This Monday I was forced to go to the grocery store. I hate it with passion, but even a LittleSinchen has to eat and since the shops don’t sell a big amount in one shot anymore I’m forced to go more often or visit more shops at the same day.
One of the rare occasions that I use a car. Carrying a bunch of food and water crates without the car is a bit hard. So I sat down at the driver’s seat and turned the key. Preignite and start. The starter motor made a sad and slow: “Murph, murph, murph.” Preignite again… “Murph, murph, murph. Murph. Muuuurph. Mu.” And nothing more. I had seen it coming. Despite being fully charged the old "Starting Bull" battery had more and more problems starting the old TDI Diesel engine in cold state during the last few weeks. The once energetic bull has been become an old, weak ox.
I went to the attic and took a spare starter battery as well as the jumper cable from the trunk.
A bit rainy and snowy in the last days – today no rainfall, so I decided to replace the failed thing. I’ve done it before on cars from the 1980s and early 1990s. Takes roughly five minutes to replace a battery. WRONG! Volkswagen, what did you do? What is all that crap? A bracket above the battery? A plastic cover for the head lamps must be removed to get to the large mounting screw a the bottom? Some insulation wrapped around and closed on the weirdest possible location? Wiring harness above the battery?
It took me about 45 minutes to replace a stupid starter battery. I thought a Golf IV from 1999 would not cause any trouble with that. At least the thing is now in and the engine starts again.
Cars are weird. I love my bicycle.
Edit:
Two new pictures – how it should look like.
Mercedes-Benz W124 (1989)
Volkswagen Jetta II (1984)
One of the rare occasions that I use a car. Carrying a bunch of food and water crates without the car is a bit hard. So I sat down at the driver’s seat and turned the key. Preignite and start. The starter motor made a sad and slow: “Murph, murph, murph.” Preignite again… “Murph, murph, murph. Murph. Muuuurph. Mu.” And nothing more. I had seen it coming. Despite being fully charged the old "Starting Bull" battery had more and more problems starting the old TDI Diesel engine in cold state during the last few weeks. The once energetic bull has been become an old, weak ox.
Sinchen: “
!! As if shopping for food wasn’t bad enough. Now this.”
!! As if shopping for food wasn’t bad enough. Now this.”I went to the attic and took a spare starter battery as well as the jumper cable from the trunk.
Starter Motor: “MURRRFMURRRFMURRRF!!!”
Engine: “WROOOM! Bang, bang, bang…”
(Those old TDI can sound like throwing a bunch of stones on a big steel sheet on cold start)
So I could do my shopping.Engine: “WROOOM! Bang, bang, bang…”
(Those old TDI can sound like throwing a bunch of stones on a big steel sheet on cold start)
A bit rainy and snowy in the last days – today no rainfall, so I decided to replace the failed thing. I’ve done it before on cars from the 1980s and early 1990s. Takes roughly five minutes to replace a battery. WRONG! Volkswagen, what did you do? What is all that crap? A bracket above the battery? A plastic cover for the head lamps must be removed to get to the large mounting screw a the bottom? Some insulation wrapped around and closed on the weirdest possible location? Wiring harness above the battery?
It took me about 45 minutes to replace a stupid starter battery. I thought a Golf IV from 1999 would not cause any trouble with that. At least the thing is now in and the engine starts again.
Cars are weird. I love my bicycle.
Edit:
Two new pictures – how it should look like.
Mercedes-Benz W124 (1989)
Volkswagen Jetta II (1984)
