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There are certain chores that life brings around from time to time. They are the nuisance chores: de-icing a windscreen, beating out a car's carpets, doing a little lubricating, and so on. The abhorrence that these chores inspire in us is truly disproportionate to the actual trouble involved in carrying them out; but all of these are widely - disliked nevertheless, and we feel less in control for our inability to face them. On the list of automotive bugbears, one of the worst burdens stands out to be the replacing of a car battery. There is something about going near a heavy, dirty, grease- streaked and acid-filled container that gets to most people.

As they say for relationships, talking about it usually clears the air and makes it better. A little knowledgeable discussion about the actual steps involved in completing such a chore, usually makes things begin to look much better. Automotive batteries usually last between three and four years. As its time wears out, the car battery holds less and less power, and takes longer to become charged. It is hard to tell when exactly a battery needs replacing. The usual first-aid routine involves charging the battery with cables attached to another car. If this doesn't work though, there are a couple of things to rule out. It is possible when a battery seems quite non-responsive, and that the problem lies in nothing but a little corrosion of a battery terminal.

All that needs to be done to clear the air about the condition of a battery, is a little visual inspection. The battery is an electrical component; any work to do with such a component is best done in the safety of a switched-off state. Make sure, before you open up the hood and inspect the battery then, that the keys are out of the ignition. Such an action does not actually turn off the battery; it provides the safety of removing the battery from contact from the car's charging system.The battery is itself always live; while a 12 V DC car battery cannot directly shock you, the power contained within can harm the battery itself if the required observances are not heeded. Never connect a battery's terminals with any metal object. This kind of direct connection makes what is known as a short circuit, and causes explosions. An automotive battery is put together with toxic and corrosive substances: lead and acid. Battery acid is not strong enough to instantly damage anything; it is however, strong enough to thoroughly corrode and damage any object that comes into contact

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