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Extreme Cold Can Wreak Havoc On Your Car Battery

By Mike Dougherty

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) --- The extreme cold takes a toll on a lot of the things we count on everyday, including car batteries.

At 32 degrees, your battery operates at about two-thirds of full capacity. At zero degrees, that drops to one-third.

Tracy Noble with AAA Mid-Atlantic says Road Crews have seen a spike in disabled vehicles over the past few days.

"Since Monday, in our AAA Mid-Atlantic region, we have serviced over 7,000 batteries," she says.

And once they start to show signs of wear, Noble says failure is inevitable: "Unfortunately, if your battery is more than three or five years old, your battery should probably be looked at or be replaced."

She also urges drivers to keep an emergency kit in the car with food, water, a blanket and a fully charged cell phone.

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