Battery Information

Using a simple red, amber, green traffic light system your battery check will provide a clear indication as to the condition of the battery in a digital display. So, if you have any concerns regarding the condition or health of your car battery then we recommend you have the battery and charging system checked as soon as possible.
Your car battery is the only power source used for getting your car started and faulty batteries are one of the main reasons for breakdown calls in the UK. Industry sources say that 1/10 vehicle batteries are poised to fail. So it is important that you maintain a good healthy battery if you are to avoid becoming a roadside ‘breakdown’ statistic.
Surefix carry batteries to fit the largest selection of car and light commercial vehicles in stock and are ready to fit should your battery fail.

Battery power on demand

• In-car entertainment & other electronic devices put your battery under even more strain.
• A battery check at Surefixt centres can help prevent premature battery failure.
• Avoid becoming a winter breakdown statistic with a digital battery check.

In simple terms, a battery is an electrical storage device. Batteries do not make electricity they simply store the power until you are ready to use it.

So when you turn the key to start your car, the battery supplies power to the starter motor, which turns the engine over. At the same time, power from the battery is supplied to the spark plugs, or glow plugs, in order to ignite the fuel and air mixture that has been compressed in the engine combustion cylinders.
The battery power used during the starting up process is then replaced by the alternator, which supplies the bulk of electrical current to your cars electrical systems, keeping your battery fully charged.

The battery strength or cranking ampage is generally affected by the amount of work it does and the conditions in which it has to work. Also, over the past few years, in-car technology has grown to include items like air conditioning, digital music players, satellite navigation systems and other electronic gadgetry. All of these increase the demand on your car’s battery and charging system. Consequently more frequent checks are recommended so that your car battery maintains its optimum working level.

Regular battery checks can help identify and prevent premature ‘battery failure’, which can result in a vehicle breakdown at a most inconvenient time.

• Avoid dirt, grease and potential electric shocks with a digital battery check.
• Choose the experts for your digital battery check at Surefix centres.
• Massive selection of batteries to fit cars and light commercial vehicles in stock.

You must be very careful when handling a car battery, as they are heavy and contain sulphuric acid, which is highly corrosive and must not come in contact with your skin or eyes.

Most modern car batteries carry a performance indicator and are maintenance free so there are generally no physical checks you can perform yourself, except to make sure that the terminal connections are tight and not corroded. You may want to coat the terminal connectors with petroleum jelly to help prevent the build up of corrosive material.

Your car battery is usually situated under the bonnet of your car. However, there are some vehicle manufacturers that put the battery under the rear passenger seat or in the boot of the car; generally these positions are more common on large executive vehicle models. Vehicles like Mercedes, Porsche, Rolls Royce and Mitsubishi can sometimes have two batteries, generally where the engine size is large. Your vehicle owner’s handbook will tell you the location of your car battery and the checks you can perform.

If you look at any battery, you will notice that it has two terminals. One terminal is positive, marked with a plus sign (+), while the other is marked with a negative or minus sign (-). Unlike a torch battery that has a positive and negative terminal located at each end, car batteries have two heavy duty lead posts that are both situated on the top of the battery casing.

Remember to take extra care when tightening the terminal connections. Over tightening can result in damage to the battery casing or lead posts and ultimately, premature battery failure. Beware of crossing or connecting the positive and negative terminals as this can cause an electric shock, irreversible damage to the battery cells and in extreme cases an explosion.