Europe’s largest battery distributor Veloris (formerly Ecobat Battery) discusses how it is supporting workshops.
Highlighting the availability of products that workshops increasingly need, but which many manufacturers and suppliers can’t source, is a great example. As the primary battery specialist in the automotive aftermarket, Veloris is in tune to the changing technology and demands. The evolution from SLI to start/stop technology batteries has shifted patterns that affect stock profiles and as hybrid and electric vehicle 12-volt battery sales increase this demand, the pattern will change again.
Many workshops will now be aware that several vehicles are equipped with two batteries, one for starting the engine and running the main systems and an auxiliary, nominally for its back up systems. However, as is the case with many applications, in the Land Rover Discovery/Discovery Sport, for example, both batteries contribute to the correct operation of the start-stop function, so both need to be tested.
Exide is the original equipment supplier of the EK151 used not only in the Discovery/Discovery Sport, but also the Jaguar E-Pace, F-Pace, F-Type and XF, plus the Range Rover and Range Rover Sport, as well as the Evoque and Velar. So, as the brand’s primary supply partner, it is readily available from Veloris, along with many other auxiliary batteries, to allow workshops to make a like-for-like swap for the first fit battery.
Electric vehicles are never far from the news and these also feature two batteries because, alongside the high voltage battery that powers the motors that provide their propulsion, is a 12-volt battery that powers the vehicle’s other systems like the lights, doors and windows, as well as the alarm and starting circuit.
Interestingly, in common with combustion engine-powered vehicles, aside from tyre problems, most EV breakdowns are as a result of an issue with the 12-volt battery. This provides the independent workshop with a great opportunity, particularly as Veloris stocks numerous types, including the AGM U1 for the Tesla Model S and the VARTA A10, which is used in the Ford Mustang Mach-E.
Workshop support
In addition to access to a wide range of brands, from original equipment manufacturers like Exide and VARTA to premium quality aftermarket solutions such as Lucas and Numax, Veloris also provides support through best practice advice.
For example, Veloris encourages technicians to test every battery that comes into the workshop, and to support every battery with a stable 12-volt power supply while the vehicle is being worked on, particularly during diagnostic processes.
By applying these two straightforward principles workshops demonstrate a caring and professional approach to their customers. The first by informing them of the condition of their battery, and providing them with the opportunity to proactively replace it and avoid a possible breakdown, should it be nearing the end of its life, and the second, to allow technicians to undertake day to day service and repair work with confidence, in the knowledge that the decisions that they take are not adversely influenced by a discharged or failing battery, that might otherwise mask an underlying problem.
A discharged 12-volt battery can severely compromise the accuracy of vehicle diagnostics, often leading to false DTCs and incomplete scans. When the voltage drops below normal levels, electronic modules may shut down or operate erratically, causing the diagnostic tool to misinterpret low-power issues as component failures.
