Picture this you’re running late, rushing to the car, you through everything into the car, buckle up, turn the key, and nothing. You realize your headlights are dim and the engine is refusing to turn over despite you pleading it to. So, your battery is dead but how did it die? To help save you from having to call work and say that you’re going to be late, here are five main causes of car battery drain or failure.

Human Error: Hey it happens we all make mistakes but to avoid having to deal with a dead car make sure be extra vigilant before leaving your car. Make sure to double check your headlights, and make sure you’ve closed your doors and trunk all the way.

Parasitic Drain: This is caused by components in your vehicle continues to run after the key is turned off. Your battery is pretty strong, it has enough energy to keep things like the clock, radio presets, and security alarms operational at all times but if there’s an electrical problem, the parasitic drain may exceed what’s normal and drain the battery.

Bad Charging: if your charging system isn’t working properly your car battery could drain while you’re driving the car. If you think this could the issue causing your battery to die, a professional mechanic will be able to diagnose what’s causing the charging problems.

Defective Alternator Diode: An alternator is what recharges the battery and powers certain electrical systems if your alternator has a bad diode your battery can drain.

Old Battery: Old batteries are just that, old. They can be close to dying altogether and might have trouble holding a charge. This could be the case if you find that your car won’t start often. You are supposed to change your battery every 4-5 years so if you’re in that time frame and you’re experiencing issues with your battery, bring your car to a professional for a diagnosis.

Dealing with a dead battery can be stressful and hard to figure out why it’s happening in the first place. If you can’t seem to figure out what is causing your car battery to call I suggest that you bring the Vehicle to a professional.