What is a Car BatterY?

Your car battery is responsible for providing a jolt of electricity to all the electrical parts of your vehicle. When your car battery is dead, your car won’t start. In some cases, the engine won’t attempt to turn over and your lights and other electricals won’t work. Other times the engine will attempt to crank but won’t start. Either way, you want to use the jumper cables to give your battery a start.

Your battery is a chemical reaction that converts chemical energy into electrical energy, providing your car with a steady about of power and equipping it with the ability to deliver a voltage to the starter.

How Can You Check if Your CAR Battery is Old?

You can try to check the four or five digit date code on the cover of your battery case. The first part is key, so look for at the first letter and digit.

• The letter is assigned to a month A=January, B=February, C=March, and so on.
• The next number tells you the year it was shipped out of the factory. 0 = 2010, 1 = 2011, 2 = 2012 and so on.
• The other numbers can tell you where the battery was made so you don’t have to worry so much about those numbers.

Car batteries can last anywhere between 3-5 years. Combining that with the information above can give you a sense if your battery is on the tail end of its life or not. Not all batteries are made the same, though. If your car often has slow engine crank or sporadically doesn’t start, monitor it carefully because you might be due for a change soon, especially if it’s been over 3 years.

Why Should You Recycle Your Car Battery?

Car batteries, whether for standard or hybrid cars, motorcycles, or trucks, are considered hazardous waste, but luckily enough, on average 90% of car batteries are recyclable. Most standard car batteries are typically created from heavy metals (such as lead), acid, and plastic, and if they are not disposed of correctly they can cause serious harm to the environment. Even though hybrid car batteries don’t contain lead, they can still have a high toxicity rate and cause environmental harm. Therefore it’s important to take the time and figure out how to properly dispose of the them.

Where Can You Dispose of Your Car Battery in Fauquier County, Virginia?

There numerous places where you can recycle your old car battery:

• Exchange your old car battery at the retailer you are buying your new one from. Many retailers that are selling them collect them as well. There might be a small fee charge.
• Contact a recycling center near you – check out the Fauquier County website for full details.
  • Corral Farm Collection Site – Only material from Fauquier County residents is accepted.
    • 8499 Bingham Rd. Warrenton, VA 20187
  • Remote Collection Sites – Only material from Fauquier County residents is accepted.
    • Catlett:  3157 Gaskin Lane, Catlett, VA 20119
    • New Baltimore:  5468 Old Alexandria Pike, Warrenton, VA 20187
    • Marshall:  7592 East Main St., Marshall, VA 20115
    • Markham:  3294 Leeds Manor Road, Markham, VA 22643
    • Morrisville:  12724 Shipps Store Road, Bealeton, VA 22742
    • Remington Recycling Site: 113 S. James Madison St. Remington, VA 22736
• Bring your old car batteries to a local auto repair store or garage.
• You can also try and find a local AAA office. Each year around earth day they hold an event called the Great Battery Roundup where they take in old batteries and recycle them.

For Hybrid Cars:

• Check to see if there is recycling or disposal information on batteries from hybrid cars. There is usually printed information to where and how you can recycle them
• If you can’t find the information, call your hybrid car’s manufacturer. The car manufacture may recycle them for you.

If your battery is getting old or your vehicle needs some maintenance, please come by and see your local mechanics at Warrenton Automotive. We are here to answer any of your automotive questions and happy to help you with any issues related to your vehicle. Call us to today to schedule a check up.