Tip 2: Do not operate any car accessories (radio, lights, or electronics) before turning on the car ignition and driving the car When the car is on, the car alternator generates electricity and charges the car battery after the battery has a voltage drop. But if the car is not on, and you are using the car’s electronics, you are just relying on the car battery to power those electronics. This is detrimental to the car battery because car batteries are not meant for this type of use. Instead, car batteries are meant to provide a sudden burst of power for ignition. They’re not made to provide prolonged power for electronics and other devices (that’s what a deep cycle lead acid battery would be for). Using your car battery as a battery that powers electronics, instead of a battery that just gives you a burst of power for ignition, will damage the battery and greatly shorten it’s lifespan if it’s repeatedly used in this fashion. So avoid operating any car accessories or electronics while the car is off. View our Free Presentation to learn how to bring old batteries back to life again