ECOBAT Battery Technologies (ECOBAT), formerly Manbat, has long expressed the need for independent workshops to be fully up to speed when it comes to both the batteries and the associated technology present in every micro-hybrid, or start/stop, enabled vehicle.
However, there are still a surprisingly large number of workshops that have yet to grasp the issue and are therefore losing out on the potential it offers.
Following some detailed research, ECOBAT discovered that nationally, 43% of workshops turn away start/stop battery replacement.
This points to an assumption that they consider fitting them to be complicated and the necessary equipment costly or that the potential negative publicity to their incorrect fitment, as seen through recent news stories concerning a prominent chain and the subsequent demand for compensation, have led them to decide it is something they think is best to steer clear of.
However, the number of start/stop vehicles entering the workshop, all of which are fitted with either an AGM or EFB battery, is only going to continue to grow because since 2016, virtually all petrol and diesel engines have the system as standard.
Addressing the problem head-on, ECOBAT has developed ONE BOX, a solution that consolidates all the equipment needed to test and install start/stop batteries into a single package to provide workshops with an easy route to access the profit potential, which would typically be charged at more than £185 per installation.
With the ONE BOX package and a little training to enable technicians get the very best from the equipment, workshops will find that fitting these batteries correctly is not a complicated process and allows them to provide a more professional service, which improves customer satisfaction and reduces the risk of future warranty claims due to the incorrect installation or use of an inappropriate battery.
The components brought together in the ONE BOX bundle, include a battery analyser to accurately assess the condition of the existing battery, a NOCO charger and OBD lead to support the vehicle’s ECU/data storage during the replacement process and a battery validation tool to ensure the new AGM/EFB battery is correctly assimilated into the vehicle’s battery management system.
However, the package can be also be supported with signage and point-of-sale material, to allow workshops to fully promote their start/stop replacement capability to motorists.
As with the other products in its portfolio, which include the VARTA, Lucas and Numax brands, the solution is available to workshops through the company’s motor factor customers.
However, if a workshop’s regular supplier does not work with ECOBAT, they can still gain access to the ONE BOX package by contacting ECOBAT direct, who will then arrange for one of its existing customers to supply it, as well as arrange the necessary training.
By combining the right tools and helpful guidance, ECOBAT’s ONE BOX can open the way for workshops currently turning work away and allow them to access the business and increase their profits, with a straightforward, practical and inexpensive solution.