It’s funny how the mind can play tricks on us when it comes to our vehicle's service. If we are not keeping track closely, time can fly by.
A driver recently took his 10-year-old vehicle in for an oil change. Knowing the colder weather was approaching, his technician took the opportunity to check out a few components that are vital for a vehicle to work correctly in the winter months.
The service technician performed a battery test to both determine the battery’s health and ability to hold a charge. He found that the battery was not holding a charge well. When the driver was asked how old the battery was, he thought he'd replaced it "a couple of years ago." The battery said otherwise. Most batteries have a manufacturing date stamped on them, and the technician was able to determine it was five years old. That's about when most batteries begin to fail. The technician also checked to see if the vehicle's charging system was sending enough current to charge the battery and it was. The diagnosis and recommendation was a new battery.
The driver realized if the technician hadn't run that simple test on the old battery, he might have wound up stranded on a cold day because the battery didn’t have the cranking power to start his engine. With so much to keep track of these days, it’s easy for a driver not to be able to remember when the battery had been replaced, or when many other services were performed last.
It is important to stay on top of your vehicle maintenance and it is helpful to save your service records. Here at Eureka Brake & Automotive, we keep records of what services you've had done, and services recommended.
Time marches on, and so will your vehicles if you make sure all its systems are kept up to date.
Eureka Brake & Automotive <br/>707.443-2122 <br/>www.eurekabrake.com
Revised from content contributed by NAPA Service Assistant