Test Before You Replace
Batteries in the tropics have a harder life than most. Heat is what actually kills them, and the usual pattern is a battery that cranks perfectly well right up until the morning it doesn't. At Advanced Automotive Services, we test batteries free using an electronic Midtronics unit, which measures state of health rather than just whether there's voltage sitting there. That tells you whether a battery replacement is genuinely due, or whether the charging system is the real problem. We keep a wide range in stock, so most vehicles can be sorted the same day. If the car has been slow to start and the engine management light is on, mention it when you call (07) 4033 6418. Our Cairns workshop is easy to get to.
Why Batteries Fail Early Up Here
Battery life in the far north runs shorter than the figures quoted for cooler parts of the country.
- Heat. High under-bonnet temperatures accelerate the internal corrosion that eventually ends a battery's life. Three to four years is a realistic expectation in this climate.
- Short trips. A battery needs sustained running to fully recharge after starting. Repeated short runs leave it in a partial state of charge, which shortens its life.
- Charging system faults. An alternator that's overcharging or undercharging will ruin a healthy battery. Testing the charging system matters as much as testing the battery.
- Parasitic drain. Accessories, alarms and faulty modules can draw current with the ignition off. A battery that keeps going flat after replacement usually has a drain behind it.
Frequently Asked Questions
A flat battery has been discharged but can still hold a charge once recharged. A dead one has lost internal capacity and will keep failing regardless of how often it's jump started.
Not necessarily. A battery can have enough capacity left to crank a warm engine and still fail on a cold or heavily loaded start, which is why load testing gives a better answer than a start test.
Either the battery has lost capacity, or something in the vehicle is drawing current while it's parked. A parasitic drain test separates the two.
