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Battery Maintenance and Purchasing Tips

Battery Maintenance Tips

Routinely caring for your battery will help you to avoid an unexpected expense (such as a tow or a call out) and will also help to lengthen the life of your battery.

Check Battery Connections

Make sure the battery terminals and cable connections are done up tight. A loose battery terminal can stop a car from starting. Check that the terminals are free from corrosion. Badly corroded terminals can prevent a car from starting. To clean the battery terminals, firstly remove the battery from the vehicle – by removing the negative (black) lead first. Clean the battery posts with a wire brush and clean the corrosion off the battery terminals with hot water and baking soda. Make sure you clean up any of the spillage. Please make sure you wear protective gear such as gloves and eye protection.

Keep Your Battery Charged

Batteries are made to be used. An under used or under charged battery will slowly go flat over time, reducing its life. We can supply trickle chargers that keep your battery topped up. If your battery has an “eye” you can see what state your battery is in – Green (Charged), Red (Flat).

Check Your Battery’s Water Level

If you don’t have a “maintenance free” battery you will need to ensure that the water level is always topped up every month. You can do this yourself but we would recommend that you bring your battery into us, as it can be a bit messy and harmful because of the battery acid and we’ll test the battery level for you.

Keep Your Battery Dry and Clean

Any battery surface that is wet and dirty can cause corrosion and battery discharge. Make sure your battery and battery tray are always dry and clean.

Battery Repairs

Here at Tasman Auto Electrics we can repair your battery posts, so you do not have to purchase a new battery!

When You Require A New Battery

You will most likely be able to tell that you require a new battery during the starting process. It will either be completely dead or you will hear a clicking sound and the engine will not crank over. It is then best to call us. We can come to you or you can bring the battery into us. We will perform a battery test for you to determine if your battery requires replacing. We can even give you a print out of your battery’s results. We have the largest range of batteries in the top of the south (and can source almost any battery) so we will be able to give you a variety of battery options at competitive pricing.

Battery Purchasing Tips

When purchasing a battery over the phone or over the internet the person selling the battery will have a few standard questions that they will ask you so that they can recommend the correct battery for your vehicle.

These questions will likely to be –

  • What is the make and model of your vehicle?

  • What year is your vehicle?

  • What size engine does your vehicle have?

  • What type of vehicle have you got? – sedan, hatchback, station wagon etc

  • Is it petrol, diesel or LPG?

  • Does your current battery fit the battery tray (the tray that your battery sits in) properly?

  • What CCA (Cold Cranking Amps) rating is your current battery? This will be on a sticker on your battery. A battery specialist may recommend a higher CCA rated battery for your vehicle. (See CCA in the terminology section for more information)

  • What are the dimensions of your battery?

Knowing the answer to these questions will help the purchasing process be more efficient for yourself.

The other option of course is to call in to see us at 10 Poutama Street (off Gladstone Road) and one of our technicians will be able to recommend the battery options that are available to you. Usually we will have 3 options to present you – a high, a medium and a lower priced battery. Each will have their pros and cons. For example a higher priced battery may feature – maintenance free, higher CCA and a longer warranty.

For any of your battery enquiries please call us on (03) 544 8388. Thank you.


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