GS Yuasa drives best-practice battery replacement
Leading battery manufacturer urges workshops and motorists to follow correct replacement procedures – and unveils Yu-Fit+ and advanced lookup tools to make the process faster and easier
GS Yuasa has issued a warning to workshops and motorists across Europe. Incorrect battery fitting and failure to reset the Battery Management System (BMS) on modern vehicles is still alarmingly common — risking premature battery failure, costly repairs, and complete loss of Start-Stop functionality.
Modern vehicles fitted with advanced emissions-reduction technology, such as Start-Stop systems and regenerative braking, require micro-cycle batteries of the correct technology and specification. An AGM battery must always be replaced with an AGM equivalent, and EFB batteries must only be replaced with EFB units. Fitting the wrong type can cause immediate or longer-term system faults and dramatically shorten battery life.
Equally important is BMS reprogramming, also known as validation or configuration. Most modern vehicles use a Battery Management System to monitor performance and optimise charging. Whenever a battery is replaced, the BMS must be reset through the vehicle’s on-board diagnostics (OBD) port. This validation process informs the vehicle’s electronics that a new battery has been installed and alters system parameters accordingly.
Peter Whittaker, General Manager of Automotive and Motorcycle Engineering at GS Yuasa Battery Europe Ltd, said: “Our technical teams still see far too many cases where batteries have been replaced without following correct specification or without resetting the BMS. The result of this will often be system errors, Start-Stop not functioning, and premature battery failure — all of which can be easily avoided by following the correct procedure.”
GS Yuasa stresses that these mistakes are not confined to inexperienced motorists attempting DIY replacements — they also occur in workshops, where time pressures and lack of specialist equipment can lead to shortcuts being taken.
Yu-Fit+ Battery Configurator – making battery validation fast and simple
To combat the problem, GS Yuasa has developed the Yu-Fit+ Battery Configurator, a quick and simple solution for validating battery replacement via OBD. It ensures the correct reprogramming of the BMS in minutes, freeing up expensive diagnostic equipment for more complex tasks and eliminating the risk of costly callbacks.
The new Yu-Fit+ unit has been redesigned to offer fast, accurate, and professional battery validation in as little as 60 seconds. With expanded vehicle coverage, it now supports cars with advanced security protocols such as VW’s SFD (Security Gateway) and VSA systems, ensuring compatibility with the latest vehicle architectures. Its intuitive interface and speed of operation help workshops free up diagnostic tools and reduce fitting time, while ensuring every replacement is validated correctly.
Helping workshops and motorists get it right
With battery technology advancing rapidly and vehicle systems becoming increasingly sophisticated, GS Yuasa urges all battery replacements to be carried out using the correct product, following the manufacturer’s recommended reprogramming procedure.
Whittaker added: “Replacing a Start-Stop battery is no longer a fit-and-forget job! With Yu-Fit+ and our lookup tools, there’s no excuse for fitting the wrong battery or for skipping validation — it’s quicker, easier, and more accurate than ever before.”