While Manitobans bundle up to stay warm during the coldest stretch of the year, some of their vehicles aren’t so lucky.
CAA Manitoba says dead batteries have made up the lion’s share of service calls it has received this week, with around 70 per cent of Wednesday’s 600-plus calls touching on battery issues.
“Make sure that your battery is going to last,” spokesperson Nadia Matos told 680 CJOB’s The Jim Toth Show.
“If it even sounds a little bit funny or your lights have been dimming or getting really bright when you’re revving, you hear that clicking and grinding sound … that is a really good sign that your battery is not going to make it through the winter months.”
Matos said CAA has been able to keep up with the demand so far, with wait times early Thursday afternoon hovering around 45 minutes — but that could change the longer the deep freeze lasts.
“As of right now, it’s manageable, but we’re kind of keeping a close eye on everything as we go into the weekend and this extreme cold weather is prolonged.”
Once a battery is on its last legs, Matos said, no amount of plugging in will bring it back.
“The average car battery lasts three to five years. If you can’t remember the last time you got your battery changed, it’s probably a good sign to get it, at the very least, checked.”
