Avoid a Flat Battery This Festive Season
The festive season can be tough on your car battery. In fact, it can be so draining that the 2nd of January is known as ‘Flat-battery Tuesday’, since thousands of us wake up to a car that won’t start.
Not driving over the Christmas period (or driving a lot less than usual) along with colder temperatures means that our car batteries gradually drain power, so by the time you reach the first commute of the new year, the car won’t start.
But it doesn’t have to be this way! National Tyre & Autocare is here to help you beat the battery blues and avoid Flat-battery Tuesday with our charging tips, a guide to jump-starting, and battery fitting services.
Looking after your car battery
The best way to keep your battery healthy and ready to start is to give it some routine care and attention – and that goes for any time of year.
First up: charging. You might think that you only need to charge your car battery when it’s dead, but making an effort to top up your battery now and again will help to keep it healthy, especially if you’re using a smart charger. These handy devices can repair and protect your battery while it recharges to keep it healthier for longer.
Keeping an eye on how often you drive can help to extend the life of your battery too. Only driving very short distances won’t give your car chance to replace the needed used to start the engine, so it’ll lose more and more charge over time. Eventually, you’ll be left with a car that won’t start at all. Try to take some longer drives now and again to give the battery a full recharge, or leave the engine running.
Another thing that puts strain on your battery is having to power all your extra features when the engine first starts. Heated seats, windscreen wipers, lights, and more all take extra charge to turn on as you start the engine, so making sure they’re switched off before you turn the key will put less strain on your battery. Once the car’s running, you can turn them on.
Checking your battery
Not sure if your battery’s still working at its best? Book a Free Battery Health Check at your local National Tyre and Autocare. We’ll check for any underlying issues or faults to help prevent a sudden breakdown, and help you decide the best course of action.
How to jump-start your car
If you’re struggling to get your car started on Flat-battery Tuesday, it might need a jump start. To do this you’ll need another (running) car and a set of jump leads, but it’s a quick and handy way to get your car moving.
Once the engine’s on, a good long drive should charge up the battery. Check out our guide on how to jump-start a car for a step-by-step guide.
Replacing a car battery
While there’s loads you can do to keep your battery working for longer, it will eventually reach the end of its life, and you’ll need a new one.
If the time has come, we can help. At National, we can find the right battery for your car and fit it for you, hassle-free. All you need to do is enter your registration number, and our system will find the batteries designed to fit your make and model.
Plus, you don’t need to worry about getting to a garage – we’ll come to you! Our mobile battery fitting service means that you can choose a time and date to suit you, and a Mobile Expert will come to your door to get you moving again. To book, just add your battery to the basket and choose your slot.
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