Battery Replacement at TLC Custom Exhaust Brakes & Tires in Royal Oak
January 16, 2020
Hello, welcome to TLC Custom Exhaust Brakes & Tires. Today's focus is batteries. It seems like everything in Royal Oak runs on batteries. Of course, the batteries we're most concerned with here at TLC Custom Exhaust Brakes & Tires are those in our customer's vehicles. Just like the batteries in our smoke detectors or TV remote, 
they wear out and need to be replaced . This can be thought of as the power output used to start a cold vehicle engine. The number of cold cranking amps you need depends on your vehicle and where you live in Michigan, specifically how cold it is. (Many Royal Oak drivers have first-hand experience trying to start their car on a cold winter morning.) The two factors are that the colder your vehicle's engine is, the more power it takes to turn the engine over to get it started. It has all that cold, sluggish oil to contend with.
The other factor is that the chemical reaction in the battery that creates electrical energy is less efficient when the temperature dips. Let's say it's 80 degrees Fahrenheit (27 degrees C) in Royal Oak. At that temperature, 100% of the battery's power is available. At freezing, only 65% of battery power is available, but it requires 155% as much power to start the engine as it did at 80 degrees F (27 degrees C).
As you can see, the colder it gets, more power is needed, but the available power drops.
So if you live where it's cold in Michigan, you need a battery with more cold cranking amps than you do where it's moderate or hot. The battery that originally came with your vehicle was based on averages. At TLC Custom Exhaust Brakes & Tires, we like to remind Royal Oak drivers that they should always get at least as many cold cranking amps as their vehicle manufacturer recommends but may want to upgrade if they live where it gets real cold.
TLC Custom Exhaust Brakes & Tires
1735 N Main St
Royal Oak, Michigan 48067
248-541-8300
http://www.tlcautocareroyaloak.com
Need Service?
More articles from TLC Auto Care
Timing Cover Replacement
August 23, 2026
Your engine has a lot of parts that need to work in harmony in order to keep you powering down the road. Some of those parts need to be protected in order to keep things running smoothly, and one that does the job is called a timing cover. It is in the front of your engine and shields components... More
The Right Automotive Fluids for Royal Oak Drivers
August 16, 2026
All those automotive fluids can be confusing for Royal Oak drivers. Recent years have brought new grades of engine oil, types of transmission fluid, coolant and brake fluid. The right fluid protects your vehicle and helps it perform at its best. The wrong fluid won't work as well and could even c... More
The Car Fluid Most Drivers Forget—And Why It Matters
August 9, 2026
Heres an automotive part you might not be familiar withthe differential. Its a component that transfers power from the driveshaft to the wheels. Its called a differential because the left and right drive wheels travel at different speeds when you make a turn. During that turn, the wheel on the ... More