Symptom guide
Why your battery keeps dying
If you've already replaced the battery once and it happened again, the battery was never the problem. There are three real causes and they're easy to tell apart.
Narrow it down
What the symptom usually means
The alternator isn't charging properly
The most common cause of a repeat failure. A weak alternator puts back less than the car uses, so the battery drains a little more each day until one morning it doesn't start. Dimming headlights and a battery warning light while driving are the tells.
Something is draining it overnight
A parasitic draw — an aftermarket stereo, a dash cam wired to a permanent live, a faulty door switch keeping an interior light on, or a module that never goes to sleep. The car is fine while running and dead by morning.
The battery is simply past it
Three years is a realistic life in Florida heat. If yours is at or beyond that and it's failing a load test, it's just done — no mystery to solve.
Short trips only
If your driving is ten minutes each way, the alternator never fully replaces what starting the engine costs. The battery ends up chronically undercharged. An occasional longer drive or a maintenance charger fixes it.
This is a guide, not a diagnosis. Two cars with identical symptoms regularly turn out to have different faults, which is exactly what the scan is for.
Worth knowing
Before you spend money
- A battery that's been deeply flattened more than a couple of times rarely recovers full capacity.
- Corroded terminals cause the same symptoms as a dead battery and cost nothing to clean.
- If a jump start works but it dies again within a day, test the charging system before buying a battery.
- Many modern cars need a new battery registered to the charging system. Skipping that step shortens its life.
Questions
I just replaced the battery and it died again. Why?
Because the battery probably wasn't the fault. Either the alternator isn't charging it or something is draining it while the car is parked. Both are testable.
Can you find a parasitic draw at my house?
Yes. We test current draw with the car asleep and pull fuses systematically to isolate the circuit responsible.
Other symptoms
Where we come to you
Still not sure what it is?
That's what the $95 diagnostic is for — and it comes off the repair if you have us do the work.