How Often to Replace a Car Battery

Many Jaguar service experts recommend replacing your battery every four to five years, but some factors could affect the battery’s life span. Learn more about how to know if your car battery needs to be replaced and how to test a car battery. Don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or need to schedule a service appointment.

How to Know If Your Car Battery Needs to Be Replaced

Be on the lookout for these warning signs that it may be time to replace your battery?

• Dimming headlights
• More frequent need for engine revving or jump starts
• Takes longer to start the engine when you turn the key/push the button
• Unusual power fluctuations

What Causes Car Battery Deterioration?

• Heat: Hot weather causes the liquids inside a car battery to evaporate, so if you live in an area with a consistently hot climate, your battery life will be shorter.
• Needing a Jump: If you’ve done something like leaving your lights on overnight or your engine was idle for too long and needs a jump start, this shortens the battery life.
• Time: A car battery can only handle so many charge cycles, so your car battery dying is unavoidable. However, proper care helps prevent the battery from dying too soon.
• Vibrations: If your battery’s hold-down clamps are loose, or you drive over rough roads frequently, vibrations can cause internal battery parts to break down much faster.

To know more about how long your car battery should last with proper care, refer to your vehicle’s owner’s manual or maintenance schedule.

How to Test a Car Battery

It’s essential to have your car battery tested during routine maintenance at our Minnesota-area service center at least twice a year. If you need to have it tested in between that time, you can visit many retailers for a free test or test your battery at home.

The Headlight Test: 

1. With your parked, turn on the engine to make sure the headlights are on.
2. Rev the engine and see if the headlight brightness changes.
3. If the headlights get brighter, the current isn’t strong enough to keep the lights at normal brightness while the car is idling.
4. Bring your car to our service center for further assessment.

Using a Digital Multimeter:

1. Set the voltmeter to 20 DC volts.
2. Under the hood, touch the negative terminal (black) with the negative meter probe (also black).
3. Touch the positive terminal (red) with the positive meter probe (also red)
4. Ask someone to turn on the headlights and check the voltmeter reading.
5. At 80℉, 12.5 volts or higher means your battery is fully charged. 12.3 volts means it’s at about 75% charged.11.8 volts or lower means you have 25% or less charge.

How Much is a Replacement Car Battery?

The cost of a battery ranges between $75 and $120, with premium batteries costing up to $200. Hybrid car batteries have a larger job, meaning they are more expensive, ranging anywhere between $1000 and $6000. However, this is offset by significantly lower gas consumption.

Keep Your Vehicle Performing at Its Best With Jaguar Richfield Certified Pre-Owned & Service

When it’s time to replace your battery, you need battery service, or if you want to know more about how to test a car battery, don’t hesitate to contact our service center. Don’t forget to also check out our service specials to use on your next visit to our service center near Eden Prairie and Edina. Schedule your service appointment to have your battery inspected or replaced today!