Ring urges workshops to be recovery ready


Ring Automotive is advising workshops to ensure they’re prepared for the colder weather that’s now upon us.

In the summer, Ring Automotive revealed that the hot weather damages a battery the same, if not more, as the cold weather does. This is due to the heat the sun creates evaporating the vital fluids in a battery, therefore it will send out a weaker charge to other areas of the vehicle: the warm temperatures also speed up the corrosion process in a battery.

The damage this heat causes to the battery can remain for months, so as the temperature in Ireland has plummeted to freezing, it’s likely batteries will begin to fail.

To prepare for this inevitable influx of work, Ring Automotive is urging workshops and therefore, motor factors, to look at their recovery solutions for battery issues. The main piece of equipment technicians will need during this time is the trusty jump starter.

Ring says it has a host of options available that will assist technicians get drivers back on the road or to the workshop quickly and efficiently. Ring’s professional heavy duty Lithium Jump Starter, (RPPL1000) is able to withstand the tough conditions in a workshop, but is also lightweight (weighs 2kg) and compact, so it can be moved quickly and easily to where it’s needed.

The RPPL1000 jump starter is for 12V systems with 1000A starting capacity and 1500A peak current. This jump starter is capable of performing multiple starts from just one charge and can be used for all petrol vehicles and diesel engines up to 10-litre capacity, so includes motorcycles, cars, 4x4s, vans, commercial vehicles and boats. It will jump start Lead acid, AGM, Gel and Calcium batteries, all in under 30 seconds.

It also takes just two hours to recharge the jump starter with advanced PD60W charger (sold separately) or four hours via the USB-C charging cable, and there’s a handy indicator on the front to show how charged it is, which allows users to know how many jump starts they’re able to do with this piece of equipment.

There is reverse polarity protection if connected the wrong way to the battery terminals and it will sound an audible warning if the battery voltage is too low, less than 1V, indicating the battery is too depleted to be recovered.

Another tool that may come in handy is being able to check the health of the battery to see if this is the issue with the vehicle. For a reliable reading of the battery, Ring recommends its new battery analyser (RBAG950), which can provide a complete health check of the battery and electrical systems in both 12V and 24V vehicles, including motorcycles, cars and vans.

This analyser is suitable for 12V lead acid, AGM, EFB, gel and LiFePO4 lithium, as well as start/stop batteries, and the multi-functional unit is able to test the battery, alternator, starter and vehicle earth, via its intuitive graphical interface. The results can then be printed using the built-in thermal printer, viewed on other devices by using the removable SD card, or even through the QR code.

If a battery does need to be replaced then the analyser should be used to check the health of that battery too. It may have been on the shelf at the factors for some time and has naturally depleted. It only takes a drop past 12.5V for a battery to get damaged. A quick test with the RBAG950 lets the technician know if they should fit it or return it. It’s better to check than have a disgruntled customers that could damage the reputation of a workshop.