Batteries may fail in winter, but the damage is done in summer

Automotive accessory specialist, Ring Automotive, is urging technicians to check on the health of batteries not just in winter, but all year round.

It’s become a well-known fact that the hot weather damages a battery the same, if not more, as the cold weather does. The heat the sun creates evaporates the vital fluids in a battery, therefore it will send out a weaker charge to other areas of the vehicle, the warm temperatures also speed up the corrosion process in a battery. The damage this heat causes to the battery can remain for months at a time, meaning that when the weather turns colder, it’s likely the battery will fail due to the effects the sun had on it.

Additional factors are that motorists will not take precautionary measures to charge and look after their battery due to it being warm and the battery seemingly working efficiently. Plus a large contingent of motorists will leave cars as they go on holiday. This week or two weeks of not be charged, combined with the increase discharging that the heat causes, results in premature battery failure when asked to crank in the cold. 

Therefore, Ring is advising that, as a matter of course, technicians should test every single battery that enters the workshop to see if it needs replacing, charging or will definitely require a battery support unit when doing diagnostic work. 

If a battery falls below around 12.5V, it will then be in depletion mode and damage can start to affect the plates. So, even though the battery is not completely discharged, if left unchecked, the damage can become permanent. However, although its voltage might have dropped to 12.5, it can still be recharged and will work effectively, so there is a known tipping point for battery charging status. Therefore, Ring suggests that technicians should check every battery in the vehicles on their premises, as well as the replacements they get supplied with, to make sure it is fully charged, at ideally around 13.2V.

For a reliable reading of the battery, Ring recommends its new battery analyser (RBAG950), which can provide a complete health check of the battery and electrical systems in both 12V and 24V vehicles, including motorcycles, cars and vans.

This analyser is suitable for 12V lead acid, AGM, EFB, gel and LiFePO4 lithium, as well as start/stop batteries, and the multi-functional unit is able to test the battery, alternator, starter and vehicle earth, via its intuitive graphical interface. The results can then be printed using the built-in thermal printer, viewed on other devices by using the removable SD card, or even through the QR code.

Battery testing with this device also presents technicians and workshops with an excellent revenue opportunity, as the business can promote battery testing all year round and increase profit margins by replacing batteries that are likely to fail.