BY NICOLE WAKELIN / ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED JUNE 20, 2018 / NATIONAL AUTOMOTIVE PARTS ASSOCIATION / More often than not, batteries die at the most inopportune times.&hellip;{"id":10524,"date":"2018-06-21T11:23:24","date_gmt":"2018-06-21T18:23:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/?p=10524"},"modified":"2018-06-21T11:23:24","modified_gmt":"2018-06-21T18:23:24","slug":"3-ways-youre-draining-your-car-battery-that-you-might-not-realize","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/2018\/06\/21\/3-ways-youre-draining-your-car-battery-that-you-might-not-realize\/","title":{"rendered":"3 Ways You&#8217;re Draining Your Car Battery That You Might Not Realize"},"content":{"rendered":"<h5><span style=\"color: #000000;\">BY NICOLE WAKELIN \/ ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED JUNE 20, 2018 \/<\/span>\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.napaautocare.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">NATIONAL AUTOMOTIVE PARTS ASSOCIATION<\/a> <span style=\"color: #000000;\">\/<\/span><\/h5>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">More often than not, batteries die at the most inopportune times. Sometimes you get the usual warning signs for a weak car battery, like an engine that\u2019s slow to turn over or an illuminated check engine light. Sometimes, though, you get no signs at all, so it\u2019s always a good idea to have your battery frequently tested, and it also may help to have a<\/span>\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.napaonline.com\/en\/p\/SORES400?cid=social_blog_062018_portable_jump_starter\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">jump-starter<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0<span style=\"color: #000000;\">on hand as an extra precaution.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">If your battery is older than 3 years, then it might not be a surprise when it\u2019s time for a new one, but what if it\u2019s not old? Once you rule out obvious causes like an open trunk lid, glove box or car door, then you have to dig deeper. Here are three unusual reasons why your car battery might die.<\/span><\/p>\n<h5><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>1. Car Alarm<\/strong><\/span><\/h5>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Car alarms installed by the automaker don\u2019t usually cause trouble, but aftermarket car alarms are a different story. Installed correctly, they draw a small amount of power and won\u2019t drain your battery. Installed incorrectly, they can suck the power right out of your battery.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">If you have an aftermarket car alarm, then this is one of the first things to check when you have a<\/span>\u00a0<strong><a href=\"http:\/\/knowhow.napaonline.com\/5-ways-to-extend-the-life-of-your-car-battery\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">draining car battery<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">. It could be as simple as a frayed wire touching a metal part and causing an intermittent connection. If the aftermarket alarm system is new, then it might be a more complex installation problem that needs double-checking by the installer.<\/span><\/p>\n<h5><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>2. Stereo System<\/strong><\/span><\/h5>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">A car stereo may also be the culprit when your battery dies. Once again, it\u2019s not usually those installed by the automaker that will drain your battery. It\u2019s the aftermarket systems that produce the kind of sound people can hear three cars ahead of you in traffic that can be trouble. The larger and more powerful the system, the greater the potential for battery drain.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">A simple check is to disconnect your stereo system and see if that fixes your battery woes. This will prove the stereo is the issue, but diagnosing how to fix it can be challenging. It all depends on how your stereo was installed, and you may need the help of an experienced technician to fix the problem.<\/span><\/p>\n<h5><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>3. Car Key<\/strong><\/span><\/h5>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Once upon a time,<\/span>\u00a0<strong><a href=\"http:\/\/knowhow.napaonline.com\/importance-spare-keys\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">car keys<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0<span style=\"color: #000000;\">were metal things you put into a slot and turned to unlock the doors. Some cars still have traditional keys, but many have proximity keys. These let you walk up to the car to automatically unlock the doors. It\u2019s a handy feature when your arms are full and your key is stuffed in your pocket, but one that can also cause battery issues.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">A receiver in your car is constantly searching for your proximity key\u2019s frequency. Whenever it finds that frequency, it checks to see if it\u2019s an exact match to your car. Any proximity key wakes things up. If you\u2019re parked next to the entrance of a parking structure where everyone is walking by with proximity keys in their pockets and you happen to leave your car for an extended period, then your car battery can drain. It won\u2019t be an issue for every car, but particularly in hybrids, it might be your problem.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">It can be frustrating trying to figure out what went wrong when a car battery drains. Looking at these three unusual reasons right from the start will help limit that frustration and get you back on your way.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Check out all the\u00a0<\/span><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.napaonline.com\/en\/c\/electrical-systems\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">electrical\u00a0system<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0<span style=\"color: #000000;\">products\u00a0<wbr \/>available on<\/span>\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.napaonline.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">NAPA online<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0<span style=\"color: #000000;\">or trust one of their 16,000<\/span>\u00a0<strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.napaautocare.com\/store-finder.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">NAPA AutoCare locations<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0<span style=\"color: #000000;\">for routine maintenance and repairs. For more information on reasons your car battery might die, chat with a knowledgeable expert at your local<\/span>\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.napaonline.com\/en\/store-locator\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">NAPA AUTO PARTS store<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><em>Photo Credit:<\/em>\u00a0<em>Pomona Swap Meet<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><i>This article has been reproduced with the permission of the copyright holder, National Automotive Parts Association. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Click here for more\u00a0<\/i><\/span><strong><i><a href=\"http:\/\/knowhow.napaonline.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">automotive tips and stories<\/a><\/i><\/strong><i>\u00a0<span style=\"color: #000000;\">from NAPA, or here for more information on<\/span>\u00a0<strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/event-info\/car-show-hours-dates\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">the next Pomona Swap Meet &amp; Classic Car Show<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":null,"protected":false},"author":98,"featured_media":10528,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"cos_headline_score":0,"cos_seo_score":0,"cos_headline_text":"","cos_headline_has_been_analyzed":false,"cos_last_analyzed_headline":[],"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[805],"tags":[6361,6362,3056,6350,6357,6360,6356,6359,1136,6351,4420,6352,3491,3037,3026,6353,6354,6355,6358],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/image0000001.jpg?fit=800%2C800&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9nnZN-2JK","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10524"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/98"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10524"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10524\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10529,"href":"https:\/\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10524\/revisions\/10529"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10528"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10524"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10524"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10524"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}