Family Owned & Operated
50% OFF TOWING WITH ALL MAJOR REPAIRS
We Service All Makes & Models
FREE Shuttle Service Within 3 Miles
Complete Auto Repair
June 20, 2021
Here's an interesting statistic for our in Grand Rapids, Michigan, 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 Grand Rapids 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 Grand Rapids. 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 Grand Rapids, sitting for several days will cause discharge.
So some highway driving around Michigan 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 Grand Rapids - Fuller Ave. .
Tuffy Grand Rapids - Fuller Ave.
1121 Fuller Ave. NE
Grand Rapids, Michigan 49503
616.458.8091
https://www.tuffyfullerave.com/
March 2, 2025
Distracted driving is bad, you know that. Daydreaming, talking on the cell phone, putting your makeup on in the rear view mirror. All bad. But there's something else that causes more than twice as many accidents, according to a recent study. And that's people who don't use their turn signals.... More
February 23, 2025
We usually take our vehicle's easy steering for granted until something goes wrong. Power steering is what makes it almost effortless to turn the steering wheel, aiming your vehicle in the direction you want to go. Without the assistance of power from the engine, steering would be a laborious pr... More
February 16, 2025
The automotive professionals at Tuffy Grand Rapids (Fuller Ave) would like to give Grand Rapids drivers an update on some of the things happening in automotive fluids. You know, vehicles are becoming more sophisticated every day. Fluids such as, oil, coolant and transmission fluid are becoming ... More
