How to Clean Car Battery Corrosion

It can be nerve wracking when you’re driving down the road in Beachwood and the battery warning light suddenly comes on in your vehicle. Before you call for roadside assistance, take a look under the hood and see if you need to remove corrosion from the car battery. Do you know how to clean car battery corrosion? Learn what causes car battery corrosion, and find out how to remove it quickly and easily with Mercedes-Benz of Bedford.

What Causes Car Battery Corrosion?

Car battery corrosion is caused by time and wear; it’s not the same thing as leaking battery acid. Here’s what you should know:

• Over months of driving in Mayfield your battery repeatedly warms up and cools down.
• As part of that process, it releases hydrogen gas that mixes with other gases and materials to form corrosion on the battery terminals and cables.
• This corrosion disrupts the battery’s connectivity–a problem that may manifest in several ways.
• You may notice the battery warning light activating, weaker power, or problems starting the engine. When this happens, you need to remove corrosion from the car battery.

Remove Corrosion From Car Battery

Despite popular myth, it’s not a good idea to remove corrosion from a car battery with soda. Instead, turn off your vehicle and let it cool down for 30 minutes before you pop the hood. Put on work gloves, goggles, and a respiratory mask to protect yourself against potential contact with battery acid. Then, take these steps to remove corrosion from your car battery and get back on the road in Cleveland:

1. Disconnect battery cables from the battery terminals. Inspect the battery terminals and the metal on the battery cables. If either is caked in a powdery material that’s white, or sometimes a combination of green, blue, or teal, you have corrosion.
2. If using battery cleaner, spray it liberally to the affected areas, then brush with a wire brush to remove car battery corrosion.
3. If you’re using baking soda, pour it onto the affected areas, then add a small amount of water. Dry with paper towels, then brush away remaining corrosion with a scrub brush.
4. Apply a rust inhibitor spray, a spray battery protector, or an anti-corrosion gel.

Looking for products that you can use to clean corrosion from your car battery at home? Our parts department has you covered.

Learn How to Maintain Your Mercedes-Benz with Mercedes-Benz of Bedford

Knowing how to clean car battery corrosion is just one way you can save time and money by performing basic DIY maintenance on your Mercedes-Benz. If you’d like to learn more ways to keep your Mercedes-Benz in top running condition, find out how to check your coolant level or read our service tips to learn more.