Car Battery Replacement in Audubon, NJ

If your car cranks slowly, needed a jump this week, or is on a battery more than four years old, AutoBlast tests the battery and the charging system before replacing anything. The test is free with any service. If the battery fails, we fit the type your car was built for, register it on vehicles that require it, and recycle the old one. When the right battery is in stock, most replacements are done while you wait. AutoBlast is at 21 S. White Horse Pike in Audubon, close to Haddon Heights, Collingswood, Bellmawr, Barrington, and Cherry Hill.

Battery or Something Else? Test Before You Buy

A dead battery is often the victim, not the cause. Before a new battery goes in, we check three things:

• The battery under load. A battery can read a normal voltage at rest and still collapse when the starter pulls on it. A load test shows whether it can still deliver its rated cold cranking amps.
• The charging system. With the engine running, a healthy alternator holds the system at roughly 13.5 to 14.5 volts. If it is low, a new battery will go flat too. See alternator replacement cost.
• Draw with the car off. If a relay, module, or add-on accessory stays awake after you lock the car, it drains a good battery overnight. That calls for a parasitic drain diagnosis, not a new battery.

If the car cranks strongly but will not fire, or clicks once while the dash lights stay bright, the battery may be fine and the starter or fuel side is the problem. Our car won't start guide walks through the differences, and starter replacement cost covers the starter side.

Why Batteries Fail on the First Cold Mornings

Summer heat wears a battery down. The first cold snap exposes it, because the chemistry inside the battery slows down while cold, thick oil makes the engine harder to turn. That is why a battery that started the car fine in September leaves you stuck in December. Most batteries last three to five years. If yours is past four, a test in October or November costs far less than a jump start in January.

On a car with start-stop, an early warning is the engine no longer shutting off at red lights. The car often disables start-stop to protect a weak battery before any warning light comes on.

Which Battery Your Car Needs

• Standard flooded (lead-acid): most older cars without start-stop.
• EFB (enhanced flooded battery): many smaller cars with start-stop. Built to handle more charge cycles than a standard battery.
• AGM (absorbent glass mat): most cars with start-stop and heavy electrical loads, and many European models. If your car left the factory with an AGM battery, it needs AGM again. A cheaper flooded battery in these cars wears out early.
• Size and rating: the group size, terminal layout, and cold cranking amps have to match what the manufacturer specifies.

Battery Registration on Newer Cars

Many BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi, Volkswagen, and Volvo models, and some newer Ford and GM vehicles, have a battery management system that has to be told a new battery is installed. Without registration, the car keeps charging the new battery as if it were the old, worn one, which shortens its life. AutoBlast registers the new battery as part of the replacement on vehicles that require it.

What Battery Replacement at AutoBlast Includes

1. A load test on the battery and a check of the charging system, free with any service.
2. A replacement matched to your car's group size, battery type, and cold cranking amps.
3. A check of the terminals and cables.
4. Registration or coding on vehicles that require it.
5. Recycling of the old battery. Lead-acid batteries are regulated as universal waste and cannot go in the trash (EPA, Universal Waste).

Price depends on the battery type, the group size, and whether your car needs registration. Call (856) 546-8880 with the year, make, and model for a quote on your car. Our car battery replacement cost guide explains what moves the price, and how long a car battery lasts covers what shortens battery life.

If Your Car Will Not Start Right Now

Call (856) 546-8880 first. If a jump gets it running, drive it straight to the shop without shutting it off along the way, and we will test the battery and charging system when you arrive. If it will not take a jump, tell us what happens when you turn the key or press the start button, and we will tell you the next step.

Battery Service Near Audubon

Drivers bring cars to us from Audubon, Haddon Heights, Haddonfield, Collingswood, Oaklyn, Mt. Ephraim, Bellmawr, Barrington, and Cherry Hill. We are at 21 S. White Horse Pike in Audubon.