Coming up on 3 years - replace 12V?

[Maquis]

Maybe some would call this common knowledge, but I would suggest some of this stuff: https://www.amazon.com/CRC-05046-Battery-Terminal-Protector/dp/B000CIPUNC I had to find battery terminal protector on my own after battling terminal corrosion on a Subaru. Maybe the Mach E battery is different and doesn't need it, maybe someone here knows for sure.

Edit: The CRC brand has a battery terminal cleaner as well.

AGM batteries do not suffer terminal corrosion like plate-acid batteries, especially vented ones. When I changed my nearly 4 year old battery, the terminals looked like new.

Sponsored

 

[Maquis]

Ford dealer mobile service replaced mine for $300. After seeing all the stories of stranded 2021s with batteries that are just MOSTLY dead (but not all dead!), I didn’t want to mess around with it.

Yeah, the absolute worst scenario is that the battery is so dead that the only thing it can do is provide just enough power to inhibit popping the frunk via the jump points.

 

[RWG]

We had our 12v battery replaced couple of weeks ago for about $215.00. I would suggest, call get a quote, and hold them to the quote. I called 3 times and got 3 different prices. They committed to the battery plus $40 labor, which was fine with me.

It took about 45 minutes for them to replace the AGM battery and based on the reoccurring complaints about a dead 12v batteries going dead after 3 years, it seemed like a good idea..

 

[mkhuffman]

2022 Mach-e Premium coming up in February at 3 years - should I replace LVB?

Parts department cost is $138 My dealer says $675 installed. Nearby Ford dealer says $138 plus $90 to install.
Or, should I install it myself - not very good on this?

Yes, replace it. If it fails, you could be stranded.

I replaced mine in 44 minutes, including getting the tools out and putting them away. There is no way your dealer should charge more than an hour to do the work.

I purchased the battery using points, so it ended up costing $27. You can ask them what their hourly rate is, and it is probably around $120/hour. So if you buy the battery with points, and pay them to do it, it should not cost you much more than $150.

The fact they quoted $675 is criminal.

 

[Zardoz]

AGM batteries do not suffer terminal corrosion like plate-acid batteries, especially vented ones. When I changed my nearly 4 year old battery, the terminals looked like new.

Thanks for the info! Since it doesn't hurt I would still probably add it; I have a great dislike of battery corrosion.

 

[MoonRiver]

Thanks for the info! Since it doesn't hurt I would still probably add it; I have a great dislike of battery corrosion.

Any dielectric grease will do. Auto part stores sell it.

 

[Squire330]

A little preventative maintenance is never a bad thing IMO but $675 to change out the battery seems a little steep to me.

Replacing it yourself is pretty straight forward if you have done it before on other vehicles. It's no different on the Mach-E just remember to order some replacement clips for the beauty covers because inevitably one of them is going to go flying off into the abyss of the front motor compartment never to be seen again........ask me how I know.

And I believe they are about $30 in a package of four.

 

[4wheeldog]

I just received my battery from Rock Auto yesterday and I'm planning on swapping it out this weekend. Interestingly enough they didn't include a return shipping label for the core. I'm going to assume it'll cost more than $18 to ship it back to them, so I may just recycle my old one and eat the core charge. I'm curious if anyone else has had any experience returning their battery core.

Stores like O’Reilly’s will give you $10-15 for a core independent of buying the battery from them. 6 years ago I was given a trailer that was full of junk including 5 core batteries. 50 bucks is 50 bucks.

 

[4wheeldog]

One thing I forgot to mention - for various reasons I have only 10,700 miles on the car even though I am approaching three years. So, with such low miles, should I still replace the battery at 3 years?

More use is probably better for the battery than less. It doesn’t charge as often when not in use.

 

[MoonRiver]

I had my car in for a final check by the dealership before my warranty expired. I told them to check the 12v battery and said they tend to fail around the 3 year mark. The dealer replaced the battery under warranty and told me the battery has its own 3 year warranty as well. I would encourage everyone to see their dealer for service and have theirs checked while still covered.

Did they charge you to check the battery? Or they did it along other scheduled maintenance?

 

[HuntingPudel]

I don’t mean to hijack OPs thread but I have a related question with the 12V age. If you bought the 23’ MME new but it was sitting on the dealers lot for 7 months should we take that age into account or just from purchase date? This might be a “nothing burger” question but I was just curious.

It’s not a nothing burger. Good question. The battery wear begins at the time of the battery’s manufacture and charging with acid. Some batteries last a while. Some wear out quickly. The particular battery model in the MME doesn’t last long. ??

 

[Mark Hassa]

Did they charge you to check the battery? Or they did it along other scheduled maintenance?

I had the vehicle in for other unrelated software updates. Told them I was concerned about my 12v battery health. They tested and said it was below whatever standard they said it should be at. Replaced the battery as it had a 3 year warranty. Glad people here on the forum brought this up or I might be needing to shell out for a new one.

 

[Wallie]

After reading your post that you paid $220 for Ford mobile to do it, I am calling my dealer, if I can get similar I will and agreed. On my Leaf it was the only maintence I ever did, I proactively replaced it at 5 years, although with the Leaf the guy at advance auto just came out to the parking lot and swapped it no charge.

And that's how it should be. For most cars it’s just a five minute job.

 

[Wallie]

Any dielectric grease will do. Auto part stores sell it.

Acid-free vaseline works great.

 

[67 Stang Convertible]

being a 2021 I had no idea about the 3 year window....so consider yourself lucky you have all of these peoples combined experience at your finger tips......

in my case, I had an OTA that kept failing, so I brought it into the dealer & they swapped out the battery & "boom" the OTA went through!!! So, I was saved from the bricking!!! It was just shy of 3 years & covered under warranty!!!

But, to answer your question: YES CHANGE THE BATTERY & SAVE YOURSELF A MAJOR HEADACHE!!!!

Sponsored