May 10, 2023

Your Cadillac depends on its battery to start the engine. Over time, your battery will weaken due to age or damage, and it won’t supply enough power. If this happens when you’re in Temecula, CA, your Cadillac dealership can fix the problem for you. These are some signs that you may need to visit us for a new car battery.

Signs You Need a New Car Battery at Your Cadillac Dealership in Temecula, CA

Your Battery Is Old

A car battery has a relatively limited lifespan, and it will fail. This failure is not due to a design problem but to basic chemistry. A car battery contains chemicals, including sulfuric acid, and the chemicals react with other battery components to store electricity. The chemical reactions that enable electricity to be stored as chemical energy slowly cause the chemicals themselves to break down.

As the chemicals break down, your battery’s storage capacity will drop, and the battery will become less able to recharge. This process happens slowly and will usually appear when your battery is over three years old. Eventually, the battery won’t be able to retain or supply a change, and your engine won’t start. We can test your battery to determine its strength and viability and replace it if it fails.

Electrical Problems

When your engine is switched off, your battery maintains the electric systems. It supplies power to the lights, ignition, alarm, and other vital components. When your engine starts, the alternator will supply power to all the components. As we’ve seen, when a battery starts to fail, it produces less electricity.

The lack of power might not be noticeable when your engine is running if you have a healthy alternator. You will, however, experience problems with the lights and other components that depend on battery power. The headlights, for example, will appear dimmer, and systems like alarms may fail. We’ll examine your battery and the electrical system to pinpoint the problem, and then they’ll repair it.

Parasitic Drain

A healthy battery can rapidly drain overnight due to an electrical fault. All drivers know that if their door isn’t completely closed, the interior light will stay on and can drain the battery. A parasitic drain is different, and a driver will be oblivious to it. This type of drain is caused by a light that isn’t visible remaining on.

Two candidates for this problem are the light in the glove box and the light in your trunk. In both cases, the light isn’t visible when the lid is closed. Both lights should automatically switch off when their lid is closed. If either of these lights doesn’t switch off, they can almost completely drain your battery overnight. We can fix this problem by tracing the parasitic drain and repairing it.

If you experience any problem with your battery, call us at Paradise Cadillac.