Why Canberra is hard on batteries
Canberra sits about 580 m above sea level, and the average July minimum is 0.3 degrees. RACV says hot or cold weather weakens a battery, and NRMA says extreme heat or cold can shorten its life. Canberra gets both ends: January days average 28.8 degrees, and the record high is 44.0.
Short trips add to it. By RACV's measure, anything under 20 minutes is too short for the alternator to recharge the battery properly. A quick run to the local shops is that kind of trip, while a long parkway commute is kinder.
Signs the battery is on its way out
- Slow, laboured cranking, worst on the first cold start of the day.
- Headlights or dash lights that dim when you start the engine.
- A click from the starter and nothing else.
- White, blue or greenish crust around the terminals, or a swollen case.
- Needing a jump start more than once.
Battery advice for Canberra drivers
Test it before winter
NRMA recommends a battery test once or twice a year once it's about three years old, and before a long road trip. Here, late autumn is the time to do it, before the frosts and the snow trips begin.
Heading to the snow
NSW's snow driving advice lists the battery among the things to have a mechanic check before the trip. A battery that copes in town can struggle on a freezing morning in the mountains, two hours down the Monaro Highway.
The car that sits all winter
A parked car still draws a small current, and RACQ says a keyless car that isn't locked stays awake looking for its key, drawing more. If a second car spends winter in the garage, lock it, and have the battery tested before you rely on it.
The right replacement
RACV says a new battery should have the same or higher cold cranking amps (CCA, its starting power in the cold) and match the old one's size and terminal layout. Cars with stop-start need a battery built for it, often an AGM type.
What you can do, and what's the mechanic's job
You can
- Notice how the car starts on the coldest mornings, and when it changed.
- Look at the terminals for crust or a swollen case, without touching a cracked or leaking battery.
- Lock the car, even in the garage, so a keyless system isn't drawing power.
- Give it a longer drive each week, such as a parkway run.
Leave to the mechanic
- A load test of the battery and a check of the charging system.
- Fitting the right battery type, with any specialist equipment newer cars need.
- Jump starts on modern cars, which NRMA calls a high-risk job for the electronics.
- Taking the old battery for recycling, since RACT says it shouldn't go in general rubbish.
What we'd do
If the battery is three years old or more and winter is coming, we'd have it tested now rather than wait for the morning it doesn't start. If it fails, we'd replace it with one matching the original's type and CCA rating, and ask for the charging system to be checked on the same visit.