Car Battery for Ford Focus: What Should You Know Before the Purchase

Choosing the right battery for your Ford Focus doesn’t have to be stressful. In this buyer’s guide, we’ll show you 7 things that will help you make a decision and find the best car battery at the lowest price. In the first part of this article we’ll give you a quick answer with the best battery. In the second part, we’ll explain why this battery is the best for your car, all terms meaning to help you understand why some batteries are more expensive than others, what parameters are important for your Ford Focus. There you can find a buyer’s guide and other helpful information. You will have step-by-step instructions to replace your battery, so you can save money on installation costs.

 

 

 

Buyer’s Guide: 7 Things You Need To Know Before Buying A Car Battery

There are a lot of things that can go wrong when you’re choosing your new car battery. If it doesn’t turn out to be the best fit for your Ford Focus, then there’s no going back and having to do this all over again. To avoid wasting time or money on something that isn’t going to work, here are seven tips you should take into consideration before making any purchases.

1: Battery Size and Post Terminals

The first thing that affects choice is the size – physical dimensions of a certain model of a car battery that will fit into the corresponding compartment in your car trunk. There are many different sizes available for all models of cars, and some brands make custom sized batteries for popular cars. Compatible batteries for Ford Focus have the following dimensions: length – 11 inches (278 mm), width – 6.9375 inches (175mm), and height of 7.5 inches (190 mm).

Pay attention to post terminals because it determines how you are going to connect cables when installing a new car battery. There are three types of connections available: top, side, or front/side mounted terminal posts for cable connections. In the case of your car, are top post terminals, compatible post types: A, A1, A2.

We recommend the best replacement batteries for all current models of Fords while keeping compatibility terms in mind so that this article remains relevant even if next year brings some changes under the hood.

In the car industry, all major manufacturers use standard group battery sizes for car batteries. This means they can be used in different cars. For example, Honda uses a 51R Battery Group for most models. Ford uses a Group 48 Battery.

2: What is CCA and Why Is It Important?

First, batteries can lose their power in the cold. CCA stands for cold cranking amps and is the rating that determines how much current (amperage) your battery can produce in a very low temperature environment (0 Fahrenheit / -18 Celsius). The higher this number, the better your car will start in freezing weather conditions. If you want your car to start in any weather conditions, you’ll need a battery with higher CCA.

Second, when your car has a powerful engine, more additional electronics and accessories, like a car audio system, upgraded headlights, rear windows defrosters, heated seats and other electronic equipment you have in your car, then the battery should have enough power to start the engine and provide these electronics with electricity. If your battery doesn’t have enough CCA, you can damage sensitive electronic parts in your car, and sometimes your engine will not start, and you should switch off all electronics before starting. All this starting power amount is called CCA, so it’s important to find a battery with a high CCA value. The minimum CCA rating you can find in a regular battery is about 600 amps and it’s usually enough to start small engines. We recommended Optima Batteries with an 800 CCA battery because it can easily start for Ford Focus with a powerful engine and a lot of electronics. A battery with a high CCA rating is more expensive than other batteries, but if you want a reliable battery with enough power to start your car anytime, then it’s worth the investment.

3: Look At the Amp Hours (AH)

When choosing a battery for your Ford Focus, the next parameter to consider should be the amp hours (AH). This value determines how long you can use a certain amount of energy and how deep your battery will be discharged when it provides a maximum amount of current. You should avoid deep discharging because it damages a car battery. The high value of AH will protect your battery from deep discharging. Batteries for Ford Focus usually have a value of AH between 50-70. Some batteries, like Optima Batteries have a very high amp hours rating (70), so choosing this battery can save you money because it’s less likely to be discharged and damaged when used regularly in your car. If you want your car battery to last longer with fewer charges, then choose one with a 70AH or more rating.

4: Battery’s Warranty

Most car battery manufacturers provide at least two years of warranty to the buyer and sometimes even more like ACDelco. Their warranty description and all conditions you can find here. Ensure that you keep your receipt to be able to send it in and get a replacement or refund for the product if it becomes defective within the period.

5: You Can Save Your Money on Battery Installation

It’s possible to install a car battery by yourself, so if you want to save money you can use our step-by-step tutorial below for this task or watch a video about this topic.

