter. The fact is that in winter the discharge processes in the battery are slower, so there is no need to carry it home.
• Do not allow battery terminals to oxidize. It is formed due to electrolyte vapors. To prevent this problem, clean the battery terminals with sandpaper and lubricate them with oil.
• Don't turn the starter for a long time if the car won't start. The fewer seconds you do this, the longer the battery will last. It's best to do it in short bursts.
• If you brought the battery home from the cold in order to charge it, it is better to wait a day before connecting. During this time, the electrolyte in the battery will reach room temperature and the charging will be much better.
• Do not allow the battery to recharge, thisextremely harmful.
• About every 6 months, experts recommend going to a workshop for maintenance, which will check the fluid level in the battery.

Price range

The price of car batteries fluctuates on average from 3,500 to 9,000 rubles. Motorists consider DELKOR brand batteries to be one of the most affordable and high-quality imported models, which cost about 6 thousand rubles. They are followed by MOLL MG, which are estimated at 8,000 rubles. Of the cheaper brands, it is worth noting VARTA Blue Dynamic (4500 rubles), MOLL Kamina (5000 rubles), AlphaLINE Ultra (5500 rubles).