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It should go without saying that your car battery is important. If it is weak or failing, you will not be able to turn on the vehicle or drive anywhere. The good news is that it's a relatively simple component to work with on standard gas- and diesel-powered vehicles. Batteries are a much trickier issue when it comes to hybrid and electric vehicles, though, but we'll get into that as well.
Signs of a Failing Car Battery
It's not hard to know when your car battery is losing power. Some of the common signs include dimming interior lights, dimming headlights and tail lights or the vehicle is just not starting easily. Of course, most modern vehicles will have a battery warning light (just like your check engine light) on the dashboard that will let you know there is a battery issue worth looking at.
Recharge or Replace?
So what should you do when your battery is getting weak? It may depend on the age of the battery and the health of the battery itself. In some cases, the battery can just be recharged. This is often true if you accidentally left the lights on and the battery died. Give it a jump and it should be back to normal.
However, if the battery is getting old and just not performing like it used to, it is probably time to get it replaced. You can do this yourself or bring it into an auto repair expert like San Francisco Automotive Solutions to make sure you get the right battery for your vehicle and that it is installed correctly. We can also perform tests and inspections on your existing battery. If it just needs to be recharged, then we can take care of it. If it needs to be replaced, we'll let you know for sure.
Hybrid/Electric Vehicle Battery Systems
Naturally, the battery systems in today's hybrid and electric vehicles are much more complex and you want to deal with a hybrid specialist when recharging or replacing any batteries. San Francisco Automotive Solution is a leading hybrid vehicle specialist. We have the latest diagnostics equipment and our staff is experienced at dealing with all types of high-performance, hybrid, electric and other alternative fuel vehicles. Trust our team to make sure things are done properly because a bad battery can lead to much bigger problems in these sensitive vehicle systems.
For a battery test/inspection, battery recharge or battery replacement, call San Francisco Automotive Solutions today at (415) 957-1170 or schedule your next service appointment online.