My Actifit Report Card: July 18 2022

An absolute sweat fest today at work and any job that allowed you to sit in the car with the air-con blasting was quickly snapped up. Today also proved yet again that the Stop/Start system that modern cars have is an absolute money burner. On this occasion it was my company that had the pleasure of needlessly wasting cash due to this ridiculous automotive feature. The case in question was a customer return vehicle with an all too common complaint that the Stop/Start wasn’t working. After testing the battery I found out it needed charging but the overall health was good. The battery was left to charge until it reached 100% charge (according to the chargers we use) and after this I tested the battery once more. The results were 88% health and 83% charge. Now, Ford cars require 90-95% battery charge for the Stop/Start system to work which is an insane and unsustainable margin to operate within. With these results from the test I had no choice but to replace the battery which cost our company around £250. A new battery fixed the problem and one happy customer was sent on their merry way, however, I had suspicions about the battery charger and it’s reliability…So, later that afternoon I used my own battery charger which has a repair function. This basically pulses the battery with electricity in a way which helps remove the sulphur that builds up with it the battery. After doing so, I tested the battery once more and, surprise surprise, 100% health, 100% charge.

Now this was one battery at a cost of £250 but we literally replace 4 to 5 batteries per week because of the Stop/Start issue. From now on I’ve told the managers that I’m charging every battery the way I did this one and the customer will just have to wait. I doubt I’ll see any reward for these saving but that’s not really the point. I’m a Mechanic and therefore I repair things rather than replace them.

Anyway, that’s what I’ve learned this week. As for my step count, that’s not too shabby today as we’re now parking cars in our sold compound which is the furthest point from where I work. All in all it’s been a good day and all that’s left to do is chill out with the dogs until it gets cool enough to take them on a walk.

See you all next time and until then, play safe but play hard!
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Walking