Replacing the Battery...
Discussion
One of my projects for the Spring (once my back's back together) is to replace the battery in the Chim.
The one in there looks fairly old, and I'd rather sort it before it goes (if you saw the size of my garage from which I would have to push the car if the battery did go, you'd understand why!
).
Thing is, I've read loads of helpful guides on how to do it, but the overriding sentiment always seems to be that it's an utter pig of a job.
So here's the question: should I save a few quid and fit it myself, or should I spend a bit more and (embarrassingly) get my friendly local indie to do it for me?
Answers on a postal card please ladies and gents
The one in there looks fairly old, and I'd rather sort it before it goes (if you saw the size of my garage from which I would have to push the car if the battery did go, you'd understand why!
). Thing is, I've read loads of helpful guides on how to do it, but the overriding sentiment always seems to be that it's an utter pig of a job.
So here's the question: should I save a few quid and fit it myself, or should I spend a bit more and (embarrassingly) get my friendly local indie to do it for me?
Answers on a postal card please ladies and gents
Nuggs said:
antmez said:
replaced mine last week and it took me 30 minutes...
Are you an F1 mechanic though?
You have to realise that spanners make me look like I haven't evolved opposing thumbs...
I am someone who would rather call the AA at the roadside to get the tyre changed than do it myself, and I did it in about 30 minutes.. I found the hanging upside down in the passenger footwell the hardest bit...
burriana said:
Phone around, the cheapest place I found was actually one of the fitting centres on the last Griff, and to be honest, even that guy got fed up trying to get it back in using a jack and ended up putting it up on the 4-post lift! I was glad he was doing it and not me.
It's 4-1 in favour...It's a pretty easy job so long as you can actually remove the nuts under the car to free the battery box. There are two studs bonded into the bottom of the battery box and these go through the floor of the car and are secured by a couple of nuts. If the nuts are heavily corroded, you may find that when you try to undo them, you end up turning the studs by partially ripping them out of the bottom of the battery box. If they haven't ripped out completely, so they are free to turn, but still attached to the box ... it's angle grinder time to remove the nuts. At this stage the job has officially become a pig. So if I were you, I'd locate the nuts under the car and see if they are completely seized. If after a bit of WD40 they still won't shift, then I'd take it off to the local indy. If they unscrew, the rest of the job is not hard.
I will second that I found out the hard way after not marking! Several tools thrown around my drive that morning...
But i do know to one chim thats battery is floating around in the footwell and the bolts were fired in sumones hedge down the road in anger! mention no names vappy...lol
But i do know to one chim thats battery is floating around in the footwell and the bolts were fired in sumones hedge down the road in anger! mention no names vappy...lol
that daddy said:
Mine had bolts not studs,but marking the floor area around the battery box is essential(marker pen,masking tape etc).otherwise it takes a while to locate the holes,,,yes i found out the hard way
Come to think of it, mine started its life with bolts too.
Then they got angle-grindered. Then they were replaced with studs to make locating the box easier.I changed mine last week, making sure to mark the floor first... didn't take very long... Incidentally, after shelling out much more than that, I found that Costco do a Bosch Silver battery for the Chimaera with a 4 year warranty for £52 including VAT - might be worth bearing in mind for anyone thinking about changing theirs...
V8 Animal said:
Yep 30 minutes did it myself.
Save your cash and do it yourself.
Regards
V8 Animal
Save your cash and do it yourself.
Regards
V8 Animal
What he said! Did mine in about 30 minutes, just draw a line on the floor across the front of the box before you pull it out though! Will help when lining up to put it back.
If I can do it Nuggs then I'm sure you can - I'm the worlds worst mechanical numpty.
-JUT- said:
I changed mine last week, making sure to mark the floor first... didn't take very long... Incidentally, after shelling out much more than that, I found that Costco do a Bosch Silver battery for the Chimaera with a 4 year warranty for £52 including VAT - might be worth bearing in mind for anyone thinking about changing theirs...
Snap JUT,i have a BOSCH TD pug 306 battery in mine because it cost me £20 new(guy purchased it then wrote car off 1 week later,i bought it back)but the terminals are back to front not a problem on these cars though
Edited by that daddy on Wednesday 4th April 11:57
-JUT- said:
puffsorted2 said:
Its worth spending 5 mins taking out the passenger seat, only 4 x 13mm nuts accessible from under the car. Makes everything a lot easier.
You reckon? I didn't have any bother with it, there was plenty of room and I'm a lummox.
lol - perhaps I am getting to old for all this squirming in the footwell
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