Battery broken in Alberton

First, is it actually the battery?

A flat battery and a failed battery look identical from the driver's seat, and one of them is fixed by a recharge while the other is not.

Pointing at the battery: the engine turns over slowly, the dashboard dims when you turn the key, the car starts on a jump but not again the next morning, or nothing happens at all and the interior light is weak.

Pointing somewhere else: the engine turns over at normal speed and simply will not fire, the battery warning light stays on while you drive, or it starts on a jump and then keeps starting for days. That last one usually means the alternator is not charging, and a new battery will not fix it.

What the free test tells you

We test the battery under load, the starter draw and the charging system, print the result and hand it to you before anyone quotes you anything. If the battery passes, we say so and you pay nothing.

A conductance test measures what the battery can deliver, not the voltage sitting across the terminals. A battery can read 12.4 volts and still be unable to turn a cold engine.

If it does need replacing

You get a written price before any work starts, and it includes fitment and the scrap exchange on your old battery, so the figure quoted is the figure you pay.

Fitment takes a few minutes. We fit to the manufacturer's torque specification, note it on the job card, and send the old battery to a licensed recycler at no charge to you.

If the car will not move

Call us on 011 869 2427 before you call a tow truck. Within 10 km of the store we will bring the battery to you and fit it there.