After you purchase your new battery, you can simply follow these easy steps:

1. One quick hint before installing any auto parts is to make sure everything is turned off.
2. Inspect both sides of your new battery for any signs of damage. If the battery is too hot to touch or has visible damage, do not install it in your car and contact your local dealership for a battery replacement. If there is no damage and the battery is cool to touch, you can install it and use your car.
3. Find your old battery and disconnect the positive terminal first and make sure you don’t touch it with your bare hands as there is a chance of short circuiting the battery which will damage it.
4. Check if the terminals on the old battery have corrosion, you should also check if all cables and clamps are properly connected and clean them if necessary.
5. Avoid touching any metal components of the car with a wrench as this may cause a short circuit.
6. Disconnect negative terminal and lift out your old battery from the battery compartment.
7. Put your new battery to the place, and connect both terminals correctly, starting with the negative, and then the positive terminal.
8. Make sure you don’t over-tighten them as they can become difficult to remove next time.

That’s all. You just need to have a wrench set and follow the installation steps to do this task on your own.

6: Read Reviews and Consumer Feedback

Before you purchase a car battery for Ford Focus, make sure you read reviews and consumer feedback about it. There are numerous online resources that can provide you all the information about battery’s reliability, durability, price and other important factors.

7: Consider the Battery Type

There are several types of batteries but all of them are designed for specific purposes. It is important to know what type of battery you need for your vehicle before buying it. The common types are Lead-Acid, AGM, Gel Cell, and Lithium-Ion.

We recommend focusing on Lead Acid and AGM batteries since Gel and Lithium batteries are too expensive and rarely used in passenger cars.

Lead-acid batteries are good for emergency starting and supplying power just long enough to start a car and provide electricity to running engine electronics. These batteries require regular maintenance and don’t last as long as others.

AGM is typically better than lead-acid because it lasts longer and requires less maintenance. AGM batteries have several advantages over traditional flooded batteries, including longer life spans and no need for maintenance. You can save money on frequent battery replacements by purchasing an AGM battery for your Ford Focus.

It’s recommended to use an AGM battery because they don’t have free-flowing liquid inside (like other car batteries), so you don’t need to check fluid levels; also, this type of battery isn’t equipped with an indicator that shows the status of the battery acid. All battery acid is absorbed in glass mats. That’s why they called AGM (Absorbed Glass Mats). Batteries of this type are Maintenance-free – so there is no need to check acid levels at all.

Another important factor when choosing a battery for Ford Focus is if they’re Maintenance Free or not. You don’t want to buy one that needs maintenance because this will cost more than just buying an affordable AGM battery instead. This means that all you’ll have left to do once you receive your new battery is install it in less than 15 minutes.

8-th Bonus Tip: How to Make Your New Battery Last Longer

It’s important to know that there are several ways how you can make your new battery last longer.

• Avoid deep discharging because even though car batteries are good at holding a charge, they will damage if drained completely.
• To minimize power consumption, keep unnecessary lights turned off in your house or garage when leaving or returning home in case you have left any lights on
• If you don’t use your vehicle for a long time, turn off the battery. Simply unplug the negative cable. It will protect the battery from drainage and ensure that it is ready to use when you need it most.
• Don’t use electronics for a long time while Idling your vehicle. If accessories are turned on when you are not using them, they can drain the battery over time. It is ideal to turn your car off if you will be away from the wheel for more than a minute or two.
• Fasten Your Battery Tightly. A battery that’s not fastened down can move, which might cause it to get damaged or make sparks. Check the tightness of the battery terminal regularly. This is especially important if you drive on bumpy roads.
• Increase amount of long rides. Your battery will be completely charged if you take a long ride without stopping which will make your battery last longer. Short trips can cause your battery to slowly discharge. However, if you only make brief trips, a portable battery charger that you can take with you is an option. You will be allowed to start your car even if your battery is discharged.
• Check your alternator. Your vehicle’s alternator is responsible for keeping your battery charged up when the engine is running. If this part has malfunctioned, it can cause your battery not to charge during the drive. If your alternator is in good working condition, the voltage gauge on your dashboard should read 13-14 volts when the engine started.

Car batteries don’t last forever, but with these tips, you can extend their lifetime so they won’t need replacement anytime soon. If you follow all the steps in this guide before buying a car battery, then you will purchase the right battery that will serve its purpose well.