No one wants to hear the click-click of an engine that won’t start. It’s also something that will always happen at the worst time. While there are several possible reasons that your car won’t start, the most common is a dead battery. Car batteries have a limited life and will need to be replaced. When you need a new car battery, you’re in safe hands with your Kia dealer. These are some of the signs that your battery has failed.
Dim Headlights
When your car’s engine is switched off, your battery
supplies the power for the various components that require a continuous power
supply. Some of these components include the dash lights, headlights, and car
alarm system. Your battery draws down its power supplying these components, but
the battery should be recharged when your engine is running again.
If you switch on your headlights, and they shine brightly, your car battery
should be in good condition. If the headlights seem dimmer than they should be,
this means that your battery doesn’t have enough power to supply the lights
with a full charge. If your headlights are dim, you should bring your car into
our service department so we can test your battery.
Engine Won’t Start
The click-click sound when you turn the key means that your
engine isn’t receiving the electrical charge needed to crank the engine. This
could be because you have a dead battery, a failed alternator, or even a
damaged starter solenoid. You can test this by jump-starting your car. Attach
the jumper cables to the battery terminals, and remove them as soon as your
engine starts. If your engine doesn’t start, the starter solenoid is damaged,
and we can quickly replace that.
If your engine starts and then dies almost immediately, this means that your
alternator has failed. Your battery depends on the alternator to recharge it,
and a failed alternator won’t produce any electricity. Once the external
electrical supply is withdrawn, your battery will fail. If your engine
continues to run, then the most likely cause of the problem is a dead battery.
Parasitic Drain
This strange problem can drain your battery overnight. It isn’t caused by a battery fault, it’s caused by an electrical component that doesn’t switch off when it should. It’s very easy to see if you’ve left the interior lights on, but a parasitic drain has a less obvious cause.
Prime candidates for draining power are the trunk lights and the glove box lights. These lights should automatically switch off when their compartment lids are closed, but a wiring fault can cause them to stay on. Although these lights are small, they can very quickly drain your battery. Our technicians can trace and repair the fault.
Your car battery will start showing signs of aging, and this gives you time to plan for its replacement. Call our service center at Crain Kia of Bentonville, and our trained technicians fit a new battery for you.
Image via Kia.
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Warranties include 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain and 5-year/60,000-mile basic. All warranties and roadside assistance are limited. See retailer for warranty details.