[rbarrios]

at the 4 yr mark- is fine with me. On my trailblazer- that was 100,000. On my traverse- its going to be about 75,000.
Impala- that was about 50,000

No cold issues here-- but I do get the Summer heat in LA-
you know 100 degrees- and youre stuck in bumber to bumper traffic for an hour at least everyday.(this is the drive home)

Though the Lambdas arent in the Engine bay-- Ive pondered the extension to maybe 5 yrs... due to not being exposed to extreme heat.

Ive mentioned before-- 2007 Impala-- nearing the 4 yr mark... I washed the car- and thought-- hmm time to change the battery... ill do it next week.
During the week-- missus calls- says the car cranks over very slowly and then clicks clicks click
I drive to her location- about 5 miles away. (she had driven out to a client).
I show up- turn off all lights. inside and out. radio off. I dont press on brakes (so brake lights dont come on)...
turn the key-- whirr whirr whirr whirr -- vroooommm

I said- go straight home-- dont turn off car.
I stopped by and bought a new battery. Went home- cranked the car-- whirr whirr- click click click.


As for load testing...
Ill pass up on the random test.... seems that lately theyve passed up on the older experienced folks who have years of auto know how-actual hands on--- and hired younger folks who only know to ask-- what year and model---- and Ive watched them try to load test a battery... eventhough the machine does it all for you-- getting connections in place-- seems to be the hard part....

Its just easier for me to schedule a battery change-- along with an oil change, throttle body cleaning etc- and do it myself.

Ive also told the missus---- if the car wont start... DO NOT let anyone jump the car....
My concern is that theyll screw up and fry the computers.... on the Equinox forum.... member was nice enough to help someone jump start the car..
but the person being rescued did something wrong- and sparks flew---


he said...

The verdict was my Body Control Module was fried, once that was fixed they found that my electronic brake control module is pooched...

and then...

1st bill was just over $1000 and now I am driving without abs brakes as the ebcm is fried...that bill will be between $800 & $1000.

 

[GoldEnclave]

:help: The only thing holding me back from replacing my 5+ and 6.5 year old cars is the lower expense of these high upkeep bills compared to those of new car payments on an annual basis. A $400 Enclave battery is less than one monthly car payment on a 2013 Enclave, so I would still be well ahead of the cost of new car payments.

 

[TAZ427]

$400 is a battery expense that I am dreading. My Enclave's brakes have been pulsating significantly for the last several months, so I anticipate a sizeable brake job bill at my next maintenance appointment. In addition, my Subaru's next 30,000 interval service is almost due, and that is good for $500-$700. Plus, I held off replacing my Subaru's front end bushings at the last 30,000 mile service to postpone the several hundred dollar fees. Finally, that car's brakes have been pulsating somewhat for quite a long time, too, so that is another sizeable expense.

Wow! Cars are money pits!

Bah, $400 is ridiculous hno:, take it to autozone, buy a Duralast Gold battery for $135, have them replace it for you for free. :thumb:

 

[GoldEnclave]

The shops in my area are Pep Boys, Sears, and a local chain called STS. Pep Boys is sort of a low end repair and supply shop with limited brand options and ordinary prices. Sears is expensive and has limited options. STS is cheaper, and uses only Exide batteries, which are of unknown quality to me at this time. I will try to do an online price comparison to see what my best option would be when the time comes for a new battery. Also, none of these shops are less than 10 miles from my home.

 

[TAZ427]

The shops in my area are Pep Boys, Sears, and a local chain called STS. Pep Boys is sort of a low end repair and supply shop with limited brand options and ordinary prices. Sears is expensive and has limited options. STS is cheaper, and uses only Exide batteries, which are of unknown quality to me at this time. I will try to do an online price comparison to see what my best option would be when the time comes for a new battery. Also, none of these shops are less than 10 miles from my home.

Uhm, Autozone? They're all over NJ, at least i'm having a hard timing finding a location on Google Maps in Jersey that doesn't have one within a 10mi drive (most within a couple miles.)

 

[GoldEnclave]

I will Google Autozone to find the nearest location. In the 15 years that I've lived here, I've never noticed one.

 

[GoldEnclave]

The nearest location is about 8 miles from my home, but I've never noticed it because it is on a road that I very rarely travel. Thanks for piquing my curiosity. I will certainly check it out.

 

[breckenenclave]

Has anyone found out how to check the water level in the OEM battery without removing it? It would be comforting to check after 3 years or more of use.

 

[jerseydevil]

Has anyone found out how to check the water level in the OEM battery without removing it? It would be comforting to check after 3 years or more of use.

These batteries are not supposed to be opened nor need water. Don't think it can be done without damaging the battery.

 

[john 070]

Most batteries have a green eye to tell you its good.

My die hard lasted only about 3 yrs., an 84 mo. advance auto battery less than 2 (it was hilarious it had a 36 mo. free replacement, but the guy told me it expired--math was not his forte). On the BMW I suspected the battery was good, so even though I paid the dealership $280, I asked for the old one back. Once I got it back, I fully charged it, and load tested, and it was good. Wife's uncle put it in his Audi and it's been 14 mos. now. My wife's aunt has a 2006 330i with the original battery, that's going on nearly 7 1/2 yrs.

As I had posted before, I had a good experience at Sears, and would recommend them. At least they fully honor their warranties, and will haggle with you on the price, so you don't have to pay what's labeled on the shelf.

