February 2021

weather early in 2020, and then some very hot temperatures in August. This warm weather accelerates the degradation of the battery’s health, and so there are lots of cars out there with a weak battery. “Lots of cars have been stood still for months on end, therefore the alternator has not had chance to re- charge the battery. This along with a hot spring/summer have led to many batteries failing and leaving people stranded, particularly over the winter months where cold weather means the battery has to work harder to start the engine.” Tester Technicians should use a battery tester to determine if the battery is in a good state of health, or needs attention. Andy commented: “With over a third of vehicles now having a Stop/Start system, it’s vital that a workshop has an up-to-date tester, that can also accurately test Absorbent Glass Mat (AGM) and Enhanced Flooded Batteries (EFB). If it’s an older tester that doesn’t have the capabilities to test AGM or EFB batteries, then it’s worth upgrading the tester; otherwise the test results will likely be inaccurate.” He continued: “It shouldn’t take long to complete a battery test, not much longer than five minutes, but by explaining the results to the customer, you are giving them peace of mind T he strain of winter, on top of months of rolling lockdown under-use will still be causing battery problems for many. This means you need to be thinking about testing and charging. “We’re now in peak battery season,” observed Colin Cottrell, Marketing and Central Operations Director at LKQ Euro Car Parts, “which means it’s critical for garages to make sure they’re on top of demand. The key thing to be aware of is that a flat battery warning could be a consequence of an electrical fault, and vice versa – get it wrong, and garages risk sending customers away with a battery that’s still susceptible to running flat or likely to experience repeat faults within just a few weeks. This isn’t just potentially dangerous; it can damage customer trust. “This is why diagnostics is so important. A vehicle that has its battery replaced due to a non-start after a long period of non-use, as we’ve seen amid lockdown restrictions in recent months, may be wrongly diagnosed as the battery having reached the end of its lifespan. In fact, the true cause may be undiagnosed internal faults preventing the vehicle from fully shutting down. These can cause new batteries to run flat again within just a few days. “Conversely, as a battery’s primary response to running flat is to protect a vehicle’s essential functions, it can begin to cut out non-essential power- draining components to preserve energy, such as the radio, air con and electric windows. This has a significant impact on driver safety and experience at the wheel. And it’s easy to mistake these as symptoms of an electrical fault or a blown fuse, overlooking the root cause of a struggling battery.” On handling the situation and the opportunity, Colin commented: “Our 26 AFTERMARKET FEBRUARY 2021 BATTERIES AND CHARGERS www.aftermarketonline.net UNLOCK THE POTENTIAL Find out how the latest battery testing and charging equipment will help you serve your customers Right: Battery testing is a major opportunity in 2021 advice is to test batteries as standard whenever any vehicle is brought in for servicing and repair. Doing so typically takes less than a minute, and can help technicians ensure they are providing the most accurate diagnosis, as well as driving additional revenue. “Familiarity with solutions such as the Bosch KTS560 software can help technicians to quickly and accurately identify the root cause of battery faults, allowing them to take the most appropriate course of action and provide the best service to their customers. Visit omnipart.eurocarparts.com for more information.” Important VARTA are also recommending for all garages to check the status of all car’s batteries entering the workshop. Andy Cook, Technical Representative at VARTA, explained: “This is now more important than ever as so many cars have not been used as regularly as they normally would have, over the last year. Most private vehicles have been clocking up fewer miles in 2020, due to COVID- 19 lockdown restrictions and a drop in commuter journeys, as a result batteries have faced major challenges this year. To add to this, there was some extensive warmer We’re now in peak battery season, which means it’s critical for garages to make sure they are on top of demand ”