What Are the Points to Watch When Buying a Battery

The constantly increasing amount of electrical equipment in cars and new technologies such as start/stop systems or braking energy recovery demand high-performance batteries. Conventional sources of power for example are soon overtaxed by frequent engine starting.

Bosch battery: Start/stop modelBy contrast, special battery models such as the AGM from Bosch provide far more power and can withstand a great number of charging cycles. The experts at your workshop will be pleased to advise you further, as the cheapest battery is not always the best choice. It should also be remembered that, for safety reasons, batteries fitted in the passenger compartment must be vented properly.

Why Is the Battery Check So Important

Mechanic performing battery checkHave you any idea about the current state of your battery? Most drivers probably do not give it a thought until they have a breakdown or their vehicle refuses to start. The best solution is to have a regular battery check performed at a Bosch Car Service workshop. It makes more sense to spend a few minutes in the workshop than to wait around for hours for a breakdown service to turn up.

You can also perform this check yourself with battery chargers from Bosch. This ensures that the battery is always ready for action and fully charged – quickly, easily and completely without risk.

What Is the Main Cause of Breakdowns

Would you have known that one in three breakdowns is the result of a defective battery? But it is not always the actual battery that is the problem. Other components may also be the cause of failure. In other words: Replacing the battery will not automatically solve the problem if your vehicle refuses to start. So it is advisable to look into other possible causes to avoid yet another trip to the workshop – this saves time, money and less hassle for you.

10 Reasons for a Dead Battery

Short circuit in the electrical system

In the event of a short circuit, a considerable amount of current is drawn from the battery in a very short time and converted into heat.

Leaving the vehicle lights switched on

The vehicle lights consume a lot of power and should therefore be switched off on parking the vehicle.

Auxiliary heating

If the auxiliary heating blower is not switched off in the event of undervoltage, the battery will suffer exhaustive discharge. This will also be the case if the battery used is too small.

Defective alternator

If the battery is not charged by the alternator while driving, it is the only source of power for control units and other electrical equipment – until it is completely flat.

Defective voltage regulator

If the alternator regulator is defective, exhaustive discharge will occur as a result of inadequate charging or the battery will be overcharged.

Control unit fault

If control units are not shut down when the engine is switched off, they continue to use power and thus cause exhaustive battery discharge.

Retrofitting of electrical equipment

Extra electrical equipment such as seat heating generally draws power through the cigarette lighter and very quickly leads to battery discharge.

Fitting of incorrect battery

Defective batteries should always be replaced with one of the same type so as not to shorten the service life.

Short journeys

On short journeys, the amount of power consumed is more than the alternator can supply. So it is best not to use unnecessary equipment (seat heating, radio, etc.) in winter.

Radio, TV, DVD, refrigerator units

Radios, navigation systems and other entertainment devices use a lot of power and will cause exhaustive discharge if the battery is not sufficiently re-charged.