Hybrid cars have found their hour of fame this year. A lot of credit goes to sky rocketing gas prices which are not showing any signs of coming down. Now, people no longer stare at a hybrid car being driven down the freeway, as it has become a common scene. Most of the big shots in the automobile industry are cashing in by manufacturing hybrid cars.

Hybrid cars consume very little fossil fuel. This is because they partly run on gas and partly on the huge batteries that are under the hood, charging. You don’t have to plug them in, ‘coz the batteries are charged free as you drive. However, a big problem lies even with hybrid cars- the batteries need to be replaced and replacement of batteries will cost you a hefty sum.

Hybrid cars are popular on city roads because they have a lot of room inside. The mileage range is 24mpg to 64mpg on the larger hybrid models. However, good mileage doesn’t come without a price. Consider this- you could drive down from San Francisco to Sacramento on just a gallon! Well, who would mind spending bucks on these hybrid cars?? 

Are the headlights of your car dimming? Does your car need a jump- start? I f yes then check your car battery- they may need to be replaced. The battery of your car may be the hardest and heaviest part to lift but it is the easiest auto part to replace. Yes, you can do it yourself! Read on the steps and get the job done.

• Open the hood. Use the prop to keep your hood open. Now, locate the battery.
• Identify the positive and negative terminals of the old car battery. A plus sign denotes the positive terminal while the negative terminal will have a minus sign.
• After identifying the terminals, disconnect the cable terminals from the old battery’s terminals.
• Disconnect the cable terminals from the old battery’s terminals (negative/black first and then positive/red). To do this, use cable clamp with a wrench (Usually 8mm or 10mm) and slide it off of the terminals.
• Lift the battery out by removing the frame or bracket which is holding the battery in place.
• If you find the cable terminals corroded or dirty, clean them using a wire brush, baking soda and water. This way, the clean metal is exposed to the new battery terminal.
• Lower the new battery into position, with the positive and negative poles in the same relative positions as before, and secure the frame.
• Connect the cables to the new battery securely - positive to positive and then negative to negative. The cable ends should not be able to move at all; any looseness can prevent your car from starting.

Now that you have fixed the new battery, take a test drive by starting the engine.