Damn Buick Le Sabre

[Mr.Tiv]

Okay, I admit that this thread is a bit pointless and nothing but a rant, but I'm going for it anyway.
I don't have a car right now, my brother wrecked it while his was in the shop, so I usually just borrow his or one of my parent's. Today, however, he was driving. So I go outside and get in the LeSabre. He goes around back and puts some stuff in the trunk. We're ready to go, so he puts the key in the ignition, he turns the key... nothing. He tries it again-clicking, but the engines doesn't turn. I tell him to get out of the car and pop the hood. He does so; I go into the garage and get the jumper cables, go to the car and am astounded. I ask myself, "where's the f*cking battery?" I think about it and decide that it must be in the trunk... wrong, again! Now I am royally pissed, evidenced by the fact that I actually read the user's manual. Where is the battery, not the front, not the rear, but the middle. You have to remove to rear seat to access the battery. I don't mean it folds up; you seriusly have to take the thing out-utter nonsense. So, now we have a Buick parked in the street in front of my house with the rear seat on the roof, a Crown Vic perpendeicular to it(Damn those short jumper cables), and then the clamp of one of the cables slid off the ground-sparks landing on some paper and almost starting a fire. We get the car started and the day commenced as per usual-though the battery still won't hold a charge. Point being, I hate GM engineers-their brilliant decision to put the battery under the seat ruined my morning.

PS-How do I fix the title. I missed the "c" in Buick.

[Quiggs]

Does the Battery light on the dash stay on? If it does, your alternator is probably fried.

[NSXType-R]

Shows how much car engineers care about mechanics. Seriously, poor ergonomics and engineering is the major downfall of American cars. It's getting better, but who the hell puts batteries in the car seats?

[Timothy (in VA)]

Wow, that's just ridiculous. If it was a sports car, and was done for proper weight balance, maybe I could understand. But it's a Buick LeSabre (What year is it, by the way? FWD or RWD?).

What was GM thinking? My guess: Make the buyer entirely dependent on dealer service for the rest of their natural life (which, considering the average age of Buick buyers, might not be that long).

[Quiggs]

The non-enthusiast doesn't change their own batteries anyway. Sure it's an inconvenience for the tech, but he's probably making at least an hour on that battery change.

And a lot of times, batteries are moved for weight or space. Depending on what year that Buick is, it may have a big honkin' V8 in it, and they may have had to move it, or move something stupid like a coolant reservoir somewhere else, thus adding cost and complexity.

[Mr.Tiv]

Weight and space, eh? That thought crossed my mind during the course of the day-mainly the third jump start of the day. I doubt they care about weight-3600lbs of car that has a suspension like melted butter and countless needless accessories. As for space there is a good 6 inches(at the narrowest spot) of nothingness in front of the engine. It has a V6, though at 3.8L it is a fairly large one, and is front wheel drive. The alternator is fine. The fuses, also under the seat, are all fine. Every thing is fine excepting that I am ready to kill whomever made the decision regarding battery location. The point is, doubtlessly, to force you to the dealership-somewhere I have never gone for a battery issue.

[NSXType-R]

The non-enthusiast doesn't change their own batteries anyway. Sure it's an inconvenience for the tech, but he's probably making at least an hour on that battery change.

And a lot of times, batteries are moved for weight or space. Depending on what year that Buick is, it may have a big honkin' V8 in it, and they may have had to move it, or move something stupid like a coolant reservoir somewhere else, thus adding cost and complexity.

The Buick is not a small car and I'm sure if they fitted a V-6 to it they could have fit it in under the hood too.

[baddabang]

Well there is obviously a reason for this. Its been proven that batteries under the rear seats keep them away from engine heat and cold temperatures if you live in that neck of the woods where it gets really cold. I can see removing the seat becoming a pain in the ass quite quickly though.

OH BTW did you check to see if it had terminals in the engine bay by any chance?

[johnnynumfiv]

Never buy an MGB if that pisses you off.

[Rockefella]

PS-How do I fix the title. I missed the "c" in Buick.

Titles can only be edited by Moderators, fixed.

[johnnynumfiv]

Weight and space, eh? That thought crossed my mind during the course of the day-mainly the third jump start of the day. I doubt they care about weight-3600lbs of car that has a suspension like melted butter and countless needless accessories. As for space there is a good 6 inches(at the narrowest spot) of nothingness in front of the engine. It has a V6, though at 3.8L it is a fairly large one, and is front wheel drive. The alternator is fine. The fuses, also under the seat, are all fine. Every thing is fine excepting that I am ready to kill whomever made the decision regarding battery location. The point is, doubtlessly, to force you to the dealership-somewhere I have never gone for a battery issue.

How do you know the alternator is fine?

[NSXType-R]

Well there is obviously a reason for this. Its been proven that batteries under the rear seats keep them away from engine heat and cold temperatures if you live in that neck of the woods where it gets really cold. I can see removing the seat becoming a pain in the ass quite quickly though.

OH BTW did you check to see if it had terminals in the engine bay by any chance?

Well other batteries seem to do fine in the engine bay or trunk. I don't see why it has to be different. If it's really that cold, the foam in the seats isn't going to help much more. It's not like you left your engine running so that the heat would help. If it really was that cold, putting it in the engine bay could be better because the heat from the engine would protect it better. And if it was hot it would roast down there. Putting it in the engine bay would allow it some extra air from the outside.

[ScionDriver]

Thats messed up. My friend used to have a Chevy Llumina and she had a similar problem when the battery died, but it wasn't under a seat it was at like the back of the engine bay with like three fluid tanks surrounding it or something like that. Basically it was hard to get to. Apparently GM doesn't think this stuff through.

[clutch-monkey]

Thats messed up. My friend used to have a Chevy Llumina and she had a similar problem when the battery died, but it wasn't under a seat it was at like the back of the engine bay with like three fluid tanks surrounding it or something like that. Basically it was hard to get to. Apparently GM doesn't think this stuff through.

if you like that kind of thing, try working on a 300zx turbo [/nightmare]

[DesmoRob]

if you like that kind of thing, try working on a 300zx turbo [/nightmare]

Good thing I decided on the Jetta.