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FOCUS Batteries 30<br />
> continued from page 29<br />
shops should encourage motorists<br />
to charge their car’s<br />
battery on a regular basis.<br />
And when a replacement is required,<br />
fitting exactly the right<br />
replacement is vital, one supplier<br />
says.<br />
Says Hella: “Counter staff<br />
should always check whether<br />
any extra high demand electrical<br />
equipment has been added<br />
to the vehicle, as this could<br />
affect the specification. In addition,<br />
offering to test every<br />
customer’s battery, irrespective<br />
of why they have come through<br />
the door, not only promotes<br />
good customer relations, it also<br />
opens up sales opportunities.<br />
“Bearing in mind that battery-related<br />
issues remain the<br />
most common cause of breakdown,<br />
whatever the season,<br />
battery health should be a<br />
priority for workshops. <strong>The</strong>refore,<br />
as a matter of course,<br />
technicians should carry out<br />
a battery check on every vehicle<br />
that enters their premises,<br />
which allows preventative<br />
maintenance to be undertaken.<br />
Alongside this practical action,<br />
technicians should be recommending<br />
that customers that<br />
use their vehicles infrequently<br />
or make only short journeys,<br />
charge the battery on a regular<br />
basis, which will substantially<br />
reduce the risk of electrical related<br />
breakdown.”<br />
Stop-start cars have given<br />
Yuasa’s battery testing kit offers workshops a<br />
useful extra revenue stream, and following on<br />
from its ‘Always Check the Battery’ programme<br />
around a quarter of cars (27 percent) require a<br />
battery recharge.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Workshop Testing Kit includes a tester<br />
that indicates a battery’s condition and provides<br />
a voltage reading – it also comes with some<br />
point-of-sale material to help generate extra<br />
income which can, in some cases, amount to<br />
330,000 a year, Yuasa says.<br />
“<strong>The</strong>re are huge benefits to all workshops<br />
participating in our Always Check <strong>The</strong> Battery<br />
programme. Besides increasing battery sales<br />
and revenue, workshops will also dramatically<br />
the battery replacement market<br />
a serious shake-up and<br />
demand for them will continue<br />
to rise as more cars fitted with<br />
the system drift into the aftermarket.<br />
Recognising the market’s<br />
expansion Banner has introduced<br />
three Running Bull replacements,<br />
two (rated at 65<br />
Ah and 75Ah) covering Ford<br />
vehicles fitted with stop-start<br />
systems. Another battery rated<br />
at 80Ah targets VAG cars.<br />
Banner batteries are fitted<br />
as OE by many car makers,<br />
including Aston Martin, Caterham,<br />
Lotus, Morgan and Rolls-<br />
Royce, while its EFB types are<br />
found in small- and mediumsized<br />
cars.<br />
“<strong>The</strong> importance AGM and<br />
EFB battery technology continues<br />
to gain momentum in<br />
the UK aftermarket and we are<br />
confident that the new Running<br />
Bull part numbers will help<br />
consolidate Banner’s position<br />
within what is an increasingly<br />
important sector. Furthermore,<br />
the new-to-range part numbers<br />
not only demonstrate Banner’s<br />
standing as a complete solutions<br />
provider, they reflect and<br />
support the Group’s growing<br />
OE pedigree, says Banner UK<br />
country manager, Lee Quinney.<br />
But just how frequently are<br />
stop-start batteries being replaced?<br />
According to Ecobat,<br />
not as frequently as perhaps<br />
they should be, as many drivers<br />
switch off their car’s stopstart<br />
system which in turn prolongs<br />
battery life.<br />
According to Ecobat: “Because<br />
most drivers tend to deactivate<br />
the start/stop system,<br />
Test each and every time<br />
increase their levels of customer service and<br />
satisfaction, which in turn drives loyalty and enhances<br />
their reputation,” says Yuasa marketing<br />
executive James Douglas.<br />
“In our experience, the main barriers to workshops<br />
implementing a battery testing regime can<br />
be the initial outlay for a battery analyser and a<br />
fear that testing will take up valuable workshop<br />
time. Our Complete Workshop Battery Testing<br />
Kit is a great solution. It not only provides workshops<br />
with an accurate tester, but also the information,<br />
guidance and point of sales material<br />
they need to make the scheme a success. <strong>The</strong><br />
test itself takes less than a minute and is even<br />
quicker after some practice.”<br />
they are only making the number<br />
of starts the SLI battery is<br />
designed to make and are subsequently<br />
lasting significantly<br />
longer than was expected.<br />
“As a result, AGM batteries<br />
still do not feature greatly<br />
in the marketplace, despite<br />
the fact that most cars now<br />
use them. <strong>The</strong>refore, there is<br />
a danger that technicians and<br />
workshops could be unprepared<br />
and without the correct<br />
understanding and tools needed<br />
to communicate with these<br />
potentially complex AGM battery<br />
systems. Nevertheless, by<br />
the end of the year, 12 percent<br />
of battery replacements will be<br />
AGM, and by 2020, it is expected<br />
that this will increase to a<br />
fifth.”<br />
Ecobat offers a range of tools<br />
for testing, fault-finding and<br />
installing AGM batteries, saying<br />
any time a car is in for servicing<br />
or repairs, the battery<br />
should be tested as a matter of<br />
course.<br />
“A battery testing tool is an<br />
essential aid for workshops as<br />
it can provide accurate readings,<br />
without the need to remove<br />
the battery. <strong>The</strong> device<br />
also tells the condition of both<br />
AGM and SLI batteries meaning<br />
that technicians can determine<br />
the battery’s state of<br />
charge, starting capacity, electrical<br />
consumption and charging<br />
voltage, so that they can<br />
assess the health of the battery<br />
and, if necessary, apply the precise<br />
charging regime to keep it<br />
in the best possible condition,”<br />
Ecobat says.<br />
“Should an AGM battery<br />
need replacing, technicians can<br />
turn to another tool that will<br />
allow them install the battery<br />
with confidence. <strong>The</strong> battery<br />
validation tool (BVT) follows<br />
a ‘connect and reset’ process<br />
through a simple six-button/<br />
LED graphics display, meaning<br />
they can view the order<br />
to validate the replacement.<br />
When connected, the BVT will<br />
go through the reset procedure<br />
to correctly introduce and integrate<br />
the battery into the vehicle’s<br />
electronic systems.”<br />
continued on page 33 ><br />
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