Staying in charge
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Fitting a low-maintenance battery does not mean you can forget about it completely. Peter Watt looks at a few ways of avoiding the winter blues
• In one respect, vehicle batteries are much like people: from the moment they are born, they start to die. While the advent of new battery technology, and in particular the "maintenance free" battery, has improved the lot of the humble battery, this maxim still hold true.
In the same way as human beings, however, given proper care and attention, batteries can have a longer and more productive life. Extending the human analogy yet further, many people find winter the least pleasant time of year, and this is most certainly the situation for batteries. With this dark and cold season approaching, therefore, now is a good moment to have a close look at the condition of your batteries, and maybe to invest in some replacements to ensure that your vehicle will not be left stranded.
Having a battery that is below par can not only result in needless down-time when your vehicle will not start, but it can also have a knock-on effect on other components. An obvious example is the starter motor, which has the job of trying to turn over a cold and reluctant engine. If the battery does not have the power to start the engine first time, then there is a fair chance it never will. Churning the starter continuously can burn out the starter's field coils in time, and may even damage the pinion as well, perhaps necessitating the purchase of a new unit. So how can the operator ensure trouble-free motoring? Workshop asked a selection of battery manufacturers for their recommendations on winter maintenance, and the general response is that regular checks all-year round should be standard practice — winter only makes these more critical. There was also the warning not to take the term "maintenance free" too literally.
CBS Batteries claims to be Britain's largest independent batery maker, and has a few tips for winter preparation. Its commercial batteries are guaranted low maintenance in accordance with BS3911, and should be kept clean and topped up with water if necessary. Care should also