Battery And Charging System

Is your car battery doing its job ? ..... - the car starts, the headlights, stereo and air conditioning work so it must be in tip top condition....or is it ? ....

Most of us are to some extent guilty of taking for granted the role our battery and vehicle charging system plays - the fact that we unlock the car in the morning, turn the key or press the button, everything springs in to life and off we go regardless of the time of year or temperature. The battery is a very clever piece of equipment. Not only does it provide enough cranking power to turn your engine over and enable it to start, it also creates its own power when the engine is running meaning not only does it create electricity, it accumulates electricity.

The basic function that your car battery performs is to create a flow of electrons capable of supplying and powering every electrical requirement of your vehicle. It performs this function by way of a chemical reaction. This is made possible by passing an electrical charge through a mixture of metal plates covered with both lead and lead oxide bathed in a chemical solution composed of approximately 64% distilled water and 36% acid. This in turn creates a flow of electrical power - enough to crank or turn your engine over. Accompanied by appropriate combustion of fuel / air mix, this enables the engine to start. Once the engine is started, the fuel and air metering system takes over and keeps the engine running. The alternator then takes over the responsibilities, allowing your cars battery a chance to recharge itself by reversing the chemical reaction internally.

It is of the upmost importance as a motorist to respect the functions that the car battery has to perform bearing in mind the fact that your cars alternator and charging system are designed to keep your cars battery fully charged once it has reached a fully charged state (i.e not discharged or flat). For example, leaving your cars lights on when the engine is not running will dramatically reduce the efficiency of your battery not to mention also have an impact on the lifespan of the battery.

Here at Stowmarket Exhausts And Tyres, we appreciate just how important a role your vehicle's battery and charging system plays and the impact that system’s performance can have so please call us on 01449 674141 or email one of  the team for your free battery and charging system check and we’ll make it our priority to keep you motoring in any weather.