Your customers have questions about a lot of components on, in and under their cars. Service advisors know that answering those questions by offering facts about advancements in technology mean smoother, safer vehicles.
Do you know what is often overlooked? The battery. Often, your customer will ask “Does it fit?” What they REALLY should be asking is “Is it right?” Today, this is a recipe for a real problem.
In the past, “will-fit” batteries that met the OEM minimum recommendations for cold-cranking amperage may have been acceptable. Cars and the systems that relied on power were much more forgiving of “almost good enough.”
Now, those systems are more delicate and battery requirements are much more precise. Providing your customer with the correct group size and type of replacement battery is more important than ever.
Technology requires an understanding of the differences in battery construction.
Absorbed glass mat – or AGM – batteries have been on the market for a number of years, but for a long time they were considered an “upgrade” from the stock flooded wet-cell battery found in most vehicles. Now, thanks to the rapid adaptation of onboard vehicle technologies including regenerative braking, alternator decoupling and stop-start, AGM has become a minimum replacement requirement for many vehicles.
Your techs probably already know many of the advantages of AGM technology due to the unique construction of these batteries, but it’s likely your customers don’t. Good news: they don’t necessarily need to understand the engineering behind them. What they should know is that AGM batteries can handle repeated charging and discharging today’s vehicles experience. During the “engine-off” portion of stop-start cycles, and during alternator decoupling, the battery is on its own to supply power to the various electronics, so the ability to discharge deeply without damaging itself is critical.
AGM batteries can absorb this energy quickly by having an enhanced dynamic charge acceptance so it can operate more efficiently. . For stop-start applications, the battery is called upon to re-start the vehicle repeatedly (and reliably) in stop-and-go traffic so it needs to have added durability to handle the demands of frequent starting.
The increase in popularity of Hybrid and all-electric vehicles will not lessen the importance of the lead battery. Even the most advanc ed electric car still has at least one battery on board to power the infotainment, safety, navigation and comfort systems.
The proper AGM battery is a critical part of the overall system, and by concentrating on the unique requirements of vehicles with stop-start, regenerative-braking and alternator-decoupling technologies.
Don’t let your customer settle for the cheapest battery – make them aware of the need for the RIGHT battery.
For more information visit EastPennManufacturing.com.
This video is sponsored by The Group Training Academy.
