Battery Change

[abnranger67]

Hi all with the coming of the cold weather, I felt I should go ahead and change the battery on my 2008 QX56. Usually I would go to Autozone and do a swap. I called and they said I need my battery professionally changed. I have my own mechanic but someone said I NEED to take it to the dealer. What has been the experience of you folks when it comes to changing your battery? Should I be worried taking it to my mechanic, he is very good? Are there any gotchas I should be aware of when changing the battery if it is OK to take it to my mechanic?

[marctronixx]

the only gotcha is you will lose radio presets, and things of that nature like on most cars. the ECM will also reset/clear the memory but that is not a bad thing.

if you use a memory saver device, those setting will stay in memory whilst you swap batteries.

have you ever changed the battery in a car before? just follow standard battery charging procedures. you can even do it yourself.

dont go to the dealer to get fleeced for this. seriously just do it yourself.

[abnranger67]

Thanks, went to Interstate Battery and they did the memory backup before removing the old battery, installed the new one, restored the memory settings.

[retho78]

I need to replace mine too, how much was the battery at interstate?

[marctronixx]

cost may vary from state to state. best to call a local interstate dealer.

[abnranger67]

It only cost me 140, and 25 to install it.

[retho78]

Cool, I was able to get mine for $100 after discount at Advance auto and installed by myself.

[abnranger67]

Kool, did you do the memory backup and restore as well or bit the bullet and redid it all over?

[retho78]

I did not do the memory backup, it took me five minutes to program the seats and radio stations.

[marctronixx]

there are little 9 volt memory thingys online at amazon or at a local autoparts store that will work. just plug it in and done. re-programming seats, windows, etc is something i would rather not have to do, and these things exist for such people who don't want to do all that.

the good thing that comes out of this is the ECM memory is reset so you may get better engine performance as it re-learns your driving patterns.

[Socaldiablo]

Or ....to retain the settings when changing your battery, you can just hook up a Battery Tender to the + and - leads before you disconnect the battery, then keep the alligator clips attached to these leads when disconnecting the battery. This will save the radio and other settings. Sorry to say this but I don't understand why anyone would pay a business to change out your car battery. It's so easy. The only reason I can see having a dealership do it is if the battery died prematurely because the dealer will often times prorate the cost of a installing a new one if this happens.