new car battery - right this minute

woodstock

woodstock

Final Approach
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Roadside Assistance is downstairs - when I got home this evening I was going to jump into the car to get some groceries and it was deader than a doornail. I called immediately (around 730) and he just showed up a few minutes ago. He did the diagnostics and it needs a new battery. I got 70K out of the old one (original) so not too bad.

He's putting it in now - he said I'm saving 125 bucks by having him do it - same parts, etc - just no labor costs. sweet!! (I can't believe they charge 125 bucks just to PUT IN a battery).
 
not the dealer! This cost me 140 for him to replace it, right there in my garage. had I taken it to HBL it would be 260 something. it's a Mercedes battery - is it actually necessary to put in a battery by the manufacturer too?
 
Mercedes battery, from a dealer??

Wow. factory is robbing you.

Same battery from a parts store, installed for free:
~$60.

Not similar battery, SAME battery, absolutely no difference, from the same factory, same materials, same battery.

edit: I know we've had the "dealer vs. part store" convo before, but this is different. Its the same part. This is why I hate dealers.
 
no, ive actually never heard of batteries made by car manufacturers. usually they are made by battery manufacturers
 
Most auto parts places will have a replacement battery and install it free. I go to Costco, and install it myself (or for my friends that are not mechanically inclined).

I'm not surprised that the dealer charges book for install....
 
the roadside tech is a Mercedes employee - he said it was a "Mercedes" battery which as far as I know may just be the license to use their name on it if anything at all - 140 for a battery isn't too far off base assuming it's high quality - 260 is way out of line though. charging almost as much for labor on that is ridiculous.
 
Oh, and I forgot to add:

If you think this is expensive, wait until you see what it costs for an airplane battery.

Sigh.
 
i found a 12 V 7 Amp hour Gel Cell that would be perfect for my glider for about 15 bucks...
 
I think $140.00 is not cheap, but hey, in your garage, ba-da-boom, ba-da-bing? Time's money too.
 
right! makes me think I should wait for all problems to happen in my garage. if the labor is going to be free... hahahaha
 
SCCutler said:
I think $140.00 is not cheap, but hey, in your garage, ba-da-boom, ba-da-bing? Time's money too.
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Exactly Mercedes roadside is very convient, and you pay for it. I personally do like the others, take the old one out, throw it in one of the other cars, and off to the FLAPS we go.
 
woodstock said:
hoo boy, I can't wait to find out. how many A U is a battery?
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24 V. batteries can run $250 and up. Just for the battery. Figure an hour or two for install, testing, and paperwork, and you can be at $500+ without even blinking.
 
wsuffa said:
24 V. batteries can run $250 and up. Just for the battery. Figure an hour or two for install, testing, and paperwork, and you can be at $500+ without even blinking.
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My Pitts used a gel battery that is marketed mainly for ATVs. Cheap cheap cheap. Gotta love experimentals!!!!
 
SkyHog said:
I know we've had the "dealer vs. part store" convo before, but this is different. Its the same part. This is why I hate dealers.
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Problem is, If you dont use dealer parts, and soemthing else goes wrong, you may have just vioded your warranty.
Then again, years ago i needed a fuel pump for my truck at the time. I went to the local checkers or auto zone (dont remember which) And ended up going back 3 times before i got one that worked. 1 1/2 hours installing and removing each bad one.
 
The battery in my Dodge Intrepid is put in through the wheel well. You actually have to take the right front tire off of the car to get the battery in and out. Not quite as easy as my old 1980 Chevy Pick-up...where the battery was held down with a black bungee. :)
 
Michael said:
Problem is, If you dont use dealer parts, and soemthing else goes wrong, you may have just vioded your warranty.
Then again, years ago i needed a fuel pump for my truck at the time. I went to the local checkers or auto zone (dont remember which) And ended up going back 3 times before i got one that worked. 1 1/2 hours installing and removing each bad one.
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A common myth. Replacement batteries, oil changes, and other common wear and tear items almost NEVER void warranties if done at non-dealer shops.
 
well, the good news is - if anything goes wrong on this for two years, they come back out to wherever I may be and replace it for free.
 
Like noted above - battery installs have gotten just a little more complicated in some vehicles. My wife's Chrysler 300M installs thru the pax wheel well or from underneath if on a hoist. No simple 10 minute job any more on some vehicles.
 
Greebo said:
A common myth. Replacement batteries, oil changes, and other common wear and tear items almost NEVER void warranties if done at non-dealer shops.
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Very true Chuck. This is the result of Magnesson-Moss. The only time warranty can be denied is if there is a direct, confirmed corolation between the non-OEM part and the failure.
 
Must be nice to only have one battery in your vehicle....My Ford F250 with the 7.3L diesel has TWO batteries!!! I had to replace both batteries this last summer.
 
bjohnson said:
Must be nice to only have one battery in your vehicle....My Ford F250 with the 7.3L diesel has TWO batteries!!! I had to replace both batteries this last summer.
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Must be nice to only have TWO batteries in your vehicle
At work I have a Caterpillar 930 Loader, with four humongous
Six Volt batteries in series for 24 volts... under the operators seat.
Those tires are almost five feet tall....
Ya need a ladder to get in, and a parachute to exit ;)
 

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Michael said:
Problem is, If you dont use dealer parts, and soemthing else goes wrong, you may have just vioded your warranty.
Then again, years ago i needed a fuel pump for my truck at the time. I went to the local checkers or auto zone (dont remember which) And ended up going back 3 times before i got one that worked. 1 1/2 hours installing and removing each bad one.
Click to expand...

