AIBU to refuse to change the car battery given my caring duties?

[Kardelen]

how easy is it to change car batteries?
we changed my dads one a few years back, but it was me, my husband and dad.
i remember it being very heavy, and also having a small electric shock midway.

at the moment, I have two young children im caring for, and my elderly parents, and also my husband who is unwell.
so my husband can’t help, it’s out the picture. But my dad also can’t help as he is elderly, chronic pain, breathlessness etc, but is eager for me to buy it and thinks he can do it alone.

he was gonna ask my brother, but as usual very reluctant and im the go to person. But this time I said I can’t do it, but feeling guilty.

am I being unreasonable of not wanting to do it? - only because I remember last time it was 3 of us and we struggled.

Do you really think a teenager doing a Saturday job at halfords is that experienced? They hardly to intense training

And no not everyone pays to have it done. My brother is a mechanic and certainly wouldn't dream of getting someone to change a batter

Well it's volts, innit? Must be dangerous 'cos it's 'lectric like.

No, no-one is getting any shock, not even a tingle, from 12 volts DC.

They are bloody heavy. Tell your brother you can't lift it and he can do the battery, or you can leave him with all parent-care for, let's say, a week.

Well, they’re usually around 15kg.

I presume the car battery is completely flat so you can’t just drive it to Halfords? If you have Home Start, use that?

we had to have the AA man change ours recently as it was completely dead and wouldn’t recharge and he was there a while-it was hard to get the old battery out as the attachments were a bit crusty and then he had to code the new one into the car computer before it would work.

I just had one fitted 120 all in. Battery depending on car isnt going to be much cheaper. See how much they'll charge you x

Thechaseison71

he’s a mechanic though? Literally the only profession that don’t need to pay someone to fix their car!!

Does it need a new battery or has the battery run down?

If you can drive it to halfords they can fit it in 5 minutes when you buy it. I'm sure it's only an extra £20 or something.

If the battery won't start and you don't want to pay the excess of getting someone out you can charge the battery with these amazing starter batteries from amazon called GOOLOO starter battery that arrive next day and are £25. They keep their charge and they are really hand to keep in the car in case your battery runs low when you're out and about. They are really easy tonuse and jump start the car in a couple of minutes.

Do not feel guilty. It’s another job for you to sort. Whose car is it? As I’m confused. Tell them to pay for it to be changed and let them get on with it.

I wouldn’t be fanny arseing around with this myself - Use Halfords tyres on the drive. They’ll come to your house with the battery and for it for you there and then - I think it’s about £20 plus the cost of the battery.

Love the attitude of someone who claims things are easy but has a chap to do it for them.

It's really easy to change a car battery! You can pay someone to do it for your dad but I think you should be paying the extra for getting it fit.

It's more like £100 and then the cost of the battery. It's definitely not £20!

Just go to Halfords. They'll do it for you there and then.

Looking at the website its £35 for battery fitting. Still a rip off but that's Halfords for you.

https://www.halfords.com/motoring/batteries/car-batteries/?srule=price_increase_rule

Go to Halfords and get one fitted. I say this as someone who works at a garage and sees them being fitted every day. Yes they are heavy, some have fiddly covers, bolts and brackets and a lot on modern cars are in really awkward places in the car that mean taking other parts off first. I've done one myself in an old Fiesta that took 5 minutes and it's taken 3 of us an hour and a half on my 2018 Ford Focus RS due to the position of the battery. So until you try and fit it there's no way of knowing how long it will take and how difficult it will be. I certainly wouldn't attempt one on my own again. The old one should also be disposed of properly you can't just put it in the bin. It sounds like you have enough on personally at the moment.

If you know what you are doing it is a 5 minute job.

If you don't, so long as you have basic tools and some degree of practicality you should be able to do it in 15 mins or so with a suitable YouTube video to guide you

I had my battery replaced approximately 3 years ago. Halfords came to my home to replace it & charged an extra £20 for this.

Plenty of videos on You Tube. I suggest watch a few to make sure you get it right. Batteries are not especially heavy, about 15kg, and they generally have a carry handle. It's a simple lift out, lift the new one in usually so not exactly difficult it's not as though you have to walk 5 miles carry it. But I have no idea of your fitness level!

Also, to dispose of the old one, take to a commercial recycling/metal recycling place NOT your local tip as they generally have a value, typically £8-10. I don't know why Halfords charge excessively rip off costs to replace a battery as surely the cost is covered by the recycling cost? I'd be asking to keep the old battery to recycle myself! You may find a local battery supplier if you have one might replace for free (because they get the scrap value of the old one).

Yes OP should pay for everything as well as being her DFs unpaid carer.

You risk setting car alarm off, unsetting media and dash cam, most garages run a current to the car while taking off and replacing battery. Use a garage.

it's taken 3 of us an hour and a half on my 2018 Ford Focus RS due to the position of the battery.

Something must’ve gone wrong there then. It’s a little more complicated than some but still a 20min job max.

He did it before he trained as a mechanic. I do it and I'm not a mechanic

It takes less than 10 mins to remove the old battery, fit a new one and get on with life. It's not complex, I did it for the first time last year when the battery went, and I just looked it up online to understand what I was doing.

But if you don't know what you're doing, don't feel confident or are not used to doing your own DIY or similar, then it's cheap to get a mechanic/Halfords to do it, and if you'd find it less stressful, then it's not at all unreasonable to get/pay someone else to do it.

Every? Eh no, it’s a simple job tha almost anyone can do. Some newer model cars might need reset with electronics but otherwise it’s not a big job.