Warranty Policy

Raising a claim under warranty

Before returning any products to us please call us on 01684 298800 or email us at [email protected] for assistance as we may be able help resolve the issue that you are experiencing.

If you are having an issue with a battery then we will need you to complete a Warranty Claim Form. We can send this to you by email or post.

Once a form has been completed and sent back to our Customer Service Team it will be reviewed inline with the below Warranty Policy so we can advise you further. We may ask you to get the battery tested.

If the item is a Power Electrical item, we will want to chat with you regarding the issue to get to the bottom of the problem.

If an item does need to be returned to us, all products returned to us will need to be sent with a completed RMA Form in the box with the product. This can be downloaded here. 

Warranty Process

If you think that your battery is faulty, you need to fully charge the battery with an appropriate charger – Please note that an over discharged (flat) battery may not accept a charge from a number of standard battery chargers – This is not a fault with the battery itself.

Once the battery has been fully charged (12.73 volts for a standard lead acid battery or 13.0 volts for an AGM battery) this may well solve the issue

If it still appears to not be performing as expected we would request you obtain a test report on the battery (minimum voltage accepted for a test report received will be 12.5 volts – Anything under 12.5 volts will be rejected as the battery is undercharged)

Once a test report has been obtained please e-mail this to [email protected] (please note any costs incurred for testing or investigation work will not be refunded)

We may ask you to return it to us for testing

On the rare occasion we ask you to return your battery to us for testing we will ask you to follow the below steps:

• Call us with your invoice / order number, we will then take a £20 deposit and collect your battery for testing
• We will then charge and test the battery, we may also need to return some items to our suppliers for testing.
• If the battery is faulty, we will refund your deposit and (if applicable subject to your warranty) send you a new battery or a credit against a new battery.
• If your battery is not faulty, we will send the battery back to you or we can safely dispose of the battery.

You can drop the battery off to us in store for testing in person where we can run an initial test while you wait, depending on the battery condition you may then need to leave the battery with us for a period while we charge / test / or attempt to recover the battery, some batteries may need to be returned to the manufacturer for testing. Once the battery is tested you will then need to return to collect the battery.

What is covered under the warranty?

The warranty on your battery covers all faults caused by manufacturing or materials.

This mainly includes:

• Loss of capacity/CCA whilst fully charged – This will be indicated by a battery test report
• Internal cell failure – This will also be indicated by a battery test report

What is NOT covered under the warranty?

The following faults are not covered under the warranty:

• Wear and tear
• Incorrect application
• Physical damage
• Overcharging – Any voltage under 10.5 volts will not be processed as a warranty claim as this indicates more than 100% discharged
• Deep or over cycling
• Sulfation

Wear and Tear – When a battery is charged and discharged, material from the battery plates (active mass) is in motion, through the electromechanical reaction that produces electricity. Every time a battery goes through a charge-discharge cycle, a small amount of this active mass is lost from the plates. Due to so many factors impacting on the life of a battery, it is impossible to stipulate a minimum or maximum life expectancy.

Every battery has a finite number of cycles that it can go through before it loses its active mass, and in turn, its capacity. Vehicles with high usage such as buses, minibuses, taxis, and trucks, will often put a battery through this finite number of cycles over a much shorter amount of time, causing a battery to show the above symptoms after only 12-24 months. This is not a manufacturing fault.

Incorrect Application – The car batteries recommend via the VRN checker on www.bmstechnologies.co.uk are equal to or above the original manufacturer equipment specification. Fitting a smaller or less powerful battery, or the incorrect type of battery to your vehicle will result in a shortened lifespan and premature failure. This is not a manufacturing fault.

Physical Damage – Any physical damage that occurs to the battery terminals or casing due to improper fitment, if the battery is dropped, if any connectors are hammered on to the terminals, or if connectors are not properly fastened, the battery may fail rapidly. This is not a manufacturing fault. **If your battery is damaged when it arrives with you then please let us know within 48 hours of receiving your delivery. Any claims made after this time will not be accepted**

Overcharging – If a battery is charged at an excessive current or voltage then it may overheat and the electrolyte inside will start to evaporate. This overcharging will cause an accelerated break-up of the active mass of the plates and the battery will lose performance.

This is usually very obvious as there will be a strong smell of Sulphur (rotten eggs) when charging the battery. When off charge the acid levels will be low and there may be a black coating on the filler caps. This is not a manufacturing fault.

Deep or Over Cycling – This happens if your car engine is switched on and off frequently, or you leave the interior lights, headlights, or other electrical consumers on for extended periods between journeys. Remember to completely switch everything off before locking your vehicle.

As mentioned above, every time a car battery goes through a charge and discharge cycle a small amount of material from the plates is lost. If a car battery is subjected to deep discharging (over 40%) and then rapid charging, this process is accelerated. This is not a manufacturing fault.

Sulfation – Sulfation occurs when a battery is allowed to stand in a discharged state for an excessive amount of time. When a battery voltage drops below a certain level, a chemical reaction known as sulfation takes place. In most cases, this voltage is at or below 12.06v. Sulfation is normally irreversible, and can permanently impair the performance of the battery, causing reduced performance and premature failure. Sulfation can be seen as a fine white/grey coating on the plates.

This damage can be caused if a battery is stored for long periods without charging, or installed in applications that are not frequently used, i.e. tractors, boats, and motorbikes. Vehicles are prone to discharging batteries as there is always a permanent drain from vehicle clocks, alarms etc. Over time, sulfation will build up on the plates, and hinder the performance of the battery.

Under normal operating conditions a battery cannot become discharged on its own (unless left for a long period of self-discharge). The reason for this discharge is normally caused by one of the following:

• malfunctioning alternator, regulator, or starter motor
• slipping fan belt
• electrical fault
• excessive use of electrical items such as heated seats, air conditioning etc
• long standing time without recharge
• boot light/glove box malfunction
• vehicle lights being left on

As sulfation is easily avoided by simply keeping your battery charged, this is also not a manufacturing fault.

All specialist batteries (non-automotive) may need to be returned to the manufacturer for testing.

Power Electronics Warranty

All Sterling and Victron power electronics will need to be returned (with a completed RMA form, which can be found here) to be tested either with us or with the manufacturer. These will then be repaired or replaced and sent back out to you.

Hankook Leisure Batteries

The warranty of Hankook Leisure Batteries is reduced if used for the following applications:

• Live Aboard usage: 1 Year
• Commercial and Industrial usage: 1 Year
• Electric fence usage: 6 Months

If you believe yourself to have more than one faulty battery please contact our technical team for assistance before proceeding with the above on 01684 298800.

Please note we are unable to proceed with a warranty claim if the faulty battery has been disposed of prior to notifying us of a potential fault.

If a replacement battery is purchased before a warranty claim is raised we are unable to proceed with your claim and will not process a refund for the battery purchased.

BMS Technologies are not responsible for any third party claims resulting from a faulty item. The faulty item will be replaced but third party losses cannot be claimed.