John Nielsen: Hi! I'm John Nielsen with AAA's Approved Auto Repair. We don't normally think about our batteries until they leave us stranded somewhere, but there are a few tips that we can use to protect our battery, keep it lasting longer, and maybe prevent some of those unpleasant surprises.

The first tip is going to be simply to keep our battery clean when we pop the hood of our car, take a look at your battery and if you see any corrosion on the battery or the battery terminals, either clean it yourself or have it cleaned by a professional.

It's also a good idea to simply check the terminal, so if you reach down and twist the terminals, if they move you know that there is something loose and you're liable to be stranded. Again it's something you can tighten-up at home or it's something you could have done professionally.

And finally batteries last just so long, and we know that in the hotter climates batteries may last as little as three, four years, in the northern climates they may last four or five years, but that's the normal life of the battery. So as your battery starts to age, it's not a bad idea to have it tested. Now the testing today can actually tell the condition of the battery and give you a good idea of how much life is left.

If you do this as preventative maintenance you might be able to prevent being stranded by surprise with the dead battery. So if we think about our battery every once in a while, give a little bit of maintenance. We really can help protect our investment and maybe prevent some of the unpleasant surprises.