Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/500391
50 g o i n g p l a c e s | s u m m e r 2 0 1 5 getty (top) istock Q My battery survived the long, cold winter. Why does it need to be replaced now? It's summer! A Like any battery, a car battery will eventually see the end of its lifes- pan, says Brett Duseigne, co-owner of e Battery Man, a CAA Manitoba Approved Auto Repair Service facility. Some- times that happens in the winter, but it can just as easily happen in the summer. While many Manitobans know extreme cold is tough on vehicles, summer heat can be just as hard – if not harder – on a vehicle's battery. Duseigne explains that during the scorch- ing summer, a vehicle's battery is kept active, which causes the internal plates to sulfate, similar to your car rusting. e sulfation leads to hardening of the plates, which reduces the flow of acid, and ultimately reduces the bat- tery performance, eventually leading to a dead battery and a car that won't turn over. While the average car battery lasts about three to five years, there are ways you can help take the heat off: • Keep the battery clean. (Keep dust and moisture off and keep the posts clean.) • If the battery type is one that you can add fluids or electrolytes to, have the fluid levels checked once a year. • Have the charging system checked annually. • Use the vehicle on a regular basis. Even in an unused vehicle, power is still being drained from the battery (a parasitic drain). If you must park a vehicle for an extended length of time, keep a battery charger on, or run the vehicle every day or two to charge the battery. (CAA Manitoba sells battery main- tainers online and in service centres. Mem- ber price: $41.99. Regular price: $44.99.) To have your battery or charging system checked, take your vehicle to e Battery Man (1390 St. James St., Winnipeg) or another AARS facility in the province that sells CAA's Green Power batteries. For more information or to find a location nearest you, visit www.caamanitoba.com/battery. You can also call CAA Manitoba's Battery Service at 204-262-6111 (in Winnipeg) or 1-800-222- 4357 (toll-free) to schedule on-the-spot test- ing, delivery and installation. i n s u r a n c e Q If I run a business from my home, does my house insurance cover me? A e short answer is no. But that doesn't mean there aren't options for people to protect their home- based business. Bernice Reeves, a home and property insurance supervisor for CAA Manitoba Insurance, explains how business owners or entrepreneurs can ensure both their business and home are financially covered: "Home insurance policies are not meant to protect business property, including any tools, materials, stock or computers. But if you are running a home-based business, you can inquire about adding an extension to your policy to insure any business materials. "Whether the home-based business is eli- gible for protection within a home insurance policy is dependent on the insurance com- Battery Blues A column to answer all of your automotive, insurance or travel inquiries. To submit a question, email goingplaces@caamanitoba.com. Ask the experts a u t o m o t i v e CAA Manitoba has a team of experts for all your automotive, travel and insurance matters. If you have a question or concern, we're here to help.