A top mechanic has issued a winter warning to road users (Image: Getty)
A top has warned motorists are at risk of being “stranded” due to a simple error as temperatures fall this winter.
Scotty Kilmer, a leading vehicle repair expert, stressed that , with the part
In cooler weather, the chemical reactions inside the battery will slow down which will
It means even a small drain can available, making it harder for road users to start their or vehicles.
Scotty has urged individuals to check the batteries Cold Cranking Amps (CCA) which will let them know how much their vehicle is at risk.
Flat car batteries could leave drivers ‘stranded’ this winter (Image: Getty)
, Scotty said: “Yeah it’s cold outside now so I’m going to show you how to make sure your car starts up right.
“Now car batteries are like people they don’t like cold weather, so you’ve got to make sure your battery is good. The liquid inside doesn’t like cold weather, it gets thicker, it doesn’t pull electricity as well.
“So you want to have your cold crank amperage tested. This one’s 550 cold cranking amps. If it’s too low the tester will say replace the battery. Do it now before you get stranded.”
The CCA scale informs road users how many amps are needed to make sure cold weather does not stop motorists from starting their engines.
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For most vehicles, batteries will have a CCA level likely falling between 250 and 600.
However, larger vehicles such as buses may have CCA readings of up to 1,000.
As well as colder weather, batteries tend to become more drained in winter for a variety of reasons.
Firstly, motorists tend to rely on more electrical accessories such as car headlights, wipers and heaters which suck up all the available power.
Meanwhile, short trips may not allow batteries to fully charge in the same way a long journey on motorways would.
But Scotty admitted batteries were not the only reason motorists were at risk this January.
Scotty added: “Now the other reason the car might start bad is because if the engine gets cold and your oil is dirty and too thick it’ll have a hard time cranking over.
“So if you can park it in a garage it’s going to start easier and make sure you got good, clean oil that;s the right viscosity so it will spin up fast and not leave you stranded.”