Ageing vehicles on the road

With a global shortage of new cars and the current worries over increased expenses, we see that car owners are hanging onto their cars for longer. This results in an ageing stock at the car dealerships and these cars need extra care to maintain the best battery health. This is also an issue for car storage facilities with a lot of older vehicles.

CTEK has some tips for car storage facilities and dealerships that store ageing vehicles to keep the vehicle’s battery in ideal condition. Always ready to hit the road again.

1. Making sure your older battery is in top shape

The car battery has a tendency to degrade when it ages, building up lead sulphate crystals which reduces the amount of power the battery is able to hold. However, this process can be stopped and even reversed if you have a professional battery charger like the CTEK PRO25S.

The PRO25S is a multifunctional battery charger and 12V power supply. It sends a fast and safe charge that meets the needs of the battery and it also has a lead-acid battery reconditioning program, to recondition dead batteries and restore the battery’s life. The PRO25S is also portable, you can therefore move it between your vehicles if you need to. The PRO25S works with any type of 12V battery including lead-acid, gel, AGM and lithium (12V LiFePO4).

2. Charge your battery regularly

It is important that you charge your vehicle on a regular basis for the best battery health. This is especially important if the car isn’t driven very far or very often. Just to start your car requires 150-300 amps of power and if you’re only out on short trips, the battery alternator won’t have the ability to replace that charge.

If you are being proactive with the maintenance of your battery, your cars will always be able to start whenever you need them to. This will protect your brand and reputation as a car dealer and also ensure you that you don’t miss out on a sale when a customer wants to test-drive one of the cars.

Additionally, if you maintain your battery regularly, you can actually extend the battery’s life up to three times! To invest in a professional charger makes perfect sense financially, as well as it can reduce waste.

3. Customer-ready with a fully charged battery

You should always make sure that the vehicle’s battery is fully charged when the new owner comes to pick it up. When you drive a vehicle, the alternator is only going to charge the battery up to 80%, that’s why you need a professional charger to fully charge to 100%.

4. If the weather changes

You’ll also have to consider the weather conditions; the weather can have a major impact on your battery specifically if it’s parked outside in the cold. When it’s freezing outside, the battery can lose up to 35% of its power and up to 50% if it’s even colder.

However, if you have the PRO25S you never have to worry. It has a built-in temperature sensor which guarantees that maximum charge levels are achieved, even in the coldest or roughest conditions. The PRO25S is IP44 classified for outdoor use and is water and dust proof!