Take any car with an old battery that is four years old, add worn spark plugs, a plugged fuel filter and a tad of water in the tank, then try and start this car on a cold winter morning. You see, a cold battery has far less power than a warm one. So if your car doesn't start in the first, second or third rahhh, rahhh of the starter, the battery runs out of power before the engine starts.

But most batteries will give us a warning before they fail, a warning most of us usually ignore. I know that when my starter just clicks or cranks over my cold or hot engine very slowly, I need to have my electrical system checked. Most shops will load test your battery, compare the CCA (cold cranking amps) it has, with what the tag says it should have. Say the test says your battery has 375 CCA, but the battery tag says it should have 650 CCA, that's a pretty strong sign this battery is going to fail soon. But your battery worries are over if it has 672 CCA and it's tag says it has a 650 CCA rating.

They will also test the alternator amp output at idle and at 2000 rpms. They will verify the diode pattern is good, make sure the regulator is working right and test the starter draw. They will also check for shorts and draws. All of this is generally around $50.

Remember, a major difference between an inexpensive and a top quality battery is generally the warranty and the weight. A battery uses lead and acid to make electricity. A battery that weighs 20 pounds is likely to have a shorter life and provide less electricity than one that weighs 32 pounds. We also find the inexpensive batteries generally have less CCA's than their tag says they should, while top quality batteries generally weigh more and have more CCA's than their tag says they should.

So a fresh battery, a set of new spark plugs, a new fuel filter and a can of gasoline treatment that says it removes water or moisture from your fuel tank would be a good way to insure your engine starts as fast as possible.