DWR Tire & Auto

Car batteries wear out just like any other battery and need to be replaced. There are a couple of things Crown Point family car owners should know when looking for a new car battery: one is cold cranking amps and the other is reserve capacity.

Let’s start with cold cranking amps. This can be thought of as the power output used to start a cold family car engine. The number of cold cranking amps you need depends on your vehicle and where you live around Crown Point, specifically how cold it is where you live. The two factors are that the colder an engine is, the more power it takes to turn the family car engine over to get it started. It has all that cold, sluggish oil to contend with. The other factor is that the chemical reaction in the battery that creates electrical energy is less efficient in the cold.

So the colder it gets in Crown Point, more power is needed, but the available power drops.

If you live where it’s cold, you need a battery with more cold cranking amps than you do where it’s moderate or hot. You should always get at least as many cold cranking amps as the manufacturer recommends, but may want to upgrade at DWR Tire and Auto if you live where it gets real cold.

An important note: Batteries may also list the Cranking Amps – CA – number. It is the Cold Cranking Amps – or CCA – that is the important number here. CCA is the number to use in your comparisons.

Now with all this talk of cold temperatures in Crown Point, it’s important to note that heat is the real enemy of long battery life. In other words, the damage that’s done over the hot summer months in Crown Point shows up with the increased demands on the family car battery when the weather turns cold.

Now on to reserve capacity: It’s a measurement of the number of minutes of reserve power the battery has at a given load. The number is more important these days because of parasitic drain. Parasitic drain is the battery energy that’s used when the key is off. So the power drawn by the family car security system, the remote start system, even the power the family car computers require to maintain their memory.

Reserves are also needed when you make very short trips around Crown Point. You’re not driving long enough for the battery to recover the energy it used to start the family car engine.

So go with the minimum recommended by your manufacturer and upgrade if you need more. Talk with your courteous DWR Tire and Auto service advisor about options. If you need more from your battery, a larger capacity battery may be called for.

Batteries are a big ticket item for most Crown Point motorists, so the warranty gives peace of mind. Be sure to ask about the car battery warranty at DWR Tire and Auto so you know what you’re getting. At DWR Tire and Auto, we have been providing quality auto service in Crown Point for 18 years.

Give us a call

DWR Tire and Auto
1498 1/2 N. Main Street
Crown Point, IN 46307

At DWR Tire and Auto in Crown Point IN (46307) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 219.661.9200. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

The following Battery video is presented by DWR Tire & Auto:

The following Battery animation is presented by DWR Tire & Auto:

Batteries are a huge part of modern life in Crown Point IN. I mean, how many battery chargers do you have?

Of course, our purpose here is to talk about your car battery. When people come into our Crown Point IN service center and need a new battery, they’re really not that happy about having to spend the money. But the fact is that 70 percent of batteries don’t make it for 4 years.

There are some things that you can do to extend the life of your battery. First, keep it clean. If you see it getting dirty or greasy, let us know at DWR Tire & Auto and we can clean it off. A dirty battery runs hotter and that shortens its life. If your battery terminals are corroded, let us take a look at that too. We can clean them, and if the corrosion has gotten into the battery cables, we can replace them.

Also running your battery way down is bad for it: Things like running the headlights or watching a DVD player with the car turned off can deeply deplete your battery. The typical battery can only take about 10 of those deep cycle depletions before it gives up the ghost.

Because we often take short trips around Crown Point with lots of stops for errands, our batteries can end up not getting fully recharged just by driving around. That also shortens battery life. You can hook up a good quality automatic battery charger at home from time to time. We recommend charging once a month during hot months and every three months during cold months.

Now when it’s finally time to get a new battery, we can help you find the right replacement. We’ll always make sure to meet your manufacturer’s recommendations. Now if you have special needs – like live in a very cold climate or run a lot of electrical accessories, we can look at an upgrade that’ll give you the power you need.

DWR Tire & Auto
1498 & 1/2 North Main Street
Crown Point, IN 46307
219.661.9200

At DWR Tire & Auto in Crown Point IN we install quality NAPA replacement parts. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.