Have you just gone out to your car and found it’s not turning over because, darn it all, you’ve been caught out with a flat battery? No problem, you can easily install a new one yourself, just follow our straightforward step by step guide to replacing your battery.
Step by step guide to replacing your car battery:
Step one:
Assemble your tools
- Spanner (usually 10mm but can be 8mm, 12mm or 13mm)
- Sometimes a ratchet, extension and socket if the battery held down by a bracket at the bottom of the battery instead of a bracket across the top of the battery.
- Sometimes an added battery for keeping your cars settings (optional)*
*On occasion your radio and other vehicle settings may be cleared once you install a new battery. To prevent this, you can use an added battery.
This will only apply to a select few vehicles, but it never hurts to check your car manufacturers specifications before going ahead with replacing your car battery.
Step two:
Remove your old car battery
- Locate your positive battery terminal, this should be marked with a ‘+’ sign, and your negative terminal, this should be marked with a ‘-‘ sign.
- Loosen the screws on the terminal clamps so that you can disconnect them from them from the battery.
- Remove the negative (-) terminal clamp first. Next remove the positive terminal (+) clamp from the car battery.
- Once you have removed the clamps from the terminals you can unfasten the car battery hold down strap, by loosening the bolt. If the battery is held down at the bottom of the battery, undo it with a socket and rachet as theres not usually enough room to use a normal spanner.
- Lift the car battery out of its tray making sure you keep the battery upright.
- Give the car battery tray a bit of a clean if it needs it.
Step three:
Installing your new car battery
- Place your new car battery on the car battery tray. Ensure you have it the same way around as the last battery so the positive and negative clamps go on the correct terminals on the battery. Put the car battery hold down strap back in place and tighten the bolt
- Attach the clamp to the positive terminal, then the negative terminal.
- Tighten the clamps.
- Double check all clamps and battery straps are tightened and you’re done! You can start your car now to make sure everything is working as it should.
Need a replacement car battery? The Battery Warehouse have an extensive range of car batteries, just use our easy ‘find my battery’ tool and get fast free delivery (if you’re local we can get generally get it to you within 2 hours),