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February 25, 2016
Here's an interesting statistic for our in Chicago, Illinois, drivers: Only 30 percent of car batteries make it to 48 months. And the life expectancy varies by where you live. It ranges from 51 months in extremely cold areas to just 30 months in extremely hot climates.
Why is that? It turns out that it's our modern cars with all their electric accessories that are to blame. Things like, GPS, DVDs and entertainment computers are keeping vehicle batteries from maintaining a full charge. The longer a battery goes with a low charge, the sooner it'll die.
It's clear that you Chicago drivers need to recharge your batteries. This is the job of the alternator. The problem comes when the car's demand for electricity is high and we are driving in stop and go conditions or short trips around Chicago. The alternator just can't keep up.
The result is shortened battery life. So what can we do to improve our battery's health?
We need to keep the battery as close to a full charge as possible. That can be hard because sitting for just 24 hours in hot weather between charges can be too long. When the weather's cold in Chicago, sitting for several days will cause discharge.
So some highway driving around Illinois will help keep a full charge if the battery has not been deeply depleted. Car batteries are not designed to be run down really low, or deep cycled, as it's called. So using your headlights or other power accessories when the car is off can deeply deplete your battery. Using the alternator to recharge from a deeply depleted state is also very dangerous to your battery because it charges too fast. In fact, on average, your battery would only last for ten recharges like that.
If you do find yourself with a dead battery or very low battery, use a good quality battery charger to slowly bring the battery up to full charge. Follow the instructions on the charger or talk to your friendly and knowledgeable service advisor at Tuffy Chicago (Diversey Pkwy) .
Tuffy Chicago (Diversey Pkwy)
1400 West Diversey Pkwy
Chicago, Illinois 60614
773-929-3622
February 1, 2026
It's safe to say that most drivers take their brakes for granted. You press on the brake pedal and the vehicle slows down or stops. It's easy to see why it is so important for your vehicle's brakes to be working correctly. Brakes are an important safety feature of any vehicle. When it comes to... More
January 25, 2026
When it comes to brakes on your vehicle, we all know how important it is to keep them working well because they are vital safety equipment. After all, if you cant slow down and stop, you cant drive safely. While many vehicles use what are called disc brakes, theres another type of brakes that ... More
January 18, 2026
What do mud, bird droppings and frost all have in common? When theyre covering your windshield, they can temporarily obscure your view of the road, leaving you driving blind. And when you cant see the road clearly ahead of you, it can be really scary. Thats one of the reasons its important to m... More
