GS Yuasa's Always Check The Battery scheme empowers automotive workshops with the knowledge and tools to prevent battery failure, enhance customer service, and unlock potential revenue from battery maintenance and replacement.

The importance of checking vehicle batteries

Checking the battery of every vehicle that enters your workshop for routine maintenance or repair work, not only boosts your business's reputation and revenue, but significantly improves customer service.

Battery checks can prevent the inconvenience and distress of battery failures, ensuring your customers' vehicles are reliable and safe. This guide will cover everything from the benefits of battery testing, to setting up a checking regime, addressing common workshop concerns, and ensuring compliance with warranty terms.

Why check batteries?

Demonstrate your workshop’s attention to detail: regular checks can identify batteries at risk of failure, avoiding the inconvenience of non-start situations.

Drive customer satisfaction and long-term loyalty: demonstrate diligence in maintaining all aspects of the vehicle, not just the ones currently needing repair.

Open significant new revenue opportunities: identify batteries that need recharging or replacing to significantly boost your workshop's income.

Evidence & benefits of testing

Case study findings: a major trial involving UK workshops showed that one in three vehicle batteries requires attention, with 11% requiring replacement and 27% recharging.
By checking every battery, a workshop seeing 50 vehicles a month could see a potential revenue increase of over £10,000.

Reasons for battery care

Increased electrical demands: with modern vehicles becoming more complex, the battery powers more devices than ever before.

Different charging regimes: conventional, AGM and EFB batteries all require their own, different, charging regimes.
Cost: a flat battery can cause significant cost to a motorist. Including loss of earnings or vehicle electrical errors.
Alternator: a vehicle’s alternator will not always fully recharge the battery.

Setting up a battery checking regime

Steps for effective testing

Make battery testing part of your everyday workshop regime. Test every vehicle that comes in immediately before starting work or an MOT test. This will give you time to call the customer, order and fit a replacement, or recharge the battery if required.

1. Check Specification

Using Yuasa’s battery lookup tool check the battery fitted is of the correct specification and technology for the vehicle. If it is not of the correct specification or technology, it may fail prematurely and could cause electrical problems.

If the battery fitted is of incorrect specification or technology go to step 3.

If the battery is of the correct specification and technology go to step 2.

2. Check Health

Check the health of the battery using a battery conductance tester, such as a GYT050 or GYT250. Attach the tester to the terminals of the battery and then follow the prompts on your device. Typically, the battery will be diagnosed as:

1. GOOD (no action required)
2. GOOD RECHARGE (action required)
3. CHARGE & RETEST (action required)
4. REPLACE (the battery has reached the end of its service life and should be replaced)

The tester may advise to recharge and retest. In this case, recharge the battery with a suitable smart charger before retesting.

3. Communicate

GOOD - use a GS or Yuasa mirror hanger to communicate a test pass to the customer.
ACTION REQUIRED - recharging required or replace immediately.

Call the customer to advise them of the test result. It is a good idea to check replacement options using our lookup tool first, so you have the correct information to hand.

If the customer does not agree or you cannot get hold of them, use a mirror hanger to communicate that action is required.

The hanger should only be used for a test pass or to communicate that action is required if you cannot reach the customer or they do not agree to remedial action.

If the customer agrees to a replacement or recharge continue to step 4.

4. Resolve

If the customer has agreed, depending on the test result, fit a replacement battery with a voltage in excess of 12.50 Volts, or recharge the battery and recheck its state of health as per step2

Once this has been done, use a mirror hanger to communicate that the vehicle’s battery is now serviceable.

Don’t let common concerns stop you

Although battery testing presents an opportunity to significantly increase revenue and customer service, garages can have concerns:

“Our garage is busy so we don’t have time to test batteries.”
Testing a battery takes less than a minute, and once worked into your everyday routine even less time. With Yuasa analysers, there is no need to disconnect the battery from the car.

“Customers won’t like being told of extra expense.”
By informing a customer their battery is in a poor state of health you are preventing future hassle. After all, most would rather be told whilst their vehicle is in your garage than find out when it fails to start on a cold morning.

“Customers may not trust the results.”
Yuasa is a well known and respected battery brand. Using our test equipment and mirror hangers will give your customers confidence in the test.

“We do not carry enough battery stock.”
With battery testing you will see a much higher turn around of batteries, so stock will spend less time sitting on the shelves. It is best to keep the most common battery types in stock and spot order other types from your local distributor.

See the benefits for yourself

Get your Complete Workshops Battery Testing Kit from participating GS and Yuasa distributors.
The kit includes a GS Yuasa battery Tester which has been developed and tested to provide an accurate assessment of general battery state of health.
Alongside the tester, there is a full guidebook and POS material including posters and a countertop display to communicate the scheme to workshop customers. A stock of mirror hangers is also included. These should be used to communicate to customers that the test has been carried out when a battery passes the test.

Maintenance and charging

Both EFB and AGM battery types are designed to be maintenance free, although, as with all batteries periodic charging may be required during times of storage or reduced usage. For AGM batteries it is crucial to use a smart charger compatible with AGM technology to prevent damage and maintain battery health. EFB types can usually be charged on a smart charger’s ‘wet’ battery setting.

Hybrid and electric vehicle battery solutions

GS Yuasa's portfolio extends beyond AGM and EFB to include advanced battery solutions for hybrid and electric vehicles (EVs), employing state-of-the-art lithium-ion technology. These batteries are designed for the high voltage and energy requirements of EVs, offering longevity and efficiency critical for sustainable transportation. To find out more visit ??? PAGE REQUIRED

GS Yuasa Battery Europe Ltd

GS Yuasa are one of the world’s largest global manufacturers of Lead-Acid and Lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries. For over 30 years, GS Yuasa Battery Europe Ltd have been Europe’s leading battery supplier and the number one choice for quality, performance and reliability.

GS Yuasa Battery Europe Ltd consists of five sales companies and one battery manufacturing company.