Our battery management expert Ken Clark took his own vehicle into a workshop for an inspection after receiving multiple warning lights.

Has Your Vehicle Been Inspected Properly?

Ken noticed several warning lights on the dashboard and knew he needed to get the vehicle inspected as soon as possible. The technician at the workshop ran a series of tests which lasted around four hours providing results which included a video report. The reports revealed nothing abnormal about the vehicle, so the technician determined that the programme was faulty within the vehicle and needed to be re-programmed.

All the information that Ken would need is on the report, such as the condition of brake pads, tyres, exhaust, and brake fluid including the recommended time to make a replacement. Although the report may seem conclusive, it is missing one vital bit of information.  The condition of the car battery. Every other part of the vehicle had a great inspection, but the battery was never mentioned once in the reports.

Ken Clark, managing director of Rotronics, said “in the industry that we are working in, it is surprising that we have professional workshops not checking batteries as a routine part of their service and repair activities. It is great to see a workshop using video technology to show what they are doing but very surprising and disappointing that the battery was not checked or mentioned at all.

“Technicians are not provided with a list from the customer to check their vehicle, they follow their workshop process. The workshop would have had battery tester equipment and could have done a battery test which should be part of their inspection process.”

The Aftermath

As the vehicle was left at the workshop for four hours running multiple tests, Ken received his vehicle back with the battery at a low voltage which means he now must charge the battery. This is an inconvenience to the customer which should never happen, and many customers will not have the knowledge or home technology to be able to test and charge their battery. Luckily Ken used the DCA8000 to test and charge at Rotronics HQ, otherwise, he could easily have experienced a flat battery.

A proper inspection should include testing the battery as is the beating heart of any vehicle and should be one of the first things to be ticked off in the inspection list. If the battery is not working or needs a charge and is missed in the inspection, your vehicle could break down at the side of the road. What value is an inspection if the battery is not tested?

Battery test and charge inspections should be performed at every opportunity to save time and money as battery failure is still the leading cause of roadside breakdowns. It takes less than a minute to test a battery.