February 2019

B atteries don’t die just because it gets cold in the winter, but it certainly does not help them either. The general trend in car usage point towards short-hop daily drives means that batteries are not getting the kind of boost they need. This means you may need to be ready to help with charging or replacement. In addition, with technology moving forward you need to make sure you have the right kind of battery going in. Before that though, let’s consider the customer. Sometimes you need to service your customers as much as their vehicles. On advice for customers surrounding batteries, Gary Vincent, NOCO Sales Director, UK, Isles and Benelux comments: “If customers want to get the most out of their batteries this spring, the best practice is to take their battery through a full charge cycle, then apply an advanced desulfation charge to the battery. Most consumer commutes are relatively short these days, so most vehicles are never fully replenished. As a result, these batteries are left in a prolonged discharged state which promotes battery sulfation and loss of battery capacity. Although the loss of battery capacity is not as significant for a starter battery as a deep-cycle battery, it does negatively impact battery life. This is the same for any vehicles that are idle for extended periods of times, like motorcycles and classic cars. If customers really want to keep their battery in top condition and maximise battery life, they should always keep their vehicles connected to a smart charger while not in use. And if that's not practical or convenient for them, at least apply a full charge cycle and advanced desulfation charge at least once a month. “That is why our smart battery chargers have become so popular with companies and consumers in the UK. It's a multi-functional approach, 48 AFTERMARKET FEBRUARY 2019 BATTERIES AND CHARGERS www.aftermarketonline.net SENSE THE OPPORTUNITY Winter is not good news for batteries, but the cold weather means customers will be looking for battery support where you can charge many different types of batteries - flooded, AGM, or lithium - plus utilise more advanced charging tools like ‘12V Repair’ that allows anyone to get the most out of their batteries.” All year round While winter is the season most often associated with battery failure, battery health should be considered and prepared for all year round. Gary says: “Good battery maintenance is important during the winter months to improve battery life, but the summer heat can be just as devastating – if not worse.” Education is key here says Gary: “Most consumers do not realise it is the summer heat that actually causes winter performance issues. Lead-acid batteries best perform at around 22ºC, and every 6ºC increase in temperate reduces battery capacity by upwards of 50%. Then when cold temperatures hit, the lost capacity combined with increased demand caused by cold temperatures leads to vehicles not starting. Thus, during the summer months, it's not only important to practice good battery maintenance, but you should also get your batteries tested before the winter months approach.” If a battery is going to stay in good health, it helps if it was good quality in the first place. Laura Jones, Senior Marketing Assistant at ECOBAT Battery Technologies (EBT), observes: “For the last decade, EBT, formally Manbat, has been the powerhouse behind Lucas batteries in the UK and throughout Europe. During that period the brand has gone from strength-to-strength and is once again considered a premium product worthy of its considerable OE heritage.” EBT has recently taken a further step with another upgrade in performance and the introduction of a three, four, five-year warranty structure. “These performance improvements have yielded an increase in cold cranking amps (CCA) of almost 20%,” says Laura. “This is the rating used by the battery industry to define a battery’s ability to start an engine in cold temperatures. This means that those choosing to supply and fit Lucas can have complete confidence in the quality of