The heat may impact your car battery: Here’s how

AUSTIN, Texas (KXAN) — With a heatwave scorching large parts of the United States, some drivers are finding themselves unable to start their cars after their batteries fail.

Among those is Rob Drummond, who was left with no choice but to buy a brand new battery.

“Put a bunch of groceries in the back of my car that’s about 130 degrees and went in to start it. And the whole thing just kind of flipped out on me,” Drummond told Nexstar’s KXAN in Austin, Texas.

Drummond hasn’t been the only one. Advance Auto Parts worker Paul Lanmon said they are selling an average of about 10 batteries per day.

“It’s just a constant, ‘I need a battery. I need a battery. Can you come check my battery?’” Lanmon said.

He said the area’s record-breaking heat is breaking these batteries.

“Some of them require water. If the water evaporates out of these batteries due to the heat, it’s gonna ruin that battery,” Lanmon said.

According to AAA of Oregon, hot weather can kill more batteries than cold weather in the winter. The heat not only increases the rate of fluid loss, but it can also cause components of the battery to oxidize.

“You just hope it lasts as long as possible till the next time this happens to you, which will inevitably be on another 107-degree day,” Drummond said.

For battery maintenance, Lanmon suggested checking the water levels in your battery. He said if it’s low, add distilled water until it reaches the top of the notch in the battery.