by Gabrielle DeSantis

There is nothing more frustrating than getting into your vehicle just to discover that your car battery has died. Many things can drain the life from your battery, including extreme temperatures, leaving electronics on, and even severe corrosion. While some of these issues can’t be avoided, battery corrosion can be, and it doesn’t have to cost you a ton of money. In fact, some very basic car battery maintenance can cost only a few dollars, and it can save you from having to replace your battery sooner rather than later.

Use a lubricant on the car battery terminals

The corrosion you see on the battery terminals is caused by the metal of the terminal and the metal of the cables touching — though this process is obviously necessary to ensure the battery can power the vehicle. One way to mitigate the negative effects of the battery’s operation and minimize corrosion is to use lubricating grease. Some authorities, such as Firestone, suggest that you can use a simple product that many people already have around their home: petroleum jelly. But, you can also get a small package of dielectric grease specifically designed for this application for around $0.99 to a few dollars at most automotive part stores.

Replace worn and corroded battery cable connectors

If you’ve started to notice the signs of heavy corrosion on the car battery terminals, you may have also noticed it on the cable connectors coming from the vehicle. In some circumstances, you can safely remove this corrosion without causing any further damage to the surface, but heavily corroded cable connectors that are damaged beyond repair sometimes require a complete replacement. This doesn’t mean having to replace the entire wire, either, as you can remove the old connectors and replace just this piece on both the positive and negative cables — another quick fix that you can find at most automotive part stores for only a few dollars.

Those little felt corrosion prevention washers you see in the battery section of the store

If you’ve decided to stop by your local automotive store to pick up dielectric grease, replace your battery altogether, or any other reason, a quick stop by the battery section may have you wondering about the small package of felt washers you can find here. A set of these costs a few dollars and can be combined with dielectric grease or petroleum jelly to help minimize the risk of corrosion. These felt washers are often treated with a corrosion preventative, and for the low price, it doesn’t hurt to add them to your cart.

If you’ve followed these inexpensive and basic steps but you are still noticing a quick and severe buildup of corrosion on your car battery terminals, there could be an underlying problem that is worth checking out. In extreme circumstances, battery corrosion can reduce the life of your battery, leading you to spend money to replace them sooner rather than at the end of their full life expectancy.

RELATED: How to Keep Your Car or Motorcycle Battery From Going Flat

The post Cheap Ways to Prevent Car Battery Corrosion Will Save You Money Later appeared first on MotorBiscuit.

by Gabrielle DeSantis

Two thieves in Detroit, Michigan, decided it would be a great idea to steal a 2021 C8 Corvette off of a dealer’s lot. It was not a good idea. This clown show ended up with both arrested and the Corvette totaled. If you’re going to steal a Corvette, don’t do it like this.

The precautions and security today makes stealing a C8 Corvette folly

The list of why you don’t want to steal any car from a dealership is a long one. Dealerships have many, many cameras for just this reason; security. And all dealerships have a dedicated staff that man the lookouts almost 24/7. The list continues with “don’t do it” and ends with “don’t do it.”

But there is another reason not to attempt this. All GM products have OnStar systems that can easily and instantly track vehicles. So, no matter where the vehicle goes or ends up, OnStar knows exactly where it is and has a direct line to numerous law enforcement agencies. 

The thieves swiped the Corvette around 10 in the morning according to Click On Detroit. Novi Police Department was immediately contacted. Tracking where it was with the help of OnStar was easy.

When the Corvette thieves took off you knew this would end badly

A police chase ensued once the Corvette was spotted. You have to figure that if you’re driving a stolen Corvette and you see those two big cherries flashing in your rearview mirror, your best bet is to immediately pull over. Instead, the thieves took off.

As bad as the thieves were at car theft, they were much worse at driving. The police eventually found the black Corvette with the thieves inside. When the thieves spotted the approaching police they took off.

The thieves whipped the Corvette onto a service road for I-75. They didn’t get too far once they smacked into a parked van spinning out into several other parked cars. Police found scattered pieces of Corvette and a smoking hulk at the scene. The thieves had taken off on foot.

Once the Corvette thieves crashed a foot pursuit began

Next, the police drove through an apartment complex hunting for the thieves. Police were also on foot so between the patrol car and officers canvassing on foot it wasn’t long before the thieves were spotted and gave up. Before the identity of the thieves is revealed the video ends.

Stolen car reports from local car dealers matched this Corvette theft. . The Novi Police are currently putting their case together against the Corvette thieves. Between security cameras and location monitoring like OnStar and Lokar, stealing cars might just go the way of marathon dancing and black and white TV.

RELATED: Why Are Thieves Stealing Steering Wheels in My Neighborhood?

The post Watch: Plan On Stealing a C8 Corvette? Don’t Do It Like This appeared first on MotorBiscuit.