Car Battery Check

Make sure that your family are safe with a Car Battery Check

So, on a recent visit to France, we unfortunately broke down. Due to an electrical fault on our Peugeot van. Just by a coincidence another English vehicle in a few parking spaces near to us. Was also broke down, this vehicle was a Citroen C4 Picasso people carrier, and was occupied by a family of six , four children and their parents.

I went over to the guy, who was looking under the bonnet (hood) of his car. Tentatively, asking him what had gone wrong. He told that the orange alternator light had come on. Sadly, but he carried on. Not suspecting that the light would cause a problem. He went on to tell me!

That he had suspected that the car may have had a dodgy battery for a few weeks

. But he just kept on charging it up. Because he did not use the people carrier very often. In fact he only used the car for family outings and visits to the sea side.

I told him that I was in the Car battery business. So, and suspected that a Battery Check would do the trick. I am amazed at the number of drivers that I come across. Consequently, who are hell bent on trying to keep a dead battery alive. Of course, by constantly trying to charge up their old, and probably dead battery up. So, trying to keep the thing alive. Most drivers fail and eventually give up their dead battery. Of course, and go out to have a professional Battery Check. Before buying buy a new one.

Car Battery Check

We were both members of the AA, a British breakdown organisation, that covers the whole of Europe. Sure enough a breakdown truck arrived to attend to the guy with the people carrier. The system in France only allows the AA Recovery to attend a breakdown on the road side or hard shoulder of a motorway.

This is French law! I think it has something to do with protecting the livelihood of the French garage trade. Something that the French are good at, protectionism. The English guy did have a battery test and needed a new 12 Volt Battery. The battery on the vehicle was a common size. Known to us as a 096. These batteries cost about £60 here in the UK. But the driver got a shock when the new battery cost him 140 Euros.

His breakdown cover may not have covered him for what we call renewable s, so the lesson there is do not mess about trying to resurrect your old car battery,

just go and buy a new one. The whole experience of breaking down would have put a lot of pressure on his family, not knowing if they would not reach their holiday destination or not, just for the sake of a battery test before starting off on a journey.

Car Battery Check

My wife and I have had eight children together over the past 35 years and have traveled extensively all over Europe. We have broken down a couple of times in our people carriers and so we know about the pressure that breaking down can put on the whole family. It is not worth the hassle and stress, just because you did not prepare your car and had a not knowing if they would not reach their holiday destination or not, just for the sake of a Car Battery Check before starting off on a journey.

Since this post my dear wife of 45 years has passed away.Staggeringly, she died after three years of suffering with MND.