Have you implemented battery testing as a standard routine in the workshop? Banner Batteries has just launched a new battery tester—will it make life easier for the workshop technicians?
As with most things in life, it’s very often a case of sticking to the simple things, and when it comes to one important aspect of life in the garage then this should certainly be the case. Yes, we’re talking about battery testing. As most technicians will agree, it is, after all, simply battery best practice. That said, it still seems to be a procedure that for some reason or other continues to be overlooked to the detriment of both the garage owner and customer.
So why does implementing a battery testing procedure make sense? To start with, it is believed that nearly a third of cars that enter a vehicle workshop have a battery that is in need of recharging, with a further 10 per cent that should be replaced. Simply doing the maths means that over 40 per cent of vehicles that a garage services enter their garage with an issue.
So, for whatever reason a vehicle is in a workshop, surely it makes perfect sense to undertake a voltage test and to check its condition? Not only does such a procedure show a duty of care to the customer, it helps reduce the incidence of battery failure whilst out on the road, which is obviously the scourge of any driver.
So it is here that the likes of Banner’s latest heavy-duty tester, the BBT HD1+ has the chance to shine in your workshop.
Step-by-step
As is the case with most test equipment these days, deploying the BBT HD1+ couldn’t be easier, it’s purely and simply a case of following the procedure below:
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Locate the battery in the vehicle.
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Connect the positive and negative terminals with the respective ones on the tester.
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Current battery voltage is displayed immediately.
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Select the battery type: Standard, AGM, GEL.
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Select the standard (EN Europe).
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Select the cold start current (Cold Cranking Amps – CCA).
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The ‘Charge & Check’ test result will be displayed.
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The result can be printed out directly.
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If required, charge the battery using an Accucharger.
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Repeat the battery test.
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Reprint the test results.
A look at the BBT HD1+
Featuring a robust rubber case design, the BBT HD1+ is the ideal tool to test the charging/starting system of car, truck and motorcycle batteries. Designed to be user friendly, the BBT HD1+ is, Banner say, suited to the intensive demands of a busy garage or vehicle service environment.
The BBT HD1+ serves to test the voltage (including internal resistance in mΩ) and charging-starting status of 6V and 12V batteries, including temperature compensation, without overburdening the battery.
Lightweight and easy to operate, both new and used standard, AGM or GEL batteries can be tested, with full report information being displayed on the BBT HD1+’s internal, large, illuminated LCD display. This serves to detail measured values that can be used by the technician to discuss with the customer.
All of the test information, such as the battery’s state of health and state of charge can also be printed out using the HD1+’s integrated graphics printer.
Capable of being programmed in eight different languages, the user-friendliness of the BBT HD1+ is also enhanced by the incorporation of a robust and heavy-duty clamp set, together with an over-extended cable—a feature that makes the BBT HD1+ particularly useful when batteries are in inaccessible locations. Last but not least, software is also included for the logging of the measurement results on PCs.
As Lee Quinney, Banner’s UK country manager explains: “The BBT HD1+ is a very versatile, easy to operate and extremely lightweight tester that can be used when testing all types of batteries – SAE, EN, IEC, DIN and JIS.”
