Professional Distributor - 8

COVER STORY
Photo from CTEK.

without a start-stop system in it, as
they will be driven to meet those fuel
economy guidelines.

THE TOOLS FOR THE JOB
For every job or repair a technician
works on, they have a specific set of
tools. Battery maintenance is no different, and with all the changes to batteries over the years, it is essential that
technicians update their tools along with
the technology. To properly maintain a
vehicle's battery, a technician needs a
good battery charger, a battery registration device, a digital battery tester, a terminal cleaner, a multimeter, and special
insulated tools and equipment for any
hybrid or electric vehicle battery work.

BATTERY CHARGER
Battery chargers are a prime example
of equipment that shops may need to
update. A technician can no longer just
throw a charger on a battery and call it

good. They must have a charger that can
adapt to whatever battery they are charging and be able to change the charging
voltage when necessary.
When a technician is charging the
battery on a Mercedes, for example,
if the technician uses the wrong kind
of battery charger, the battery can be
damaged in less than an hour. This
damage could then result in spending $600-800 to replace the battery,
Mackey says.
Technicians must know what kind
of battery they're trying to charge as well
as its charging voltage before hooking it
up to the battery charger. Mackey cautions that finding this information has
become a bit more complicated with
some batteries now being remotely
located within a vehicle as opposed to
under the hood. He suggests seeking
out the manual to find the information.
Mackey also notes that, when it
comes to selling battery chargers, shops

8 Professional Distributor I February 2021 I VehicleServicePros.com

Digital battery testers allow shops to test every
vehicle's battery that comes in, meaning peace
of mind for the customer and the potential of
greater revenue for the shop.

may argue that they work on " older cars, "
so they don't need a charger that handles
this new battery technology. AGM batteries have been in cars as far back as
1999 and in cars like the Toyota Prius,
the Chevrolet Corvette, and almost all
European cars from about 2007 to now.
" If you're working on cars that are
as far back as 1999, which is a 21-yearold car today, you have a chance of seeing these new technology batteries, "
Mackey says.

BATTERY
REGISTRATION DEVICE
The battery registration device is another
example of a tool needed to work on
the new battery technologies. A lot of
vehicles now have an electrical system
known as a smart charging system.


http://www.VehicleServicePros.com

Professional Distributor

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Professional Distributor

The Past, Present, and Future of Battery Maintenance
Show Me Your Truck - Stocked to Sell
In Focus Products
Driving Sales - Safety Equipment & Personal Gear
Editor's Note - The Virtues of Mentoring
Most Wanted
Sneak Peek
Go Sell Something - Customer Relationship Marketing for the Mobile Jobber
Diagnostic Tech: Diagnostic Corner - Climate Control Systems
Tales From the Road - Ruler of the Rural Route
Professional Distributor - 1
Professional Distributor - 2
Professional Distributor - 3
Professional Distributor - Editor's Note - The Virtues of Mentoring
Professional Distributor - 5
Professional Distributor - The Past, Present, and Future of Battery Maintenance
Professional Distributor - 7
Professional Distributor - 8
Professional Distributor - 9
Professional Distributor - 10
Professional Distributor - 11
Professional Distributor - Show Me Your Truck - Stocked to Sell
Professional Distributor - 13
Professional Distributor - Most Wanted
Professional Distributor - 15
Professional Distributor - Sneak Peek
Professional Distributor - 17
Professional Distributor - 18
Professional Distributor - 19
Professional Distributor - 20
Professional Distributor - 21
Professional Distributor - Go Sell Something - Customer Relationship Marketing for the Mobile Jobber
Professional Distributor - 23
Professional Distributor - In Focus Products
Professional Distributor - 25
Professional Distributor - 26
Professional Distributor - 27
Professional Distributor - Diagnostic Tech: Diagnostic Corner - Climate Control Systems
Professional Distributor - 29
Professional Distributor - 30
Professional Distributor - 31
Professional Distributor - Driving Sales - Safety Equipment & Personal Gear
Professional Distributor - 33
Professional Distributor - 34
Professional Distributor - 35
Professional Distributor - 36
Professional Distributor - 37
Professional Distributor - Tales From the Road - Ruler of the Rural Route
Professional Distributor - 39
Professional Distributor - 40
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