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This week's cold snap in Colorado could kill your car battery

Posted at 8:07 PM, Dec 07, 2016
and last updated 2016-12-08 01:15:48-05

DENVER -- This week’s cold snap is keeping the American Automobile Association (AAA) of Colorado busy.

The call center reported Wednesday their employees saw a spike at more than 2,000 calls  

Other than the obvious skidding-off-the-icy-roads, more than 35 percent of the calls were because of dead car batteries.

AAA Colorado’s spokesperson Wave Dreher told Denver7 there are some things you need to do tonight to make sure your car starts in the morning.

“I think the thing people don’t realize is the number of things happening in their car that take a trickle charge away from their battery, and nights like tonight where it’s really cold... that might be just enough of a power loss to take your battery over to the dark side,” said Dreher.

That means you must make sure you don’t leave anything like a phone, iPod or GPS plugged in overnight.

Another big issue? The tires in your car.

The bitter cold air makes your tires more brittle and they lose air pressure. “If there’s any type of tire damage it may not survive the day,” said Dreher.

Even if your tires are in good shape they may not be by the end of the week.

AAA officials said by the end of this cold snap everyone will need to check their tire pressure. 

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