How to choose the right battery?

The car battery is the power underneath the hood of your car. It provides electricity needed to start the car, for door locks, power windows, lights, audio and other car accessories. You must discard the old battery properly:
• Sell it to Scrap Metal buyers ; and,
• Automotive battery supply stores, they will buy off your battery with certain price value according to market.

Five important factors in choosing a car battery:

• Size
• Capacity
• Cold-cranking amps
• Age
• Brand

Size
Size refers to the height, width and length of the battery. They come in different group sizes to fit most cars’ battery tray. It is important that the battery fit securely. Always refer to your car manufacturer's manual to know your car's specific battery group size. You may also consult the reference guides, which battery retailers provide, find out the appropriate battery size for your car. Buying a wrong-sized battery will just be a waste of money and might just set off more damage to your car.

Capacity
The longer the operating time of the battery' reserve capacity, the better; because this is the one quality of the battery that could save you from getting stranded. Consider the RC rating as your car's emergency kit. In times of unexpected trouble, you can still run to safety instead of getting stuck somewhere.

Cold-Cranking Amps
Cold-cranking amps (CCA) measure the battery's ability to start your car even on an extremely cold weather. Your car will be hard to start (or to ignite) because the car's engine oil thickens and chemical reactions, in turn, slow down.
Choosing a battery with a high number of CCA is better; particularly to those vehicles being driven in a cold climate. A higher cold- cramping amps assure that your car's engine will start obediently even on snowy mornings.

Age
The age of the battery gives you an idea on how long it should be able to perform. A battery is considered ‘fresh' if it is less than 6 months old.

Brand
Brand refers to the trademark given to a certain product. Buying the battery brand specified in your owner's manual is the best way. But if that particular brand is too expensive and you want to do some cost-cutting, follow the specification requirement also found in the owner's manual.