Nearly 15% of batteries identified as faulty

Between 16 October and 19 November, motorists were able to have their vehicle’s lights, tyres and batteries checked free of charge, and the ACL was kept busy once again this year, examining 4,311 cars over 14 days – an average of 308 vehicles per day compared with 304 vehicles per day during the 2022 event, which ran for 18 days.

Unsurprisingly, the ACL’s experts found that the battery was still the leading cause of breakdowns. In fact, 205 batteries were identified as being faulty, accounting for 14.18% of the vehicles checked.

As for the headlights, 112 were identified as being faulty (2.6% of the vehicles checked) and 529 were adjusted on site (12.27%). Finally, 151 cars were found to have worn tyres, accounting for 3.5% of the vehicles checked.

As temperatures begin to drop, the ACL recommends taking the time to prepare your car for the winter in order to keep it safe. With this in mind, it’s important to have your battery checked, and to remember that the average lifespan of a battery is 4 to 5 years. There are various factors that influence the condition of a battery, including weather conditions, digital functions and accessories connected to the vehicle’s electrical system. If the battery is found to no longer be in good condition, it can be replaced by appointment at the ACL Diagnostic Center.

The ACL also took advantage of its 2023 tyre and lighting campaign to raise awareness among motorists of the SightFirst programme. In collaboration with Lions International District 113 Luxembourg and Sécurité Routière, the programme, launched in 1990, involves Lions throughout the world in efforts to screen and indeed improve the independence, education, mobility and safety of visually impaired and blind individuals.
Preparing your car for winter
It is important to be particularly mindful of your tyres in winter, and to remember that in Luxembourg, winter tyres are compulsory when driving in winter conditions, regardless of the time of year. By ‘winter conditions’ we mean black ice, packed snow, slush or patches of ice or frost. These tyres must be marked ‘M+S’, ‘M.S.’ or ‘M&S’, or bear the mountain icon with the snowflake.

Last but not least, it is important to check the lighting and top up the windscreen washer fluid with antifreeze. Where necessary, it is also advisable to treat the door seals with glycerine or candle wax, for example, to prevent the rubber on the doors from sticking to the metal of the bodywork. It’s also worth checking your windscreen wiper blades and buying a few antifreeze accessories.

The ACL would like to thank motorists for the trust they placed in its teams during the recent 2023 Tyre and Lighting Campaign. Rememer that it is still possible to book a Test Vacances (’Holiday Test’) at the ACL Diagnostic Center in Bertrange (by appointment only) to ensure that you’re as prepared as you can be for whatever the winter throws at you. This is particularly recommended if you’re planning on taking a skiing holiday in the next few months.

The 2023 campaign in figures (over 14 days):
• 4,311 vehicles tested, 1,446 batteries tested
• 205 faulty batteries identified (14.18% of the vehicles checked)
• 112 faulty headlights (2.6% of the vehicles checked) and 151 defective tyres (3.5% of the vehicles checked)
• 529 headlights adjusted on site (12.27% of the vehicles checked)

In 2022 in figures (over 18 days):
• 5,478 vehicles tested, 2,117 batteries tested
• 284 faulty batteries identified (13.42% of the vehicles checked)
• 198 faulty headlights (3.61% of the vehicles checked) and 239 defective tyres (4.36% of the vehicles checked)
• 636 headlights adjusted on site (11.61% of the vehicles checked)