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Storage and Transfer

Rotating Products Winter Failure

Remy draws on its 100 years’ of experience to advise on why rotating electrics fail during the winter and warn against misdiagnosis of these components.

 

In July 2012, Remy celebrated the 100th anniversary of the world’s first electric starter for motor vehicles, the Remy Magneto. Developed by company founders, Frank and Perry Remy, the Remy Magneto placed the brothers at the forefront of rotating electrics technology. Fast-forward one hundred years and Remy Automotive, the company that bears the brothers’ name, remains at the forefront of rotating electrics technology.

Why do rotating products fail in winter?

From the beginning of October, we enter ‘the season’ for rotating electrics. The low temperatures result in cooler air and damp conditions which cause overnight condensation. This affects the car’s cranking system, making the starter motor work harder and creating a deeper drain on the battery. Increased use of lights, windscreen washer pumps and wipers, heated screens and heaters/blowers puts additional strain on the battery’s reserves, reducing the amount of excess power that is available. Additionally, the wet and salty road surfaces accelerate the corrosion of weak points in the charging system, for example where there are corroded, loose or broken connections.

The car’s electrical system has been designed to deal with these demands, however, any weaknesses within the starting/charging system such as a bad battery, bad electrical connections, or reduced alternator output will become very apparent in these conditions and cause starting/charging problems. Starters and alternators that survived the mild driving conditions of the summer months are caught out and the demand on garages becomes intense.

Misdiagnosis with rotating electrics

Rotating parts are becoming the most regularly misdiagnosed failures on a vehicle today with up to one in four warranty returns – 25% – not actually showing any faults when investigated.* Remy attributes this problem to the misreading of symptoms by garages that, under pressure of time, fail to locate the precise fault on the vehicle. Consequently, garages and motor factors are dealing with a large number of unnecessary returns.

There is a simple solution and motor factors can help their garage customers towards diagnosis by giving some simple advice. Without going into major detail, all that is needed is a simple multi-meter and a little understanding to complete a simple diagnosis of the problems. Five minutes of proper diagnosis can prove conclusively where the problem lies, saving everyone time and money in the long run and keeping the end-customer happy.

Challenging the OE product

Remy believes that its remanufactured products are equal, if not superior, to the original OE product. This is because Remy re-engineers the OE product eliminating many patent problems or faults that have been identified in the original OE design. With a ‘repaired’ product one fault is found and then repaired. With ‘re-conditioned’ products, the unit is broken into sub-assemblies which are then tested, the highlighted faults repaired and then rebuilt. However, neither process will identify underlying faults. Remy’s remanufactured units on the other hand are stripped down into the base components which are thoroughly cleaned before being inspected against OE standards prior to remanufacture and reassembly. During this process, all wearing components are replaced and re-assembled against OE specification. Units are then 100% tested in static and dynamic conditions to ensure a true quality product.

Product availability is absolutely key to getting cars back on the road quickly, and with 4,000 references covering 35,000 vehicle applications, Remy’s range of rotating electrics has been developed to get you through the winter. Speak to your local factor or distributor for more information.

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