Why your car might not start and how to keep your battery in good shape
The battery is the ‘heart’ of your engine yet so many of us take it for granted. We get into our car, turn the key and expect to hear the engine fire up and purr and your battery is meant to do just that. To provide the necessary current to the starter motor and ignition system to start our vehicle. Importantly too, it keeps the electronics ‘alive’ such as lights, electric windows, windscreen wipers and the complicated computer systems.
Which is why when the battery is flat it constitutes an epic fail for the driver and the car. Let’s take a look at why your car might not start and how to keep your battery in good shape…
Neglecting maintenance
Batteries are expensive items and the bad news is that, once installed, their lifespan is very much up to you, the vehicle owner. From the very first time you start your car battery begins to deteriorate. In fact, sometimes this happens even while it is still on a shop’s shelf.
Most modern batteries are ‘sealed for life’ and ‘low maintenance’ but that doesn’t mean ‘no maintenance’ at all.
‘Many people, until stranded with a car that won’t start, don’t think about their battery and the impact on the electrical system. But the fact is that battery problems are the number one cause of breakdown assistance call-outs,’ says Brouwers. ‘There is a solution though, regular use of an intelligent battery charger will ensure your battery is kept in tip-top condition to help avoid the cost, inconvenience and potential personal danger of an unexpected breakdown. Plus it can double the life of your battery.’
The range from Norway
DEFA has a history of innovation and product development and is a market leader in electrical preheating systems for cars. Their design team developed an efficient, cost effective and simple battery charger for consumers and trade back in 2012 and now offers various options for a wide range of vehicles. The charger has won the ‘Design for All’ for simplicity and user friendliness and the ‘Design Excellence’ in Norway for the design and functionality.
Simple but smart
Brouwers says the irony of the SmartCharge is that you really don’t have to be smart to use it. ‘It’s arguably the easiest battery charger to use.’ All you do is attach the clamps to the battery terminals, insert the plug into the socket and press the ON button. The display will indicate when the job is done.
‘The charger recognises the type of battery you are connected to, adjusts the charging process to suit the battery’s charge status, size and ambient temperature conditions. What makes the installation of the chargers so exceptionally simple is the plugin connections and wide range of available cable lengths,’ explains Brouwers.
The detail
All DEFA on-board chargers are designed to withstand moisture, vibrations and extreme temperatures, they do not need a fan to cool them down and make no noise. They are shock proof, spark proof and protected against reverse polarity so nothing can go wrong.
Not an adjective usually used to describe a battery charger, SmartCharger is ‘elegant’ in that it has an integrated solution for storing cables – the parts click into place making it both practical and compact.
According to Stale Kvitle, executive vice president of sales and marketing of DEFA, ‘The goal was to develop and manufacture the best battery chargers on the market in teas of quality, simplicity, efficiency and safety. We have seen major growth in market share in Europe and are pleased to be introducing these products to the South African market.
The range of four DEFA SmartCharge battery chargers for consumer vehicles as well as a workshop range are distributed by Charging Systems Africa and available in major automotive outlets.
Via: Charging System Africa