You can't find the battery?

[former csr slave]

This didn't happen to me, but to a friend of mine. Over the weekend, she went to get her oil changed at a local Big Box Store. That turned into a big ordeal. Her car wouldn't start after the oil was changed. She ended up spending her Saturday night at Big Box Store. They told her a whole host of things that could be wrong. After about an hour of testing different things it was the battery - She breathed a sigh of relief thinking it was the cheapest to fix except they couldn't find the battery!

It took 3 guys to find it and so at this point she did not having any kind of confidence that they'll fix the car but that they'll start messing with things and only make it worse. After they found where the battery was located, they went to look up what kind of battery was needed and what do you know, they didn't carry the kind she needed.

In the end, she called her parents who took her to the local auto part store, picked up the battery then had it installed by the Big Box guys. (She was a bit brave there, wasn't she?)

[Can I Help Your A$$?]

That doesn't sound like a brain burp--that sounds deliberate.

[Balgram]

Dude, I know nothing about the make or model of my car. I don't know how to touch many things without breaking something. But I know how to change oil, transmission, tires, and coolant.

And I know where the bloody battery is.

Sounds like I'm over-qualified for a mechanic job at Big Box. Are they hiring?

[former csr slave]

I thought it sounded deliberate too, who knows? We are talking about a big box store in a not so bright part of the US.

I also no nothing about cars, except how to check oil, add washer fluid, check tire pressure and, if I have to, change a flat. I do know where my battery is.

[Ironclad Alibi]

My wife was driving a rental car once, and had left the lights on resulting in a dead battery. I drove over to give her a jump start and could not find the battery. Fortunately the owners manual was with the car and a few minutes reading revealed the battery was hidden under the back seat, and very inaccessible. There were special connections for a jump start under the hood.

[former csr slave]

My wife was driving a rental car once, and had left the lights on resulting in a dead battery. I drove over to give her a jump start and could not find the battery. Fortunately the owners manual was with the car and a few minutes reading revealed the battery was hidden under the back seat, and very inaccessible. There were special connections for a jump start under the hood.

What type of car was it, just wondering.

[JPD]

I know how to check the oil, and put more in if necessary (although do not know how to change it) put in windshield washer fluid, check the tires air pressure, and put air in the tires. Also if it is a 1990 Ford probe I know where the alternator belt is and can check to make sure it is there. Also if it is gone and I don't need the lights I know how long I have before the car died on me, so I knew if I could get it home or if I needed to pull in to a parking lot. (I miss that car)

[Chromatix]

Possibly the car with the "hidden" battery was a "mild hybrid", or a non-hybrid version of a full-hybrid car. The batteries for hybrids would be bigger than a normal car's.

Aside from those cases, I don't see why one would put the battery in the back. Normally the current required by the starter motor is very high, needing a very fat (and preferably short) cable to the battery. Thus the battery is normally put very close to the engine's flywheel. These fat cables would be relatively difficult to route through the length of the vehicle, so the manufacturer must have had a very good reason to do so.

[joe hx]

sometimes the battery is in the trunk or under the back seat. another (i think something crystler, but i can't remember) is actually in the left front fenderwell hidden behind the fender cover.

[Bliss]

Some old VW beetles had the battery under the back seat... beleive me I know, we had a trip in a friend's once, and his beetle was pretty battered, a chubby friend of us sat in the back, and it seems the springs under the seat were uncovered.... he shorted the battery with the springs and almost set the seat on fire... heh

[Broomjockey]

Some old VW beetles had the battery under the back seat.

Wasn't the engine in the back on those anyways?

[dalesys]

Wasn't the engine in the back on those anyways?

Yep. Air-cooled 4 cylinder flat engine. Gas tank in front.
I remember one of the other kids at Little America fueling a bug where they'd converted the entire 'trunk/boot' (front of car) into a gas tank. Took 50-60 gallons.

*Little America: a truck stop/hotel in SW Wyoming. Some employees live on the plantation & they run busses 40 miles east & west for the rest.

[Ironclad Alibi]

What type of car was it, just wondering.

It's been over six years, and I don't remember the specific car model other than it was a GM product. It was a full size car, not a hybrid of any sort.

[joe hx]

It's been over six years, and I don't remember the specific car model other than it was a GM product. It was a full size car, not a hybrid of any sort.

probably a Buick leSabre or Cadillac... those are under the back seat, you actually have to take the seat out to replace the battery

[mattm04]

What type of car was it, just wondering.

I know some Cadillac sedans have the battery under the back seat. It is actually very easy to replace. Said sedans also have the terminals under the hood for a jump. Chevy SUV's seem to have the battery under a plastic cover under the hood, also with the "jumper" terminals.

Edit: Both are made by GM.