October 2021

Above: EBT780 from ECOBAT A ndy Cook, Technical Representative at VARTA, observed: “Many cars have been under-used for more than 18 months now, meaning the battery has not had chance to be properly re-charged by the alternator. As a result, technicians are being advised by VARTA to deploy a battery tester to determine if the battery is in a good state of health, or needs attention. 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. Under-used Andy continued “Running through a battery test shouldn’t take more than five minutes. However, when you discuss results with your customer, they will be assured that their battery is functioning properly, or conversely properly informed about the need to replace it. Batteries take more strain than they have done previously, as a result of the ever-growing list of electronic components, systems and services built into most cars. Digital dashboards, screens and parking cameras were found in high-end vehicles only in the past. Now they are even found on entry-level models. Charging mobile devices while driving also draws power. This is why it’s vital to make certain that the battery can support all this.” VARTA have been highlighting as part of their Back To 36 AFTERMARKET OCTOBER 2021 BATTERIES AND CHARGERS www.aftermarketonline.net Under-driving of vehicles, along with overall changing usage and new technology, has made batteries and battery charging an opportunity PLUG INTO THE MAINS Better campaign. Andy added: “Testing batteries isn’t all about making money. It’s also about providing outstanding customer service and making sure a car will start when the customer most needs it to, which leads to greater customer retention.” For more support, go to the VARTA Partner Portal: www.varta-automotive.com/en-gb/varta-partner- portal/log-in Importance The on-again-off-again lockdowns that have impacted our lives so much have also had an effect on car batteries, as has already been discussed. On how garages should address this, ECOBAT Technical Manager Christopher Jones commented: “Now more than ever, the performance of the battery is a key factor for the correct function of many of a vehicle’s systems, assessing its condition is a best practice principle that should be adopted by every technician when a vehicle enters the workshop. “It is important to note however, that there is a distinction in the way this assessment should be made, depending on the type of battery being tested. A conventional SLI battery in a vehicle with a traditional system only requires equipment to measure its state of charge (SOC), whereas in order to support a vehicle with a Stop/Start system, which, as its name suggests, requires the battery to make multiple engine starts in the course of a single journey, technicians require a device that also tests the battery’s state of health (SOH). While the SOC can be simply determined with a voltage measurement, to make a reliable statement about the SOH requires a complex test