Battery Warranty, Testing & Fault Assessment
At Battery Planet, we partner with world-class manufacturers to provide reliable, high-performance batteries backed by comprehensive nationwide warranty coverage. Learn about warranty coverage, diagnostic testing standards, and how to maintain your battery's peak health.
Starting Battery Warranty
Automotive, 4WD Starting, Marine Cranking & Light Commercial Vehicles
Starting batteries are precision-engineered to deliver high cranking power (Cold Cranking Amps / CCA) for a few seconds to start an engine, after which they must be immediately replenished by the vehicle's alternator.
Testing & Fault Assessment Process
Verification of purchase date, date codes, and checks for physical impact, case swelling (overcharging), melted or damaged terminals, and acid leakage.
Initial resting voltage check. Batteries below 12.4V cannot be reliably load tested and must first undergo controlled multi-stage charging.
The battery is placed on an automated workshop charger to verify if it accepts and retains charge, and to desulfate surface lead plates where possible.
Digital conductance analyzer and high-amp load testing to evaluate actual CCA output against manufacturer OEM specs and check cell integrity.
| Resting Voltage (12V) | State of Charge | Condition & Diagnostic Action |
|---|---|---|
| 12.60V – 12.80V+ | 100% Fully Charged | Ready for accurate conductance & load testing. |
| 12.40V – 12.55V | 75% Partially Charged | Acceptable charge; requires top-up before full load testing. |
| 12.00V – 12.35V | 25% – 50% Discharged | Discharged. Needs full bench charge before assessment. |
| < 12.00V (Deeply Flat) | 0% Severely Flat | Severe discharge. May suffer permanent sulfation if left flat. |
- • Internal Open Circuit: Broken internal busbar or inter-cell connector weld causing sudden complete loss of voltage.
- • Internal Short Circuit: Dead cell resulting in nominal resting voltage dropping to ~10.5V that fails to hold charge.
- • Defective Cell Separators: Factory separator degradation resulting in premature internal leakage.
- • Confirmed Low CCA: Inability to deliver manufacturer-rated CCA following certified full bench recharge.
- • Flat / Discharged Battery: Left headlights on, dash cam/tracker drain, or faulty vehicle alternator.
- • Sulfation: Hardened lead sulfate crystals caused by leaving battery in a discharged state or repeated short trips.
- • Overcharging: Swollen or bloated battery casing, excessive venting, and burnt acid smell caused by faulty vehicle voltage regulator (>14.8V).
- • Physical Abuse: Melted terminals from loose clamp connections, cracked casing, or damaged hold-down brackets.
- • Wrong Application / Sizing: Using a battery smaller than manufacturer OEM spec or using starting battery for deep-cycle auxiliary loads.
Deep Cycle Battery Warranty
AGM, GEL, Flooded Deep Cycle & Lithium (LiFePO4) Power Systems
Deep cycle batteries are purpose-built to deliver sustained power over long periods for auxiliary loads such as 12V fridges, lighting, inverters, caravans, camper trailers, marine house banks, and off-grid solar. They are rated in Amp-Hours (Ah) rather than cranking amps.
Unlike starting batteries, warranty evaluation for deep cycle batteries requires rigorous capacity discharge testing to verify true deliverable Ah capacity against manufacturer standards.
Deep Cycle Capacity & BMS Assessment
Deep cycle testing involves resting voltage analysis, controlled laboratory multi-stage recharging, and a continuous resistive discharge test (typically at the C20 rate for lead/AGM or 0.2C rate for Lithium) to measure total Amp-Hour energy throughput.
- • Internal Cell Defects: Shorted cells, open circuits, or broken inter-cell strap welds under normal cycling.
- • BMS Failure (Lithium): Internal Battery Management System failure not caused by external over-current, reverse polarity, or water immersion.
- • Premature Capacity Loss: Capacity drop exceeding normal degradation curve under documented manufacturer-recommended charge cycles.
- • Chronic Undercharging: Leaving AGM/GEL batteries in a partial state of charge (PSoC), causing irreversible plate sulfation.
- • Extreme Over-Discharge: Discharging AGM below 10.5V repeatedly, or letting batteries sit completely discharged for weeks.
- • Incorrect Charger Profile: Charging Lithium with lead-acid chargers without LiFePO4 profile, or charging below 0°C without low-temp protection.
- • Inappropriate System Sizing: Running heavy inverters (e.g. 2000W+) on an undersized single battery, exceeding maximum discharge current ratings.
- • Wiring & Balancing Errors: Unequal cable lengths in parallel banks, lack of cell balancing, or incorrect series wiring.
Motorcycle & Powersports Warranty
Motorcycles, Scooters, ATVs, UTVs, Jet Skis & Mowers
Powersports batteries are compact, high-output units designed for vibration resistance and strong cranking pulses. Because of their compact size, powersports batteries typically feature small capacities (commonly 2.5Ah to 20Ah).
- • Internal Plate Weld Separation: Failure of inter-cell connections under normal engine vibration.
- • Factory Dead Cell: An isolated defective cell that fails to hold voltage after certified bench conditioning.
- • Container Seal Flaws: Factory seal defects on factory-sealed AGM/GEL units without signs of external impact.
- • Seasonal Neglect / Idle Inactivity: Battery going flat during winter storage or weeks between rides without a trickle maintainer.
- • Damage from High-Amp Car Chargers: Using a 5A–15A automotive charger on a small motorcycle battery will boil electrolyte and warp internal plates (must use 0.8A–1.5A).
- • Overcharging from Stator/Regulator Failure: Faulty motorcycle regulator-rectifiers pushing >15V into the battery, causing bloating and boiling.
- • Improper Acid Activation: Incorrect acid filling, improper resting, or omitting initial conditioning charge on dry-charged packs.
How to Make a Warranty Claim
Step-by-Step Assessment Procedure & Consumer Guarantees
Customer Pre-Claim Quick Checklist
Warranty Claim Steps
Australian Consumer Law (ACL) Guarantees
Our goods come with guarantees that cannot be excluded under the Australian Consumer Law. You are entitled to a replacement or refund for a major failure and compensation for any other reasonably foreseeable loss or damage. You are also entitled to have the goods repaired or replaced if the goods fail to be of acceptable quality and the failure does not amount to a major failure.
The warranty benefits provided herein are in addition to other rights and remedies of the consumer under law in relation to the goods.
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