What does a car battery do?

The car battery is responsible for powering all of the electric components in your car. As well as the lights, stereo, windscreen wipers, etc. it is also responsible for powering the ignition system that starts your engine and keeps it running.

How often should a car battery need replacing?

A car battery is to have an expected lifespan of between 4 to 6 years. This is dependent on several factors, for example, the quality of the battery, weather conditions, vehicle type, driving habits, and vehicle type.

The law, vehicle regulations, and your MOT

The physical condition of your battery will not cause your car to fail an MOT, but if the car won’t start, run or operate the electrical components properly because of your battery, then that will.

What happens when we replace your car battery?

• Our efficient and fully qualified mechanics will inspect your battery for correct operation, signs of corrosion and will be load tested to ascertain its ability to retain charge.
• Wherever required your battery will be replaced and you’ll be advised of any other connected or associated problems arising from its malfunction.
• You will also be advised of any other parts, for example, the cables, that may need to be replaced for the best operation and health of your vehicle.
• Once the battery has been replaced, our mechanics will test it thoroughly to ensure the correct running of your car and make any adjustments required for its premium operation.

What causes a car battery to stop working correctly?

Your battery is continually being charged by your car’s alternator while driving, so it’s only through damage or that it has reached the end of its operational life, that it will fail to hold its charge.

On occasions when there has been excessive electrical use without your battery being recharged, your battery will be drained. A drained battery will only require a recharge unless the battery is faulty and its failed operation was instrumental to the drain.

After prolonged use, a car battery can leak the acid that holds the electrical charge. This liquid will turn to a white or bluish powder where it dries, so is fairly easy to spot.

Eventually, a battery will simply reach the end of its life. At this point, it’s time to organise a replacement.

Symptoms of a malfunctioning car battery

If your car won’t start

If your car doesn’t start when you turn the ignition switch, especially when the engine doesn’t make any attempt to turn over, your battery could be flat.

None of the electrical components work

If the lights, fan, radio or any other electrical components in your car don’t turn on or operate, then your battery could be drained or damaged.

The terminals are corroded

If the terminals (connection points) on your battery are corroded, then your battery is likely to be damaged or worn out.

Your battery has powdery deposits on it

If there are white or blueish powdery deposits on any parts of the battery, this is a sign of acid leaking and incorrect operation of your battery.

Nissan

The Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. is a Japanese multinational automobile manufacturer, established over 85 years ago, in 1933.

Currently, they operate as part of the Renault–Nissan–Mitsubishi Alliance, incorporating two other industry giants under their umbrella operation.

How popular is Nissan in the United Kingdom?

Nissan has always been a popular household name, and recently a bestseller to boot, with around 1.7million vehicles on the UK roads today.

Their introduction to the SUV market happened in 2007 with the Qashqai, and in 2018 it was announced as the 4th best-selling car in the UK.

Stylish well-priced cars for the road, off-road and the track

Nissan’s various sized and styled SUVs are well priced with something for both urban and adventure seeking drivers. The British built Nissan Qashqai has made great waves since its introduction and its smaller compact crossover cousin, the Nissan Juke, isn’t going to be too far behind for long.

Nissan’s latest electric models

The Nissan Leaf is an all-electric compact hatchback that is leading the way in this fast-growing and competitive market. It became the world’s best selling electric car in 2014, holding 45% of the all-electric car market.

Nissan’s second zero emissions vehicle is the E-NV200 Combi, a 5- or 7-seater MPV utilising the same technologies as the ground- and record-breaking Leaf.

The Nissan GT-R: true track performance

With increased torque and horsepower, the latest GT-R delivers up to 3.8-litres of twin-turbo V6 performance, an incredibly clean drag coefficient providing more consistent downforce, and utilising Nissan’s Vehicle Dynamic Control to consistently monitor steering and braking, this Nissan technology automatically makes compensations to oversteer, understeer, engine speed and braking to provide maximum performance with minimum effort.

And if you can’t quite stretch to the £80k+ price tag for your performance sports car, then the Nissan 370Z could be a more affordable option starting at the lower base price of £29k.

Nissan’s reliability and reputation

Nissan ranked 27th place out of 30 car brands in the What Car? Reliability Survey in 2018. With an 87.1% efficiency rating, perhaps there’s a little work to be done to improve their overall reliability to compete with the other better performing Asian brands in this area?

Recent Nissan recalls and reliability issues

Various recalls have been made on Nissan models throughout their motoring history. The following are a list of the most recent in the UK and Europe.

02/04/2019 – Nissan Qashqai (2018)

The radiator fan assembly may fail

05/09/2018 – Nissan NV200 and Nissan Juke (2017)

Internal ignition switch spring may have a been manufactured with a surface defect

05/07/2018 – Nissan NV400 (2017)

Incorrect software configuration in combi meter

17/04/2018 – Nissan QashQai (2017)

VIN gross combination weight information is incorrect

17/04/2018 – Nissan QashQai (2017–2018)

Body control module may fail

21/03/2018 – Nissan Micra (2017)

Front wheel hub may not be manufactured to correct specification

13/03/2018 – Nissan NV400 (2016–2017)

Steering column joint may not be secure

05/03/2018 – Nissan NV400 (2016–2017)

Fuel filter support may break

All recall information sourced from gov.co.uk data.