Battery Corrosion?

Question

My car battery died last night, the car and battery are three years old. This was the battery that was in it when I bought it. It seems to have died due to excessive corrosion on the terminals. My question is, when I have the car serviced for regular oil changes, etc. should the dealer's service center been checking that and removing the corrosion or is that something you need to pay extra for? Right now I'm pretty peeved, but not sure if I should be peeved at myself or at the dealer.

How long does it take for corrosion to build? I had my 30,000 service about a year to 18 months ago. My brother said it was the worst he'd ever seen. I'm not a mechanic, obviously, and don't get under the hood all too often.

Answer 1

At the dealership I worked at, there was a seperate charge, .5 hour (1/2 hour), for cleaning the battery if it was excessively corroided. But during a service we would always advise if we saw something that needed attention.

I can say though, that if a vehicle was brought in for an oil change only, the vehicles weren't looked over, an oil change was simply performed. If a customer brought their car in for any service (3,000 mile service, 30,000 miles service ect) where vehicle checks were included in the price of the service, then the vehicle was checked over throughly and customers would be advised of what we found.

I wouldn't be to peeved if the vehicle was taken in strictly for an oil change, but if you paid for a vehicle service, I would say something to the shop about it.

Answer 2

1

Answer 3

Some dealers or "one-man" repair shops might remove the corrosion for free, but most dealers will charge extra for this.

You can remove the corrosion by brushing a solution of water and baking soda on the terminals with an old toothbrush or something similar.

Then try to start the car, or find someone with jumper cables to get you going.

It would help if you had a charger that you could connect to the terminals and plug in to an electrical outlet.

Answer 4

well I own 3 quick lubes and I can say that someone should have noticed this and pointed it out to you. Now as far as cleaning it off that would probably be your job. We just recently started testing and replacing batteries at our shops. Since then I have noticed the amount of bad batteries that are in cars. Most people don't think about them until they die. But I am very happy that we started checking them. It has made then customers very happy and also it has made me happy for the extra income that it brings in. I would find a shop that includes that as part of their service or ask the place you go to check it once a year. Before we started testing and changing them we did though check for terminal corrosion. And no we did not clean them but we notified the customer about it. I do think that you should be upset at them. They could have saved you some grief if they would have taken 2 second to just take a look at them at least.

Answer 5

Your battery may not be dead unless it tested so. Battery corrosion acts a an insulator and may not be allowing a good contact. Remove the battery cables and use baking soda on the battery poles, cables and rinse off with water. Be certain to thoroughly rinse the area around the battery to remove any acid. Rough up the battery poles and cable connectors with a piece of sandpaper. Reconnect and attempt to start car. A routine check for corrosion build-up should be done each time the oil is checked and appropriate action taken if found.

Answer 6

It depends on the car dealer. I would expect a high-end dealer (Lexus, Mercedes, etc.) would take care of that as part of the oil change and topping-off of fluids routine.

But I would not expect that kind of service from a quick oil-change place which competes on lowest price. They don't have time for that.


In the future, you can do this yourself. Whenever you wash your car, pop the hood open and gently spray water on the battery to wash off anyd dust and accumulated sulphuric acid. Make sure you to use plenty of water so as to wash the acid off the terminals, top and sides of the battery, as well as the battery tray. Be sure to spray your engine compartment, fenders and other parts of the car that might get a bit of diluted acid from the overspray. Finally, spray down your driveway to dilute the acid. (Do this all before you wash the car.)

If you see visible crud on the teminals, make a paste or slurry of baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) and water and pour or brush the mixture on the battery terminals and top of the battery case. (Make sure to keep all of the battery cell covers tightly closed.) The sodium bicarb will neutralize the acid in a few minutes, then thoroughly wash everything.

Answer 7

if the terminals are corroded, clean them and charge the battery. It should be OK. A modern battery should last a long time - eight years perhaps.

you also need to check for corrosion where the earth lead from the battery is attached to the chassis of the car. You might want to replace the earth lead if it is very bad.

Answer 8

If the car was purchased brand new, chances are that it would be covered uder warranty, based on a 3yr 36000 mile. During your service at the dealer they should have picked it up and repaired it long before you had this problem. If out of warranty, it is considered an extra service, but they should have notified you.

Answer 9

The dealer should have noticed it and fixed it. If not, pour coke or or a mixture of water/baking soda on the terminals. Will dissolve the corrosion quickly.

Answer 10

Did you ever flow to jumpstart your motor vehicle, and be conscious which you will slightly see your battery below all of the gunk? This 'gunk' is surely battery corrosion, it extremely is formed via acid condensation. on account that it extremely is formed via acid, a difficulty-unfastened chemical answer will do the cleansing trick. Battery acid is surely extremely effortless to bathe away with a easy family contributors merchandise- baking soda! yet nevertheless, precautions ought to be observed. this text is going to tell you step via step a thank you to bathe the battery mutually as conserving secure.