I suck at finding CFRs that are not related to aviation, but that's not true anymore. The gist of a law passed sometime in the last 20 years says that if a warranty hinges on using a dealer part, it must be provided free of charge.

The perfect example is oil changes. Used to be, dealers would put the screws to ya by charging huge amounts and requiring that you get the oil change done at the dealer, and using their filters. Now, some dealers still do it, but they can't charge for the filters or the oil or the labor.

I wish I was good at finding stuff in the CFRs besides 14CFR.

Getting bad parts sucks, I feel ya. I stopped using Pep Boys for that reason (well.....that, and I know how much their employees actually know about cars, I'll tell you some day some of the pranks we pulled on Pep Boys when I worked at Autozone).
 
FlyNE said:
The battery in my Dodge Intrepid is put in through the wheel well. You actually have to take the right front tire off of the car to get the battery in and out. Not quite as easy as my old 1980 Chevy Pick-up...where the battery was held down with a black bungee. :)
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I haven't even FOUND the battery on my Volvo S60 yet. :redface:

It has a nice positive terminal right behind the fuse box (and I've even used it to jump my truck), but I don't know where the actual battery is, except that it's NOT under the hood. Weird.
 
Chache said:
Must be nice to only have TWO batteries in your vehicle
At work I have a Caterpillar 930 Loader, with four humongous
Six Volt batteries in series for 24 volts... under the operators seat.
Those tires are almost five feet tall....
Ya need a ladder to get in, and a parachute to exit ;)
Click to expand...

Oh yeah? I've got four 12 volt batteries. :p Of course, they're wired in parallel so the whole system is 12 volts but it'll crank just fine on a cold crappy day.
 
ok, this tops everything.

everything.

we are having battery wars.

I didn't have my coffee yet this morning gentlemen. go easy now.
 
I don't even *know* how many batteries are in my Highlander Hybrid.

And I am never going to consider going non-dealer if THOSE need changed... ;)
 
Greebo said:
I don't even *know* how many batteries are in my Highlander Hybrid.

And I am never going to consider going non-dealer if THOSE need changed... ;)
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Haha, I never thought about that. I bet those batteries are amazingly expensive too.

And imagine if you install one of the AAs upside down? You'd be pulling hundreds of AA batteries out for hours to find which one ;)
 
flyingcheesehead said:
I haven't even FOUND the battery on my Volvo S60 yet. :redface:

It has a nice positive terminal right behind the fuse box (and I've even used it to jump my truck), but I don't know where the actual battery is, except that it's NOT under the hood. Weird.
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Check the trunk - a few mfg's are sticking them back there now. Hot rodders used to do it all the time for w&b, but not sure why the new cars are doing it now.
 
tonycondon said:
no, ive actually never heard of batteries made by car manufacturers. usually they are made by battery manufacturers
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My BMW has a BMW branded battery. I am sure they don't make them but OEM them. Part of the install cost on the BMW for the new battery is to also reauthorize the radio. They have a thing where if the radio is removed from power it will not work again until it a password is entered in to it. I don't know what the password is, the dealer and probably every car radio theif knows though.
 
gkainz said:
Check the trunk - a few mfg's are sticking them back there now. Hot rodders used to do it all the time for w&b, but not sure why the new cars are doing it now.
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Three reasons, take your pick, one or more:
a) Is there room for it? The Engine Room is getting pretty cramped.
b) W&B, as you suspect.
c) To keep it cool without an elaborate series of duct work and baffles.

-Skip
 
flyingcheesehead said:
I haven't even FOUND the battery on my Volvo S60 yet. :redface:

It has a nice positive terminal right behind the fuse box (and I've even used it to jump my truck), but I don't know where the actual battery is, except that it's NOT under the hood. Weird.
Click to expand...

BMW M-Roadster has it in the truck. A terminal is up front under the hood, but there is so much engine up there no room for the battery.
 
When I worked at autozone, I found many times, fancy car manufacturers would put the battery BEHIND THE WHEEL so you had to TAKE THE WHEEL OFF to get to it.

What the hell, man.
 
flyingcheesehead said:
I haven't even FOUND the battery on my Volvo S60 yet. :redface:
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It took me a few minutes to find the battery in my VW Passat. It's completely hidden under plastic near the windshield. When it goes I'm sure it will be a back wrenching task to replace it.:yes:
 
"we are having battery wars."

Of course, we are, Elizabeth!:rofl: :rofl:

We're pilots, so we must, even more than fishermen, tell ever bigger tales!:D

Such fun.

BTW, y'all: I'm sure Tom and Diana could use a few snow shovels. Both they and us'ns in mid-MO are getting snowed in... Maybe they'll call work off tomorrow?:yes:
Naw...:(

Keep warm, folks!

Jim
 
flyingcheesehead said:
Oh yeah? I've got four 12 volt batteries. :p Of course, they're wired in parallel so the whole system is 12 volts but it'll crank just fine on a cold crappy day.
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Oh Yeah?? Huh... !!! :hairraise:
Will it crank an old 24 volt, 391 HP, six cyl., Diesel engine with semi-solid 50wt oil, at daily temps of < -5 deg F.> , after heating the glow plugs for 30 seconds or more ??? AND..... crank it fast enough, to get it started? heh, heh!

Mine will!!! :rolleyes: :rolleyes:



Wooo Wooo!!
 
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