Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
How to get the best life out of my battery?
Purchasing quality batteries and battery chargers and using it as part of a maintenance schedule are the two most important factors in battery life expectancy and value.
Ensuring contacts, leads, earths, alternators and starters are clean along with secure battery brackets are external ways to help prolong battery life
HEAT, VIBRATION AND STRATIFICATION are the three biggest killers of batteries.
Internal measures of quality batteries include element and anchor bonding to ensure plates are secure in high vibration scenarios.
Low resistance in battery for recharge quality engineering for dynamic charge acceptance. In hot environments some batteries have a pump inside to circulate the electrolyte and prevent hotspot concentrations on plates
Machinery that sits around stratifies causing acid in the electrolyte to settle at the bottom which leads to excessive corrosion and charge imbalance
Are all batteries made by the same company?
There are quite a few battery manufacturers in today’s world and many different quality points.
While it is true to see quite a few re-stickered and re branded there are a few with patented technology that cannot be rebranded or badged.
Original battery lasts the longest? While it is true there is consistency in battery life from the manufacturer, the main difference is in the quality you chose to replace it with. High CCA is not a guarantee the battery will crank highest or last the longest. There are batteries that exceed OEM spec and we see instore many examples of batteries that last longer than the original.
The higher CCA the better?
This is a question we get a lot and industry standards of CCA @ -18c is where we benchmark. Marketing strategy dictates people will buy a battery that cranks the highest so they change the temperature they crank at for example to CCA@ 0c. At ambient temperature the one rated at -18c will most likely crank much higher than one rated at 0c. More plates and acid also effect the temperature and life of a battery.
Should I buy a flat battery?
Never! A by-product of discharge is lead sulphate crystals which if left unchecked can develop on the plate reducing capacity and life. Batteries should be maintained from factory to end user we check voltages on arrival and send back under charged batteries and pre-charge batteries ready for use.
