Dead Car Batteries In The Winter

It’s happened to almost all of us. You head out on the first cold day of the year to work or take your kids to school. You’re surprised by the cold and tell yourself you’re not ready for winter. You climb into the car and turn the key. Instead of the engine roaring to life, you hear the dreaded clicking that signifies a dead battery. 

Why is it that your battery always seems to die during the winter? We’ll tell you exactly why. 

The battery in your car slowly loses its ability to hold a charge over its 3-5 year life. The degradation process also tends to increase during extreme weather (summer, winter) so your battery has already experienced a lot of wear and tear by the time winter hits. 

The other problem is that the colder an engine is, the harder it is to start. Heat, defrost, and sluggish oil also contribute, requiring more cranking amps for your engine to turn over. Your battery just isn’t in a position to supply them anymore. 

Now that we have an understanding of why your battery always seems to die during the first cold days of winter, let’s identify a few other signs you can look for  that indicate a dying battery. These might include: 

• Engine cranks more slowly
• Lights dim or yellow
• Smell of sulfur or rotten eggs
• Needing to push the gas in order to start
• Electrical issues 
• Bulging battery case
• Battery is more than three years old 

The silver lining in all of this is that batteries are relatively easy and inexpensive to replace. Our certified technicians can replace your battery, and while they do they will also run tests to make sure that other electrical systems, such as an alternator, aren’t also contributing to the problem.