Audi 100/A6

1990-1997 of release

Repair and car operation

Probably, at each motorist there comes such moment when to potter further with the old storage battery becomes too troublesome. Especially if outside winter also there are bitter colds. Constant problems with engine start, infinite "house" additional charges and fear that the being showered active weight at the most inappropriate moment will close plates then from any intersection you will drag home on a tow. The conclusion arises: the new accumulator is necessary. But what?

All starterny storage batteries share on three categories: served, or maintainable; the low-served; the unattended.

Served accumulators for the present meet on sale though about ten years ago they made practically absolute majority. Now they are made by some Russian plants moreover in several countries of the former socialist camp. They are easy for learning on the ebonitovy case and black mastic which is filled in from above. Such accumulator gives the chance to replace the block of plates one or several banok if between plates there was a short circuit. But the vast majority in it will not be engaged. Besides ebonitovy case more expensive in production less other, than plastic, and at blow breaks up. Mastic too has an essential shortcoming – over time from dirt and temperature drops it loses the insulating properties, why the accumulator starts to be discharged spontaneously very quickly.

The owner of the unattended accumulator is simply deprived of possibility something to make with it: on a cover of such battery there are no openings and jellied jams. These are the special accumulators intended for defined (read – ideal) service conditions with soft climate and the debugged service. They very expensive also are suitable for use not on all cars.

The majority of automobile accumulators let out around the world is low-served. They have no such rigid restrictions in operation and are widely presented in the market, from rather cheap and simple to expensive, qualitative and literally larded by modern technologies.

Let's say you decided to buy the accumulator, but where also what? At first – where. It is best of all to go to solid firm where to you will quickly pick up that is necessary. Now – what. Let's not advise something concrete, we will make only some recommendations.

The prestige and popularity of any brand of accumulators have crucial importance upon purchase, but it is necessary to consider and some technical moments. Certainly, the chemical composition of plates or technology of their manufacturing are hardly known to the seller. And whether it is necessary it is to the buyer? It is better to pay attention that it is possible to see most. For example, the packaged plates (each plate is packed into a microporous envelope separator) which prevent short circuit between them owing to an osypaniye of active weight and respectively prolong term of "life" of the accumulator. Such packages are well visible if to open a jellied stopper. Pay attention and to jams. It is known that at a battery charging water from electrolit is evaporated and at electrolysis decays on hydrogen and oxygen.

That the accumulator did not blow up, in jams do sideways or from above a small opening for an exit of gases. In the simplest (and the cheapest) accumulators do simply small opening which can quickly be hammered by dirt. In more expensive jams are made like the valve which is not giving to electrolit to be splashed out, with a cavity for a kontsensatsiya паров. It is best of all, if jams have no openings, and in a cover of the battery there is a system of cavities for water condensation, and also the uniform gazootvodny channel, as in unattended accumulators.

Low-served accumulators are delivered by producers sukhozaryazhenny (as the majority served) or filled in with electrolit at plant. If you buy the accumulator for the future, it is better to buy the sukhozaryazhenny: it has a big period of storage. To bring them into a working condition, it is necessary to fill in electrolit. The akkmulyator filled in at plant are already ready to work. The electrolit for them prepares experts from high-quality components and contains much (sometimes more than twenty) the additives interfering a sulfatatsiya, an osypaniye of active weight, etc. It is necessary to tell that on sale there were the special modifiers allegedly containing such additives, but they do not cause trust. There is one more advantage at the filled-in accumulators. Before getting to a distribution network, them subject to a special charging with control of parameters on special equipment. Thus to reveal poor-quality batteries it is much easier.

Probably, the most important, on what the buyer should pay attention, are characteristics of the accumulator. Their three. The first – nomanalny tension, it at all batteries identical, and it is impossible to be mistaken. Upon purchase it is desirable to check the accumulator a loading fork. The second – the capacity measured in ampere/hours (A/h), means, roughly speaking, the quantity of the electric power which is storing in the accumulator. On capacity depends, as it is long possible to twist a starter the engine, is more exact – how many it is possible to make attempts to start the engine. The price of the accumulator is almost directly proportional to its capacity. And the third characteristic – a starting current (it is measured in amperes, And), i.e. a current submitted on a starter during start-up. On accumulators it can specify on four different systems: GOST (on domestic), EN (a standard of Uniform Europe), SAE (the American standard) and DIN. The last, German standard, is closest to our state standard specification and on the majority of the European batteries is put "by default" i.e. when the system of a standard is not specified. The it is more, the quicker and with bigger force the starter will turn the engine.

It is better, if you buy the accumulator with those characteristics which are specified in the maintenance instruction of your car: so it will serve to you more long at the minimum expenses. It is possible to save and buy the accumulator of smaller capacity, but it will serve you less usual term and it is bad to cope with winter start. Having bought the battery even not much more bigger capacity, you will not win in service life since constant недозаряд the accumulator will lead to a sulfatatsiya of plates, and will lose in money. To be fond of the raised starting current also does not follow: will burn a starter. Replace oil in the engine better, and problems with start will not be.

Lately the market of the country is overflowed with the poor-quality goods and fakes. Accumulators are not an exception. There are some signs on which it is possible with sufficient accuracy to distinguish the original from a fake. The first and, perhaps, main thing: on the accumulator the country manufacturer and letting-out plant should be surely specified, it is better if with the address. The second – manufacturing date that is very important, if the accumulator filled in should be specified. Technical data sheet, and here existence of the instruction should be applied to each battery it is unessential. It is connected with that in the West accumulators almost do not sell at retail, they are established by experts at service stations. The third – the high-quality accumulator is inconceivable without the high-quality case, good jams and the smooth vyvodny plugs quite often greased with technical protective greasing from oxidation and covered from above with color plastic caps.