Our S40 2.4i had been acting a little weird lately and starting sluggishly, so I got the battery checked. It was definitely weak, not surprising since it was 5 years old.

Over the weekend, I got a new battery from the local Volvo dealer for $125. Swapped out the old battery for new, tried to start the car, nothing happens. No cranking. Perplexed, I cleaned the terminals and double checked the connections. Tried re-starting, still nada. Put the old battery back in and the car starts fine! I figured that I must have gotten a bad battery. Or one without enough amperage for my S40.

Monday, I go to another Volvo dealer that's close to my work and get another brand new Volvo battery for $125. I was assured by the parts guy that this was the correct one for my S40. I go home, put it in and try starting, and it still won't crank just like the first one. Now I'm VERY perplexed and annoyed.

Tuesday (today), I take the S40 into the dealer for an oil change. I tell the service guy about my difficulties with the battery and ask them to change it for me, fully expecting them to have the same problem that I did. Fast forward to this afternoon when I picked up the car, $140 poorer, with a new battery installed and the car running fine.

I wasn't able to ask the service guy what the secret is to my Volvo's battery replacement. What was I doing wrong??

 

1. Remove the negative terminal, then positive terminal (careful they don't touch each other).

2. Unlatch the battery and remove it.

3. Place new battery in and latch it down.

4. Place the key in the ignition in position II.

5. Connect the positive terminal, then the negative terminal.

6. Crank the ignition.

7. Yay! You have a working car again!!