Why do battery terminals need to be protected?
Oxidised battery terminals look untidy. But it is far more unpleasant that corrosion penetrates the contact patch between the battery terminal and the cable connected to it. As a result the effective contact area is reduced and the electrical resistance grows. This creates an increased load on the vehicle’s electrical equipment, in particular on the alternator, leads to undercharging of the battery and, at high electricity consumption, causes severe heating of the terminals. But the most important thing is that poor contact between the terminals leads to a significant drop in the starting current, and when the engine is being started the battery simply cannot deliver all the necessary power through the poor contact.
