Hello,
The battery terminal clamp on my 1999 Micra was badly corroded, so I took it to the main dealer at deleted - DD, to replace the part.
They said they could not replace the clamp on its own - they'd have to replace the whole unit (i.e. cables and everything etc), at a cost of £199 for the whole unit, with labour on top.
Took it to a local independent garage specialising in electrical systems (just across the road from the main dealer). They said they'd replace the cable and clamp for £27.50 for parts and labour.
Why the wide disparity in the prices? Since cash is tight I'm going for the cheaper deal, but am I missing out on something. Will I be storing problems for the futre?
Trident
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Right hand one (-ve) is easy. Just a case of soldering a new lug on the single wire. Left hand one (+ve) is more complicated as it is two lugs combined into one held together by the bolt and also has a red plastic protection cover. I guess that is the one that has gone, hence the cost.
The auto-electrician (£27.50) is probably going to remove the cable end lug/s and fit substitutes rather than replace the complete wiring harness, as that would cost and have to be bought from Nissan.
It is possible for a suitable person to make a good job of it although it may look a bit different from the original.
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Terminal clamps are readily available. Either 'screw on' type (couple of grub screws) or 'solder on' type (which I much prefer). They cost a couple of quid each.
The £199 from Nissan would be to replace the complete harness.
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Seems the only thing you will be missing is a huge bill from the main dealers. Shows what you can save if you shop around. A Volvo main dealers wanted to replace the diff on an old 340 because of an oil leak... luckily I knew one of their mechanics and he said don't bother -they all leak a bit...just top up every few months.
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the £27 job will be fine, if you or anyone you know are at all diy handy then have a go yourself...battery clamps are well under £5 and a 5 min job for a diy man
is it really corroded that bad?? if you disconect it and give it a god scrub with a wire brush it should clean up a treat, put some grease on it when you re fit
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If, by "corrosion", you mean the greeny gunk that builds up sometimes, try cleaning with plain very hot water. Then cover the terminals with Vaseline (once they ahve dried out).
V
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steveo30
is it really corroded that bad?? if you disconect it and give it a god scrub with a wire brush it should clean up a treat, put some grease on it when you re fit
Only two-thirds of the positive clamp was remaining - the rest had corroded away. I've been pretty guilty of ignoring the health of what is otherwise a reliable car.
I just had the £27.50 (ex VAT) job done by Vehicle Electrics on Stockfield Road, B'ham. Polite service and they managed to fit the job in on the day as well. I haven't examined the work that closely yet, but it looks like the sparky snipped the two cables leading from the positive clamp, and fitted new cables and clamps.
I can't say that I'm happy with the aesthetics of the job, but at one-tenth of the price charged by the main Dealer. I'm not going to complain.
Do I need a plastic cover over the positive clamp? There was one originally.
Trident
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you dont have to have a cover on the positive clamp, its just to prevent accidents if you happen touch a spanner across the battery
www.vehiclewiringproducts.com sell them, or pinch one next time your at the scrappy
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People want to buy new and used cars at rock bottom prices so dealerships have to make money somewhere...:-)
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What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
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