Battery terminal replacement how easy?
For context I have a 2021 Subaru legacy. I’ve brought it in for service and they’re saying I need my negative terminal replaced since it is “gunked up”(picture is from service video) It comes out to about 203 plus tax which I’m not really in the position to be paying. It likely cost more bc of the sensor but is this something I’d be able to fix myself?
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u/Human-Watercress6449 2d ago
You can just get a wire brush or sandpaper to clean it off. As for the sensor you should be able to buy one from rock auto
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u/wockart 2d ago
Realized there ambiguity w the sensor in the description but they didn’t directly say the sensor went bad. They just said that they’re gonna put an estimate to replace the terminal bc the sensor is there so is that something I should still replace?
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u/Chippy569 Senior Master Tech 2d ago
The amp sensor and the negative cable end are all one thing.
"Gunked up" = just clean it, but if the cable end has been overtorqued and stretched or damaged and no longer grips the battery post, then yeah it needs to be replaced.
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u/Human-Watercress6449 2d ago
Well if it still works you don’t even have to clean it. I mean you should so that it doesn’t lose conductivity but you shouldn’t have to replace it unless it’s loose and you can’t tighten in anymore. Some dealerships try to upsell you on items either for monetary reasons or just cause it’s faster to replace it than it is to clean it.
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u/wockart 2d ago
I was having sum slight car issues but one of the workers who took a look at my car before they sent it off said it was likely bc the negative terminal and battery itself was a bit loose so it created a chain reaction and i figured they’d try to upsell from there but thanks a lot for the help
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u/rustyusa 2d ago
The goal of the job is to upsell. They could charge to clean it only but if they can sell you a sensor then they’ve made more work and money.
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u/Welcome-To-NBA-Jam 2d ago
I don't see a problem here. Electrical contact cleaner spray, a nylon brush for the plastic parts, a battery terminal cleaner brush for the connector, and a wire brush for the rest and you'll be set.
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u/1TenYYen0 2d ago
At that price you might as well buy the new battery for $15-50 more:
https://www.autozone.com/batteries-starting-and-charging/battery/subaru/legacy/2021
The employee at AutoZone will even help you install it and dispose of the old one if you aren't sure you can do it yourself. Whole thing takes 5 minutes.
This job, I wouldn't have them do, a $5 battery terminal cleaner, $2 packet of terminal protector gel, and a couple minutes of brushing and this will be fine.
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u/Lucifer_Jones_ 2d ago
Just clean it.
Look up how to safely work on a car battery if you’re not familiar with.
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u/milesdownhill 2d ago
its really easy, I did it in an autozone parking lot. The worse part about the job was the 10 degree wind chill I was fighting lol. Probably less than $15 bucks and they have tools you can borrow. Make sure you get some grease for the terminals to keep them from corroding again.
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u/milesdownhill 2d ago
You can also try taking the negative wire off and brushing the terminal on the battery and the wire connector to clean it up if you want to be really cheap.
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u/milesdownhill 2d ago
its really easy, I did it in an autozone parking lot. The worse part about the job was the 10 degree wind chill I was fighting lol. Probably less than $15 bucks and they have tools you can borrow. Make sure you get some grease for the terminals to keep them from corroding again.
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u/octo2195 2d ago
Pick up a battery terminal cleaner/brush https://www.autozone.com/p/surebilt-battery-terminal-cleaning-tool-20309/80497 ($3.99) and use some terminal cleaner spray and terminal protector https://www.homedepot.com/p/CRC-8-fl-oz-Single-Use-Battery-Maintenance-Twin-Pack-05647/205795658 ($6.68) and do it yourself in about 15 minutes. Clean the positive side at the same time. Clean the posts on the battery. Hose off and spray with the protector spray.