Advice Please! Battery Keeps Dying!!!

[Beth1433]

You guys have helped me discover my battery was the problem after I ruled it out. After advice from the Nicoforum, I've finally got it started when I jump it, but battery isn't holding a charge. I got it out of the bodyshop 2 weeks ago. The same thing happened the last time I had it in the bodyshop. Last time they replaced it for me. It was an 84 month battery. It's been 24 months since they replaced it. I took it back to them. They keep saying battery is fine, and they're giving me the run around about replacing my battery. They say it's testing fine. That's what they said last time, but when they replaced it, I didn't have a problem until they worked on it again. Would my battery test fine and not be? Should I just replace it myself and see if that works?

BTW, the first time my car was in the bodyshop I had $15k worth of work done. This time only $4k, but still they should just replace my freakin battery to pacify me, don't you think. It's also still under warranty.

[splix]

$15000 worth of work done? Did they give you a new engine? $4000 on top of that? What is wrong with your M?
It sounds like the battery has a dead cell. That will throw a false positive on the tests, but as soon as that cell is required to produce any load, it will not.

[Beth1433]

Thanks! That must be what it is.

I was rear-ended and had $15,000 damage. My insurance didn't want to total it so I got it fixed. The $4,000 was from being side swiped. Besides the accidents and battery she's been perfect.

[The00Dustin]

Go to Advance Auto or Auto Zone or somewhere that does free electrical system diagnostics. I had a long-life battery that wasn't so old die once, and the guy that put it in did a load test on it and said it was fine, but the part shop system said the battery was the problem, and I think it was correct (I don't remember for sure, been some time ago). Regardless, that should at least rule out the alternator, which is certainly a possibility here.

[Beth1433]

Thanks! I just got a new battery put in today. Just keeping my fingers crossed. Since it did the same thing the last time the bodyshop had it, I'm hoping that's what it is. The guy at the bodyshop said it could be my negative connector because it was loose. We'll see. I havent been able to drive it in a week.