A driver recently took his 10-year-old vehicle into his AutoCare Center for an oil change. Knowing the colder weather was approaching, his technician took the opportunity to check out a few components that are vital for a vehicle to work correctly in the winter months.

One was the battery. They performed a battery test to determine the battery’s health and ability to hold a charge. The service technician found this battery was not holding a charge well. The Service Advisor asked the driver how old the battery was, and he thought he'd replaced it "a couple of years ago." The battery said otherwise. Most batteries have a manufacturing date stamped on them, and the technician was able to determine it was five years old. That's about when most batteries begin to fail. The technician also checked to see if the vehicle's charging system was sending enough current to charge the battery; it was.

The diagnosis and recommendation: a new battery. The driver realized if the technician hadn't run that simple test on the old battery, he might have wound up stranded on a cold day because the battery didn’t have the cranking power to start his engine. With so much to keep track of these days, it’s easy for a driver not to be able to remember when the battery had been replaced, or many other services were performed last. 

That's why it's important to stay on top of your vehicle maintenance. It helps to save your service records. Your NAPA AutoCare Center keeps records of what services you've had done, and which need doing. Time marches on, and so will your vehicle if you make sure all its systems are kept up to date.

Bonita Point Auto Care, Inc.

1495 East H Street

Chula Vista, CA 91910