Varta has warned that the UK’s recent heatwave, on top of many vehicles being used less frequently than usual, could lead to a sharp rise in battery failures.
With temperatures hitting 36 degrees, in addition to many people continuing to work from home or not travelling to their normal place of work, could result in many batteries being in a weakened state.
One of VARTA’s lead engineers commented: “Contrary to popular belief, extreme or consistent exposure to heat can have a severely detrimental effect on automotive batteries. This normally manifests itself the following autumn/winter, when older batteries are unable to cope with the enhanced demands of cold weather driving, but the damage is done during hot spells.”
Dr. Christian Rosenkranz, of VARTA, went on to say: “Many drivers think that cold weather does damage to the battery, but it is the heat that is the start of its downfall. Heat dramatically shortens the life-span of a battery, so by the time winter comes, older batteries are close to their limit. This coupled with many cars being parked up and not having the alternator re-charge the battery will result in higher than usual battery failures. As the temperature increases so does the speed of the chemical reactions within the battery. The increase in chemical reaction speed can increase the speed of battery degradation.”
With MOTs due to resume after the government approved extension, there is expected to be an additional 1.7 million vehicles due for an MOT entering the garage in October, as the backlog is worked through. As VARTA has highlighted, many of these vehicles will have a weakened battery and so advise technicians that all cars should have a battery test carried out to ensure the battery is in good working order and will not leave the driver stranded in the coming months. Whilst the battery test is not part of an MOT, VARTA is recommending as part of its ongoing Back To Better campaign, that garages offer a battery test-check to all vehicle owners whilst the vehicle is in the workshop.
By offering a battery check to all customers, and replacing or giving advice on those batteries close to failure, workshops will have provided peace of mind and a reliable service to their customer base.
