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Case Study

How a Commercial Vehicle OEM Standardized Battery Warranty Testing

How a North American commercial vehicle OEM made capacity assessment an essential part of consistent, auditable battery warranty decisions.

Results at a Glance

Capacity assessment became a required part of OEM battery warranty testing.

94%

Correct classifications

The Cadex solution matched laboratory-established battery condition in the OEM evaluation.

15 secs

Time to result

The selected tester produced a decisive battery result without a lengthy load test.

2 years

Validation program

The OEM used laboratory analysis and dealership field trials to compare solutions.

Policy

Warranty standard

The selected Cadex tester was designated an essential tool for battery warranty claims.

Customer and Challenge

CCA Alone Could Not Support Accurate Warranty Decisions

A North American commercial vehicle OEM needed a consistent battery-warranty process across a large dealer network. Because failed batteries could not be cost-effectively returned for inspection, the documented test result had to serve as the validation record for warranty audits.

The incumbent method focused on Cold Cranking Amps (CCA) but did not measure Reserve Capacity loss. An aging battery can retain strong cranking performance while its stored energy falls, leaving a critical gap in state-of-health and end-of-life decisions.

The OEM needed an approved service tool that could:

  • Test both flooded-cell and AGM batteries
  • Measure CCA and Reserve Capacity
  • Produce accurate, decisive warranty results
  • Standardize testing across its dealer network

Solution and Workflow

Validate Capacity Alongside Cranking Performance

Over two years, the OEM compared multiple testers through laboratory analysis and dealership field trials in the United States and Canada. It selected a Cadex Spectro™-based solution that evaluated CCA and Reserve Capacity together and produced a result in 15 seconds.

The approved warranty workflow became:

Test → Compare → Decide → Document → Submit

TestAssess the battery with the approved Cadex service tool.

ReviewEvaluate cranking performance together with stored-energy capacity.

ActUse the decisive result to document and support the warranty claim.

Impact

An Essential Tool for Warranty Determination

In the OEM evaluation, the Cadex solution correctly classified 94% of the batteries when compared with laboratory-established condition. It delivered those results in 15 seconds while adding the Reserve Capacity insight missing from the previous process.

The OEM designated the tester as an essential dealer tool and required its results for battery warranty claims. The network-wide rollout made capacity-aware diagnostics a standard part of warranty determination rather than an optional secondary check.

Before

CCA-focused testing
Starting performance did not reveal Reserve Capacity loss.

A missing health parameter
Stored-energy capacity was absent from the warranty assessment.

More inconclusive results
Charge-and-retest outcomes slowed the path to a clear decision.

Variable warranty evidence
The dealer network needed a consistent, auditable testing method.

After

CCA and capacity together
The Cadex solution evaluates cranking performance and stored energy.

A more complete assessment
Capacity adds the missing parameter for battery state-of-health diagnostics.

Decisive results in seconds
The selected tester produced a result in 15 seconds.

One dealer-network standard
Documented Cadex results support consistent warranty claims.

Standardize Automotive Battery Diagnostics

Bring Capacity Assessment Into Your Service Workflow

Talk with Cadex about adding capacity-aware battery diagnostics to OEM warranty, dealer-service or aftermarket programs.

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