BERLIN: When it comes to starting up your car on a cold day, it is important to make sure that its battery is well maintained.
Tips from German safety experts TÜV to ensure you aren't left stranded, however, are rather easy to follow.
Before the starting the ignition, make sure all unnecessary electric applications — phone chargers, radios, heating — are turned off.
The fuel pump, injectors and engine management in a modern petrol engine need around 400 watts to get going, while air conditioning and ventilation swallow from 100 to 500 watts extra.
Additionally, up to 1,000 watts is required for lighting, radio and heating, which can lead many alternators to then reach their load limit.
The bottom line is that, with so many applications, motorists are consuming more power than the generator can produce.
Therefore, the battery is no longer charging, but discharging energy when so many applications are in use on short drives.
The increased power requirement is also noticeable at the filling station, as a higher power consumption ultimately increases fuel consumption
As a general rule of thumb, every 100 watts of electricity consumed equates to an additional consumption of 0.1 litres per 100 kilometres, say the experts at TÜV.
In order to avoid corrosion and leakage currents, motorists should keep the housing, poles and terminals of the battery as clean as possible.
Motorists can first remove oxides from the poles with fine sandpaper before cleaning them with a dry cloth. Special battery terminal grease then also helps to preserve the poles and terminals.
Make sure to always use the grease according to the manufacturer's instructions, and don't forget to wipe the case of the battery with a damp cloth to finish the clean.
