For the ladies on the road: How to shop for a battery

When it comes to smart shopping, it's no secret that women generally have the upper hand.

And while this time of year many women are crowding malls in search of bikinis and beach wear, before they set sail on a summer vacation, many may also be hitting their local automotive repair and retail shops to purchase their car maintenance items.

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One of the best preventative car maintenance practices all women should observe is to check their car battery and buy a new one if their current one isn't up to par.

Gender-wise or otherwise, if your car battery is dead or even weak, you're not going anywhere. It is the leading cause of starting trouble, whether it's because of lights having been left on, a charging system problem or other causes. Sometimes it is just that the battery has outlived its usefulness.

But even at best, a healthy battery in 80 degree weather has only half of its output when the thermometer dips to zero.

So ladies, when shopping, remember that a battery is rated by cold cranking amps (CCA), indicating its power and the reserve capacity rating (RC), which indicates how long your car's accessories can run and still have enough power to start the engine.

Check your owner's manual for the original equipment manufacturer's (OEM) minimum requirements needed for your car and select the battery adequate for your needs. Buying one with an excessive CCA rating may be a waste of money.

In every situation, more RC (reserve) is better, like a little extra in the checking account. The size and number of plates in a battery determine how many amps it can deliver. By having more and/or large plates, you can increase the normal life of the battery. This is what distinguishes a three-year from a five-year warranty battery.

Battery manufacturers build their products to an internationally adopted Battery Council International (BCI) group number based on the physical size, terminal placement (where you connect the cables to the battery) and terminal polarity. BCI and the battery manufacturers offer application guidelines that contain the OEM cranking amperage requirements and group number replacement recommendations by make, model and year of car and battery size, CCA and RC specifications.

After all of this information, it is still best to shop where knowledgeable salespeople can assist you in selecting the right size and requirements for your vehicle.

For more information on battery maintenance, consult the experts at www.exide.com.