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Is it worth me buying a new battery, or does charging really work ? - i have never charged a car battery before, & was wondering if it really does bring it back to life?? i have had the new batt in my car for about 3 years. i have air con & audio system of 600 watts rms. my jouneys to work & back are about 15mins each way, 5 days a week,& on e other weekend i will drive places which are further away, half hour or so (each way). the batt is fine to switch on the car, i can drive with the music on full blast, & it has never cut out on me while cycling . but, if the car is off, & the headlights are left on (accidently) for only 5 mins, the car will not start & will need to be jumped. i know the short journeys are not allowing the alternator time to fully recharge the batt, & over time, the charge stored inside the batt has diminished. the stereo is not always switched on, but i am sure it plays a part in taking charge that should be going to the battery.

Go to your local garage and ask them to do a load/voltage drop test on your battery, this will show the capacity that your battery still has and show up any weakness in any of the cells. if battery capacity is markedly down or any cells gas excessively, think about replacing the battery, probably cheaper than calling out a breakdown service