Can you take a car battery to be charged or do I need to buy a new one?

Question

I have a car battery and its dead Its been sitting like that for a while do I need to buy 1 or can I take it somewhere to be charged

Answer 1

Car battery can be charged, actually, everytime you drive it, it's being charged. However, like any battery, it has a life span. When the life span is reached, it cannot be charged anymore, or won't hold the juice. Just like a cell phone battery, cordless phone batetry, or laptop battery. So depends on "how dead" is your battery. You can jump the car, and drive for at least 30 minutes non-stop, and see how long that will last you. If you have to re-jump the car in matter of days, then you need a new battery,

Answer 2

Take it to Auto Zone. They will put it on a charger for you and tell you if it will hold a charge. If so, you only pay for getting the battery charged. If not, they have competitive prices on a replacement.

And yes, batteries do wear out over time and sometimes need to be replaced.

OTOH, if your battery is holding a charge but still gets weak with use it may be something more serious with your car such as an alternator going out. The good folks at AutoZone will check that out for your as well.

Answer 3

A battery that is just sitting will discharge by itself especially if not sitting on a wooden insulator. If it's been in a car and won't start, it MIGHT be the battery or it might be the charging system.

As others have said, you can take it to an Auto Parts Store and they can charge it and check it out for you. Also, a local gas station that does repair can do it, too BUT if you have a friend who works on his own car, he probably has a charger (I do) and can charge it for you. After it charges, put back in your car and see if it starts it and if it stays charged. If it doesn't, your car has charging problems.

GOOD luck

Answer 4

Take it somewhere and have it tested, it might be that the battery is dead and wont hold a charge, if that is the case then you will need a new one, if they say that your battery is good they should be able to charge it for you. im not sure what something like that would cost but i cant imagine it would be much. If you find you need to buy a new battery bring your old battery in with you and you will get a discount and they will take your old battery for you.

Answer 5

That depends on if it really is "dead" or just discharged. It is dead if it won't accept a charge (from a battery charger - available at any auto parts store or department of a big box retailer). If it's just run down or discharged, then it will accept a charge and work fine (their normal life is about 3-6 years depending on use and climate).

Answer 6

You can take it to any autozone or similar parts store to have it checked. cheap car battery chargers are available for your personal use as well, they are around 30-50 bux, that comes in handy in winter and so forth if your batteries run low from lights left on or over cranking. No home should be without a battery charger.

Answer 7

Usually if the battery is dead it cannot be charged. See if you can borrow a charger from someone in the neighborhood.

Answer 8

It may take a charge. Sitting dead for a while is not good. Take it to Firestone, Walmart, or Sears. They can tell you if one or more cells are bad and will not hold a charge.

Answer 9

Take it and have it checked and maybe it just needs to be charged instead of replaced; especially if it's been sitting a while

Answer 10

You can take it to AutoZone or Kraigen or such to get it tested and charged.. Most likely, you may have something wrong with it, though.