Again, is the Enclave $400 battery one dealership, or all? That's not acceptable. My wife points out when you get your BMW serviced, they're giving you a car to use, often brand new. That's worth something. So they charged $280 for the battery and programming the DME, but I drove their car a full day. What do you get for the $400 spent at the Buick dealer, "courtesy transportation" in a Rendezvous to your office? :happy:

 

[Buick Customer Service]

Question , my 2009 enclave decided to not start today , have no power period . Key was in the ignition in the garage ( all night) . Seems to be some security thing as cannot turn key or pull key out . When foot is on brake pedal cannot move shifter . cannot do anything , Gave wife ride to work and will work on it when i get home . Wonder where to start battery , etc????

alscat1,
If you are not able to get this issue diagnosed I would recommend that you have your dealer look into this for you. Please keep me posted and if you have any questions please feel free to contact me anytime.
Thank you,
Stacy Buick Customer Service

 

[goochman]

Lasy year when the GM card offered owners the ability to use rewards for Service up to $500 I got an oil change, tire rotation, battery replacement, and the AWD differentials serviced for $500.

I doubt the oil, diffs, and rotation were $100

$400 is a rip off. I think the battery replacement cost from the dealer was $250

 

[dzs3fz]

Just had the battery replaced at Sears...36 months full replacement. 64 month prorated warranty. 730 CCA. $193.10 installed and out the door. We purchased the "E" used and there was no GM record of the battery being replaced. I am good with the 5+ years of service but with an upcoming trip to florida in the works, I just didn't want to take a chance of a old battery failure.

 

[alscat1]

Well i have enclave up and running , new battery !!! I tried to jump start it , but absolutely nothing. I then started to pull battery out , wow what a pain in the azz. Very difficult to take out. I first took battery to interstate battery , as they will test for free. They said it was completely drained , could not even test . Now this is my 2nd battery for a 2009, I then went back to my dealer as they put a new battery under warranty and figured let them test . The first test with the small handheld was the same as interstate battery , could not test . They then put on the super charger, this machine ran a test and battery had bad cell . Being the battery was replaced under warranty they could not do anything . So i purchased a new delco from them for $145.00 . I dropped in and everything is fine , once again .

 

[john 070]

Well i have enclave up and running , new battery !!! I tried to jump start it , but absolutely nothing. I then started to pull battery out , wow what a pain in the azz. Very difficult to take out. I first took battery to interstate battery , as they will test for free. They said it was completely drained , could not even test . Now this is my 2nd battery for a 2009, I then went back to my dealer as they put a new battery under warranty and figured let them test . The first test with the small handheld was the same as interstate battery , could not test . They then put on the super charger, this machine ran a test and battery had bad cell . Being the battery was replaced under warranty they could not do anything . So i purchased a new delco from them for $145.00 . I dropped in and everything is fine , once again .

I still find Sears to be old school. I had a regular Die Hard go bad in I think it was over 3 yrs, so it was still covered pro-rata. You best believe they load test, they do not "eyeball" it or base a replacement on mos. in service. So they're not giving anything away, they're honoring their warranty.

The guy told me how much I'd pay, like $55 to get a new one--same as what I've got. Then he asked me if I want to upgrade to gold, I said no. When all the haggling and smoke and mirrors were done, I was out the door with the gold for $55 and the shelf said like $119.99 for the gold.

Until that BMW, I had never had anyone in my life replace a battery for me. When I saw some folks on the forum fry the IBS and then some on the BMWs causing $1000+ of damage, I said maybe I can part with the $280 they're asking for. So many on my other forum refuse to accept that the DME gets reprogrammed when a battery is replaced. They say, "I went to Wal Mart and got an Ever Start, and it seems to be fine." One year later the car won't start because it was overcharged, so they get a warranty replacement. That's not the right way imho.

I keep thinking in my mind that Buick's "Courtesy Transportation System" is hilarious. Maybe they give you a Segway to take you from the shop to the lounge where you can watch tv while they install your $400 battery. :happy:

 

[Buick Customer Service]

Well i have enclave up and running , new battery !!! I tried to jump start it , but absolutely nothing. I then started to pull battery out , wow what a pain in the azz. Very difficult to take out. I first took battery to interstate battery , as they will test for free. They said it was completely drained , could not even test . Now this is my 2nd battery for a 2009, I then went back to my dealer as they put a new battery under warranty and figured let them test . The first test with the small handheld was the same as interstate battery , could not test . They then put on the super charger, this machine ran a test and battery had bad cell . Being the battery was replaced under warranty they could not do anything . So i purchased a new delco from them for $145.00 . I dropped in and everything is fine , once again .

alscat1,
Thank you for the update. I am happy to hear that your Enclave is up and running again! If you have any other questions, comments or concerns please feel free to contact me anytime.
Thank you,
Stacy Chevrolet Customer Service

 

[alscat1]

Thank you Stacy , even though this was an inconvience, my wife loves the enclave , she would like to get a 13 . May need to start looking !

 

[jerseydevil]

IMHO the best battery for the Enclave is an Interstate MTP H6. The OEM Delco's are known to be short lived.

 

[Buick Customer Service]

Thank you Stacy , even though this was an inconvience, my wife loves the enclave , she would like to get a 13 . May need to start looking !

alscat1,
I am glad to hear that she loves the Enclave! If you have any questions on the 2013 model or would like my assistance in any way please feel free to contact me anytime; I am always happy to help!
Thank you,
Stacy Buick Customer Service

 

[rpasetto]

Traveling in CA last month, the battery went. Pep Boys charged about $135 for a replacement; that included tax and install. (Batt has 3 yr warranty so I'll know to be ready to replace around 2016.) The installation looked pretty easy... I stood over the guy's shoulder to make sure he didn't mess up the interior. The change doesn't look like a big job.

I noticed that the original battery (Delco?) had no warranty tag showing time/miles... however I'm well over 50k miles; plus when I've gone to unknown dealers in my travels I have too often found more problems sfter the car comes out of the shop than when it went in ( )