Okay, so about an hour ago I got a knock on my door. It was the guy who lives in the apartment across from ours. His car was dead and he needed a jump start. Oliver was in the middle of full on tantrum that would have been made worse if I had gone outside with this guy to jump start his car and in this weather I didn't want to drag Oliver outside with me, so I handed the guy my keys and told him that I would just watch him from the window (I park my car right underneath my bedroom window (And this guy was already parked right next to me) so I could see everything this guy was doing). Ya, I know that some of you will think that I am stupid for giving this stranger my car keys but I tend to trust people until they give me a reason not to.
Anyways, first he had problems getting the hood of my car open. Then when he finally got that stupid thing open he looked around for a few minutes before looking up at my window, which I had opened, and was like "Stupid question, but do you have any idea where your battery is?"
I've never had to access my battery before. I've never had to open the hood of my car before! Hubby takes care of all that. Our neighbor looked through my car manual at least 3 times, trying to find the battery. It doesn't say in my manual where the battery is. No where.
Finally I just called my husband and was like 'Where is my freakin' battery?'
IT'S UNDER THE BACKSEAT OF MY CAR! What?! Who the hell would design a car where the battery is under the back seat? Needless to say our neighbor decided that was way too much hassle and asked a different neighbor for a jump.
So, does anyone else have a car with this odd battery location or is my car just a one of a kind freak?
Jo W - I drive a Pontiac Bonneville
And yes, I know that I do really need to know how my car works especially living in Minnesota. Hubby usually offers to teach me when it's winter and in the negative degrees, so I decline because I don't want to go outside and stand around in the cold. Then by summer we forget and so it continues in a viscous circle.
My mum has a Chrysler... Its UNDER THE ENGINE. Seriously. In order to change the battery... You have to put the car on a lift. How ridiculous is that???? (It does have teeny tiny jump prongs up top).
Mine is in my trunk... :) Not that the engine is there, but that's where my battery is. Both of them, actually. :) I have two batteries. The standard "starter" battery and my hybrid battery. It doesn't matter, though, because I will only ever RECEIVE a jump. I can't provide one... I tried.... LOL. My car is too pathetic to jump anyone else's car. OH well!
ETA: I believe you me "VICIOUS" circle not viscous...viscous is a sticky substance - like glue or an adhesive....
so cold weather or not - that's what gloves, boots and jackets are for...sounds like you need to do it...
_______________________________________________
Who designs them this way? Several manufacturers...Buick/Oldsmobile and Volkswagon...
So which one do you have?? An Oldsmobile Aurora or a Buick LaSabre? Or a VW Bug?
If so - those cars have the batteries under the rear passenger seat. Why? If your car as side impact air bags, an extra fuse box is required. And there is too much "stuff" (firewall) in the engine compartment to handle it.
For the longest time - the Beetle had the engine in the BACK (trunk) of the car instead of the front...
My bet is your car battery has the posts on the side and you aren't in any danger.
Sounds like you need to learn how your car works - checking the oil, changing the tire, etc. not just get in and insert key into ignition. And no, I'm NOT trying to be mean or condescending...you REALLY do need to know WHERE things are on your car!!!
You wouldn't happen to drive a VW Bug, would you? Or some other foreign car?
That is where my battery is. There is an outlet (a port) that is part of the battery circuit that is under the hood and that you can jump from (most tow trucks or AAA services will use the port). To jump someone else, I think you use the post on the outlet as the hot, the engine block or car frame as the ground.
The battery is under our backseat and kids car seat, and we don't have a LATCH system in the car, it is a lot to move to get to it.
Hmm... my hubby is going to check our Bonneville! We've only had it a few months.....
Nope, our battery is under the hood, right where we "expected" it to be... however, it is a 1997 Pontiac Bonneville. We just got it a few months ago when my FIL passed away... it was his car.
Hubby says that our daughter's BMV (I don't remember what year, or what model.... cute little red car, but we only paid about $2000 for it..... it was pretty old when we got it).... the battery was in the trunk! I didn't remember that.. but I didn't ever drive it or work with it.
Not here.
I was completely expecting you to say you had an electric car or some sort of strange foreign model...
My parents used to have a Pontiac Bonneville... way back in the early 80's.... I don't think theirs had the battery under a seat. :/
Weird.
ETA: That was so interesting I googled it... here's what I found on a forum:
"...MANY cars have this, not just limited to the Bonneville or GM. The LeSabre has this, as do the Cobalt, Riviera, Aurora, Deville, Seville, CTS, some Audi's/VWs and Mercedes Benz cars, and MANY MANY more.
Porsche Cayenne/Audi Toureg have them under the drivers seat, and BMWs put them under the rear seat or in the trunk. It's VERY common to put the battery under the rear seat - I'm sure I'm missing MANY names here...."
We learned just this weekend that our 2012 Dodge Challenger's battery is in the trunk. Engine is in the front. Would have never thought to check the trunk and certainly not the back seat LOL!!!
Updated
We learned just this weekend that our 2012 Dodge Challenger's battery is in the trunk. Engine is in the front. Would have never thought to check the trunk and certainly not the back seat LOL!!!
My 1970-something VW bug had I under the seat too. My dad's t-bird has it in the trunk.
lol THATS SOO WEIRD. but funny. i never heard of this either. and we have had lots of cars! Old and new.
I used to have a BMW, and my battery was in the trunk. One time my battery died and it took me a while to figure out where it was!
The battery for our BMW was in the trunk and if you had to jump somebody, there were connections under the hood you used--you did not connect the cables to the battery at all.
Oh no, my husband's car (a Cadillac) has it there also and I can't tell you how much of HUGE pain in the rear this has been to us. My husband is totally the absent minded professor type and is constantly losing phones, car keys, etc. Amongst those things he also has killed his battery countless times so we have to push the car out of the garage, reverse my car into a favorable position, take out the carseats from his car and proceed to jump it.
I have no idea who thought that was a good idea, seriously. I hope they have stopped doing this b/c when he is ready for a new car I'm going to make sure it has the battery in a normal location!
My Mazda convertible had the battery in the trunk area.
I now have a Mercedes SL 550 and the battery is under the good but under another separate cover just like the CLK daughter has as well. Hubby's battery in the E-350 is easier to find.
I, like you, would never know since I never raise the hood or check for it!!
I had an Oldsmobile Aurora that had the battery under the backseat. It's been awhile since I've owned that car, but I believe that there were things under the hood to use as connection points for jumper cables.
I never did get fully comfortable with the idea of my kids sitting on top of the car battery, though...
My husband has a vintage bug and that's where the battery in his car is. Of course, the engine is in the back too!
Not completely unusual but not totally common. Just a comment. I know how to jump a battery (The order of how you hook everything up) Important to avoid sparks and a blown battery......Might be worth looking up.
What do you drive, a Prius?
My daughter's car is the only one with jacked up battery locations and she drives a Prius.
There are many models that have the battery in the not-so-typical-location. However, I believe, that ALL have ports or "knubs" under the hood to allow for easy jumps.
Take the time to learn about your car. It is important to know your way around a vehicle.
