[Fast4drss]

My wife came in the house and told me the Subaru wont start.

This is what I found.

The positive terminal physically separated from the plastic case. The is approximately 1/16 of a inch between the two. The acid ruined the post and it fell apart. The ends of the wires were also damaged. I call the local dealer and they did not have the parts, and placed the order.

I got the car running and brought it to the dealer. They stated they would replace the battery and the post. I told the SA I wanted the cables, hold-down and the terminals replaced. He stated he would see what he can do. It should be as it was new. This failure was not due to abuse. I had brought it in previously but the SA did not write that portion on the ticket.

What is Subaru's Escalation path? How do you find the contacts?
Local SA
SA manager
Area manager
Regional manager

Thanks,
Brian

 

[bajanut]

If the sa doesn't or can't do anything for you, call 1800subaru3, if memory serve,and tell them your situation. They will likely make it right.

 

[Radar]

How old is this car?

 

[imwjl]

I didn't look at my Outback warranty for battery but the battery like tires have had different warranties for some cars I've had.

If your car is under warranty I'm sure you'll get the covered by terms of the warranty, and if not you have one of the more common car maintenance issues to deal with.

It's a good idea to check your battery regardless and it can help you head off a problem like that.

Good luck.

 

[Fast4drss]

The car has been on the road about 1.5 years.

The battery I expect to be prorated, the rest of the damage I want covered.

All of the damage was under the cover. I recommend owners to pull the cover up and check.

 

[Wagondude]

GM had a batch of bad batteries from Delco several years ago. Same type of failure. sometimes the acid migration was slow enough to be wicked through the battery cable all the way to the starter. Some folks required starter replacememts as the stud would be eaten off the solenoid before the problem was discovered. Others (myself included) suffered a no start like yours only to discover the terminal had fallen out of the battery. Most of those failures happened well out of warranty. Always a good idea to watch for that kind of corrosion. There sould be little if any on a car under 4 or 5 years old.

 

[OBnube]

I just happened to pop the red cover on the +terminal on my new today 2013 11mi OB. They put a bunch cream colored goop all over the post and cable end. Just firm enough not to drip. They must know something.

 

[Novablue]

Looks like the post failed.

It's not a bad habit to open the hood at fuel stops. I'd like to say I do it every time but I try to do it every time.

 

[bajanut]

I just replaced the battery in my 06 LGT for the first time (124000 miles) and it had less corosion buildup than this one. I check mine about once or twice a year for buildup on both cars. Seeing the OP is in Texas, I wonder if humidity could be a contrubiting factor.

 

[1 Lucky Texan]

battery life in Texas is terrible, southern part of the State maybe only 2.5-3 years or so, anything over 3.5-4 years is near death even in DFW. And if the battery has ever been totally discharged, that will knock weeks off it's life. Of course, some batteries are better than others and I once got 5+ years on the yuasa in my old Civic. The heat wave of this last summer probably accelerated the death of a lot of batteries around the nation.


I REALLY like the top-of-line battery from O'Reilly in my WRX right now - truly no maint./sealed. Hoping that will cut down on corrosion. Great warranty too.

 

[Fast4drss]

1 Lucky Texan

Can you recommend a good dealer in DFW? Any specific service adviser?

3 to 4 years in Texas is about right. I certainly don't expect anything more.

The concern is the damage to the cables, which will become my problem after the warranty expires.

 

[1 Lucky Texan]

honestly, I haven't used dealer services much. Bob Moore seems to be better than Teape was - but nothing special as far as my limited use of them has shown me.

I've done most of my own maintenance and a few repairs. Bought some parts from Bob Moore - but most of my OEM parts I got from SubaruGenuineParts.com


what are needing to do?

 

[jrabdawg]

Do you have any aftermarket amps in there? I had two amps in my old accord and had to clean the terminals every couple months, but never looked that bad.

 

[fatabbot]

1 Lucky Texan

Can you recommend a good dealer in DFW? Any specific service adviser?

3 to 4 years in Texas is about right. I certainly don't expect anything more.

The concern is the damage to the cables, which will become my problem after the warranty expires.

Subaru of Plano always did right by me. In fact, I would have bought another car from them as a loyal customer if Subaru had a single model that appealed to me in 2011.

 

[User311]

This happened to me (sort of). My dealer found during an oil change that my battery post was nearly corroded through. They replaced my battery and post -- although they had no batteries in stock so my 1 hour appointment turned into 4 while the went through rush hour to another dealer to get one.

Anyway, it has been about 3 months now and the battery still is looking good.

 

[1 Lucky Texan]

1 Lucky Texan

Can you recommend a good dealer in DFW? Any specific service adviser?

3 to 4 years in Texas is about right. I certainly don't expect anything more.

The concern is the damage to the cables, which will become my problem after the warranty expires.

the dealership review thread here doens't seem to list any shops in Texas.

I'm sure at NASIOC you could find reviews for Texas dealers.

 

[Fast4drss]

No spare amps in the car.
The car is 100% stock.

 

[Fast4drss]

fatabbot

Subaru of Plano is the dealer that ignored the problem for the three times I brought the car to them.

I will never go to that dealer for service.

 

[rico567]

Best replacement battery = Interstate

Solution for this problem: make battery inspection part of a weekly routine, takes 5 minutes. Check oil in engine & transmission (if the latter is possible, it's not in a manual or CVT), also coolant, brakes, power steering. As a part of this, a visual inspection of the battery terminals should be fine. The battery in the picture was obviously not inspected for some time for the condition illustrated to have occurred. My battery actually sits under a removable plastic cover that latches down over it (a great idea- the SAAB is the only car I've ever seen with this), and I still inspect it regularly.

Also, on a yearly basis non-sealed batteries (as illustrated, if you have a sealed battery there'll be no way to open it up) should be removed from the car, and the battery & its compartment / tray and connectors should all be neutralized with a solution of baking soda and water. This takes longer, but it's a good idea, and should certainly be done at the first hint of corrosion.

 

[iainb]

I just happened to pop the red cover on the +terminal on my new today 2013 11mi OB. They put a bunch cream colored goop all over the post and cable end. Just firm enough not to drip. They must know something.

I took this picture about 15 minutes after we bought our car back in March:

I thought the battery was leaking so I called the dealership and they explained it was a lubricant that they put on the terminals to avoid corrosion.