During the cold winter months, your car battery can become prone to failure, writes Matt Peacock, MD of Star Tech in Poole.

It’s very likely that some drivers will experience going out to their car one morning only to discover that the battery is totally flat.

So why does this happen and what can you do to try and avoid this happening to you?

Cold weather temperatures can interfere with the chemical processes in your car battery and prevent it from holding charge.

Do you know how old your battery is?

When did you last change it or get a professional to check it for you?

In winter, due to darker skies, rain and ice, we all tend to use our heater, window demisters, heated seats, rear window heater, wiper blades and headlights way more than in the summer months.

This all takes life out of your car’s battery and can result in you being unable to get your car started in the morning.

Short journeys of less than five miles can also drain the battery if you never do any regular longer trips.

To try and prolong battery life during the winter months, the most important thing to ensure is that everything is turned off when you leave your vehicle to prevent drainage.

Turn off the radio, wipers, heaters etc so that they don’t all blast into action when you try to start your vehicle.

Many batteries on newer vehicles don’t even give you any warning, they will just fail.

If you find that your car is not starting straight away, the first thing to do is to seek advice from an Independent Specialist such as Star Tech in Poole if you own a Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Jaguar, Smart or Mini.

Getting your car checked out straight away to rule out any issue with the starter motor means that the battery can then be checked at the same time.

It’s certainly worth doing.

If your battery suddenly stops working, you are going to be left stranded and may have to rely on a recovery service, incurring more costs than if you were to simply replace the ageing battery in the first place.

Whilst you consider this, you may also want to stock up on a spare set of remote batteries for your car key too.

Don’t ignore any battery warning signs, get them checked out.

If you have any concerns, call our friendly Service Team on 01202 694758 for advice.