So you go out to start your car, and the battery is low enough that you can’t start your car. You charge your battery and test it, and you find that your battery is just fine and your alternator is just fine. It must be that your have an item in your car that is causing a drain on your battery.

There are a few things that constantly draw power in a vehicle, such as the clock on the radio, so it’s normal to have a reading between 20 and 50 milliamps. If your reading is higher than that, it means there’s a draw and something is using too much power.
Unplug all devices from your vehicle and make sure no electrical components are on. Turn off the radio, heat or A/C, lights, windshield wipers, etc. and close your glovebox and lighted mirror covers. Engage the emergency brake, turn your vehicle off, and remove the key from the ignition if you haven’t already. Then, close all of the doors and the trunk or back hatch so that none of the circuits are activated.

Be sure to remove any cables that may be plugged into your vehicle, like a GPS unit or phone charger, as well. Charge your battery fully. In order to accurately detect the parasitic draw, you need to begin with a fully-charged battery. Pop the hood and locate your vehicle’s battery. Use a vehicle battery charger to charge the battery to 100%.
Many car batteries are 12.6 volts. You can check the power with a multimeter to ensure the battery is fully charged.

If your battery is old or damaged or isn’t reading 12.6 volts when fully charged, you may want to replace it before moving on. Remove the negative battery cable from the negative battery terminal. Find the negative cable, which will be marked with a minus sign (-)
Set up a digital multimeter. The multimeter has both a black wire and a red wire attached to it as well as several different input slots. Connect the black wire to the “com” (common ground) input and plug the red wire into the highest amp input (usually 20A). Set the dial on the multimeter to measure amps.

Attach the multimeter to the negative battery cable and terminal. Place the red lead through the metal circle at the end of the negative battery cable. Touch the black lead to the negative battery terminal.

Note that you have a parasitic draw if the reading is more than 50 milliamps. There are a few things that constantly draw power in a vehicle, such as the clock on the radio, so it’s normal to have a reading between 20 and 50 milliamps. If your reading is higher than that, it means there’s a draw and something is using too much power.

If you bring your car to Lim’s Auto Body, we can find the culprit. We will pull the fuses one at a time and test the draw until we find the circuit where the problem is. Then we will check all the items in that circuit until we find the culprit.

Lim’s Auto Body is a full service auto body and mechanical repair shop locally owned and operated in Largo, Florida. For more information, go to our web site www.limsautobody.com or call (727) 422-3232.

How do I know when to change tires?

lace a penny head first into several tread grooves across the tire. If you always see the top of Lincoln’s head, your treads are shallow and worn. If this is the case, your tires need to be replaced. If part of Lincoln’s head is always covered by the tread, you have more than 2/32 of an inch of tread depth remaining.

How long does it take to change 2 tires?

You can expect two tires to take roughly half an hour, and four tires to take around 55 minutes. We usually allow 5 minutes extra per tire if they are run flats.

Is it OK to change two tires at a time?

Mixing tire brands or even different models may cause handling instability. And when replacing only two, we recommend installing the new tires in the rear and placing the (older but still decent) rear tires in the front. This may help prevent a spinout or oversteer condition on slick roads.

How much should an alignment cost?

A front-end alignment that only involves the two wheels on the front of the car typically costs from $50 to $75, compared to $100 to $150 for a four-wheel alignment. Purchasing a limited warranty that covers the work for a specified period of time or based on mileage limitations costs less than a lifetime warranty.

Do you need an alignment after replacing one tire?

We recommend an alignment after the installation of new tires. That’s because an alignment can help you get the most from your new tires. Wheel alignment checks are always advised after any significant impact with a bumper, a curb, a big pothole, an animal or anything else. It may have knocked your vehicle off spec.

Lim’s Auto Body is a full service auto body and mechanical repair shop locally owned and operated in Largo, Florida. For more information, go to our web site www.limsautobody.com or call (727) 422-3232.