Considering the powerful job they have to do and the conditions they often have to work in, car batteries often effortlessly and thanklessly provide a function many of us couldn’t do without.
Except when they don’t start.
Because someone left the headlights on all night.
Oops.
Did I do that?
I’m not purposely trying to quote Steve Urkel, but I’ll admit I left my headlights on this week, draining my battery of all its power. After coming home from an evening class at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, I parked my vehicle in the garage and promptly got out without turning them off.
To come up with an excuse, I’ll blame my error on the fact my other vehicle has automatic headlights. I assumed these would turn off automatically also.
They didn’t, leaving me with a vehicle that wouldn’t start in the morning.
Fortunately my wife had just left for work and was able to come back and get me. If she hadn’t been around, I would have been working from home, which is hard to do when everything I need to do my job was on my computer at my office.
I’ve only had car battery problems twice in my life, and the first time probably shouldn’t count since the problem wasn’t actually the battery but the starter. I was young and inexperienced with even less car mechanic knowledge, so I assumed my car wasn’t starting because the battery was dead. After purchasing a new battery, figuring out how to change it and then trying with no luck to start it, I learned a good lesson: make sure the battery is dead first.
It was a good lesson, as I’ve had starters go out twice since then. Knowing the battery was fine, I was able to address the actual problem without unnecessarily buying a new battery. And when I encountered a legitimate battery problem two years ago after returning from a week-long trip to Florida, I knew it could be resolved with jumper cables rather than purchasing a new one.
I was told a little later by a mechanic I would need a new battery soon, as it only had a 30 percent life left in it. Two years later, I’ve finally used that remaining 30 percent, through a big fault of my own. Who knows how long it may have lasted had I not oopsed?
Usually when I have vehicle problems, I tend to curse the problem and the vehicle. But I’m not now. I’m praising all the car batteries I have ever had. They have been especially good to me over the years, especially when the temperatures have dropped well below zero. My grandmother told me a little praise can go a long way. I’m hoping this means I’ll never have to replace or jump another car battery again.
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Originally published in The Portage County Gazette on Friday, Jan. 27, 2012.
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