If you don’t live under a rock, you’ve probably noticed that it is starting to get a little chilly out and by a little, I mean a lot! Cold weather can have negative effects on your car, especially your vehicle’s battery. Making sure your battery is strong enough to make it through the cold winter weather is important, I mean, you don’t want to end up stuck on the side of the road in freezing cold, right? Yeah, we didn’t think so! So, do yourself a favor and check your battery’s life or bring it to us and we will check for you! If you find that your battery needs to be replaced and you’re a DIY kind of person, we’ve done the hard work and listed out an extensive how-to below! Check it out, and if you have any questions feel free to give us a call! If you feel this is too big of a task for you, we suggest scheduling an appointment with our service center and we will do it for you!

• Check the owner’s manual for the location of your battery or simply pop open the hood and take a look.
  • More often than not, the battery will stick out and you’ll notice it right away.
  • Identify the positive posts from the negative. Positive posts/cables are often red and have a plus sign on it.
  • Negative posts/cables are often black and have a negative sign.
• Using a wrench, loosen the bolt that has secured the negative terminal and cable to the negative post.
  • Once the bolt is loose, pull the cable away from the post and set off to the side out of the way. Repeat with the positive terminal.
• Remove the clamp or whatever may be holding the battery in the holding tray.
  • Carefully, lift the battery out of the tray and take note that it will be heavy.
  • If you notice corrosion to the battery cables, terminals, holding a tray, or posts, use a wire brush and anti-corrosive cleaning solution.
  • Make sure that all parts are dry before replacing the battery.
• Insert the new battery into the holding tray and secure it once more with the clamp.
  • Remove the plastic covers that cover battery posts and install anti-corrosion washers over them.
  • Apply a thin layer of grease to posts and terminals before connecting the positive terminal to the positive post first.
  • Use a wrench to tighten the connector until snug and repeat for the negative terminal.
• Give the battery a wiggle.
  • If it moves, you need to tighten the clamp to ensure that the battery is not able to move when you’re driving along the roadway.