6 Signs Your Buick Needs a New Car Battery

May 21, 2021

When a car battery dies, the car basically becomes unusable. The engine won’t be able to start and the various electronic features and systems won’t have any power to operate. This is why it’s important to watch out for the signs that your battery is nearing the end of its life and get a new car battery from your Springdale, AR dealer before it’s too late.

6 Signs your Buick Needs a New Car Battery in Springdale, AR

1. A Slow Starting Engine

One of the most worrying signs to watch out for when your battery is nearing the end of its life is a slow-starting engine. The battery helps to provide power to the spark plugs to ignite fuel inside the engine and get your car fired up each day. When the battery is low on power, it can take longer to generate a sufficient charge for this process. So you might have to wait a few extra seconds for your car to start, or you may need to turn the key several times.

2. Flickering or Weak Headlights

The headlights are one of the many electronic systems in your vehicle that rely on the battery for power. If the battery is weak or dying, it might not provide quite enough energy to the headlights. This can result in the lights randomly flickering, turning themselves off without warning, or appearing much weaker and dimmer than usual.

3. Other Electrical Issues

There are many other electrical systems and features throughout your car that need battery power to work as they should. All kinds of issues can arise with these different features when the battery is broken or almost at the end of its life. The power windows might get stuck, the heated seats will be slow to work, the car radio might become unresponsive, and so on.

4. Warning Lights

One of the easiest warning signs to spot when you have a bad battery is a warning light. Modern cars are able to automatically detect when something is wrong, and the dashboard warning lights help to let you know what’s going on under the hood. If a light shaped like a battery appears, or you see one with the letters ALT or GEN, you should get the battery checked and tested professionally.

5. Sulfurous Smells

Sulfuric acid is found inside car batteries. If the battery breaks and leaks, that acid can seep out, creating sulfurous gases when exposed to the air. These gases smell very strongly of rotten eggs. So if you notice an egg-like or sulfurous smell around the car, it’s highly likely that your battery has a leak.

6. Swelling and Corrosion

Another way in which you can spot battery issues is to lift up the hood of your car and inspect the battery case. Healthy cases should look pretty normal, but unhealthy batteries can have swollen or misshapen cases. There may also be visible patches of corrosion around the connectors, appearing as a gray or blue ash-like substance.

If you notice any of the signs or symptoms listed above, you should head to a trusted dealer for urgent battery checks and possible replacements. Otherwise, the issues will only get worse and the battery will continue to lose power with every passing day. Contact Crain Buick GMC of Springdale today to get a new battery installed in your Buick.

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