You know the mornings that never seem to end? The ones where it starts off wrong with not finding a sock, then your shirts are all dirty, and then your car won’t start.

Who actually keeps track of the last time they changed their car battery? Not many people. There is that heat that rises up as you slowly turn that key, you can feel your blood start to boil, and that mean look that you just can’t seem to get off your face. Now, we’ve all done this. We’ve sat there turning the key, holding it tighter and pushing it in harder. Nope, not the way to go as that will break your key and your car quicker.

Yup, that means your battery might be dead. Batteries usually take months, sometimes years to die depending on the vehicle itself. When you bring your battery and car to your service department, they can change it for you there. There are more ways than just turning your key and have it not work. Here they are:

• The car battery does not only power the engine, but also needs enough power to run the electronic components in the car ie. power windows, power seats, radio, etc.

• Light on dashboard- The battery shape light on your dashboard will be going off when you get to that point that your battery needs more attention. Once the light does come on, it would be in your best interest to have that checked out by a professional.

• Your battery case looks a bit swollen: This is caused by a chemical reaction within the box. This comes from really hot or really cold weather conditions.

• Old battery: A battery works about four to five years until it needs or should be replaced. Once the battery is old, the battery does not have much life left.

• Certain smell: Overcharged or froze, the car battery produces a smell of rotten eggs. Yuck!

It is essential to have your battery looked at by your service department. The lifeline of a car battery is usually four to five years, so once the four years start to hit, you should be getting that checked out! Ask your service advisor for the technician to tell you how much they think you have left with your current battery.

A dead battery can happen to anyone at any given time, so it is better to be proactive and stay on top of how long you’ve had a new battery. Your service department will help with this!

Your morning might start out rough sometimes, that’s a given, but make sure you are checking your battery every once in awhile to make sure that your morning doesn’t randomly get worse!

“Pep Boys.” Six Signs of a Failing Car Battery | Pep Boys. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 July 2017.