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Summer Heat Can Destroy Automotive Batteries


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Sears Auto Center Advises Car Owners Get Battery Inspections

HOFFMAN ESTATES, IL, July 20, 2012: Twenty-eight states and more than 100 cities have posted their warmest first six months on record, according to a recent National Climatic Data Center report. While most motorists associate dead automotive batteries with cold winter weather, it is actually the heat from the summer months that can wreak havoc on the vehicle's battery.

"Extreme heat causes battery fluid to evaporate, which then damages the internal structure of the battery, causing it to fail," said Joe Finney, SVP & President of Sears Automotive Group. "Many car batteries go on life support in the summer and actually die in the winter months," Williams said. The average life of a battery in the northern U.S. is five years, whereas a battery in the southern U.S. may only last two years."

It is hard to predict exactly when a battery may die, but it usually happens without warning. According to an independent survey of Sears Auto Center stores, it costs an average of $100 and over two hours of time to replace a battery after failure, which could have been prevented thru proactive maintenance.

To avoid being stranded, here are some steps to avoid the cost and inconvenience of a surprise breakdown from the experts at Sears Auto Center and the DieHard brand:

  • Stay One-Step Ahead: Get your battery tested at any Sears Auto Center for free. Test batteries that are more than three years old annually.
  • Be Proactive: Over 78 percent of Sears Auto Center customers wait for a battery to fail or an incident to occur before replacing a battery. When customers get a multipoint inspection at Sears Auto Center, if their battery is more than four years old they will receive a 10 percent discount, now through Aug. 4, on any DieHard battery -- America's most preferred automotive battery.
  • Stay Cool: When possible, park your car in a garage or shaded area.
  • Avoid Buildup: Clean any corrosive buildup from battery terminals and cable clamps, and ensure the clamps are tight enough that they will not move.

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