Batteries
Nothing but a click on a cold Harpenden morning
Lights left on outside a terrace in Batford, or a second car that has sat through a cold week by the Common. We come with proper starting kit rather than a set of leads and good intentions, get it running, and then look at whether it is actually charging. If the battery has had its day you will be told, and we can often put a new one on there and then, coded where the car wants it.
How the job runs
- Early calls, before people need the car for work
- Tested under load, so the answer is better than ‘it went that time’
- Corroded terminals cleaned up while we are stood there anyway
- A new battery fitted on the spot when the right one is on the van
- If the battery is healthy and the charging is fine, you get told that too
Ring it through, or send it over and we will come back to you.
Asked a lot round here
Is it the battery or the alternator?
That is the question worth settling before you spend anything. We test the battery and then the charging with the engine running. If it fires and dies the moment the leads come off, it is usually the charging side, and that is a garage job.
Can you fit a battery on the same visit?
When the right one is on the van, yes. Some European fitments and the stop-start units want ordering, and we will not wedge in a near-enough unit to save a second trip.