Your customer will pay the price at the fuel pump

Are you confident of fitting the right brand of AGM battery in your customer’s Start-Stop car? The choice you make can have an almost immediate effect on the vehicle’s fuel efficiency and will determine the overall length of the battery’s life. With so many products entering the growing Start-Stop battery aftermarket it might be tempting to look at a cheaper, less well-known brand, assuming that all AGM batteries are the same. The truth is that only a small number of battery manufacturers meet today’s complex Original Equipment specifications. Other AM suppliers may offer an AGM product based on out-ofdate designs, produced with cheaper technical features and lower grade materials, coming from less precise processes. Stratification effects can occur, which can have a significant impact on the overall energy and incycle voltage stability within the Start-Stop operations.

What does it mean for your customer?

Unless built to withstand the high demand the Start-Stop function creates, the battery will degrade rapidly and start losing its charge acceptance efficiency and state-of-charge within the first few weeks of use. When insufficient energy is detected by the battery management system, the driver will soon notice that the engine does not stop as often or restarts almost immediately in stationary traffic. When this happens, the Start-Stop system will not deliver the fuel saving it promises. Another sign indicating that the battery is not holding steady voltage is when electrical devices such as the music system or windscreen wipers stop working when the engine is off.

One certain way to maintain customer satisfaction and protect your workshop’s reputation is to trust Exide. This is your assurance of a top performance and high quality AGM battery, made by one of the world’s leading OE battery manufacturers.

Exide continuously improves its AGM battery’s performance, durability and safety features using best-inclass components, materials and manufacturing processes. Increased technical and performance targets set by the vehicle manufacturers have been successfully met by Exide to ensure all its battery types work flawlessly with the latest BMS/electronics. Owners of early Start-Stop cars will discover that the latest Exide’s Start-Stop AGM battery is a big improvement compared to the first generation OE battery originally fitted to the vehicle. The battery delivers better functioning of the Start-Stop system during urban motoring and hence generates greater fuel-savings.

When comparing Exide with what appears to be a ‘bargain’ AGM alternative, do not forget that the saving will be lost in higher fuel costs in the long run.