2008 Hyundai Elantra wrong battery installed

Tiny
LITTLEDEMAS
  • MEMBER
  • 2008 HYUNDAI ELANTRA
  • 4 CYL
  • 2WD
  • MANUAL
  • 16,000 MILES
Will the wrong battery damage my car's electrical system or anything else in the car?

My car was in a serious accident. My husband took it to an insurance recommended place. They had it for7 weeks. I picked up the car and drove it for about 3 weeks. 2 days ago the car would not start. My husband told me to check the battery. I had my father in law come and take it out of the car for me and we brought it to Hyundai. They told me that was the wrong battery for my car. It was too small. And not a Hyundai battery or an aftermarket battery, the dealer said they did not know where that battery came from. The shop did not include the battery on the estimate for my car repair. I had never had the battery replaced before. I had purchased the car with 3 miles on it from the dealership. I paid for the replacement and the shop is refusing to pay for it. I had to pay for it because obviously I need the car. The shop initially said they would pay for it then they decided they want to charge the insurance company as a supplement. My front end was minimally damaged and the photos show no damage to that section of the vehicle. What do you think they did with my OEM battery?
Monday, October 5th, 2009 AT 6:21 PM

1 Reply

Tiny
KHLOW2008
  • MECHANIC
  • 41,815 POSTS
Hi littledemas,

They could have misplaced your battery and got one as replacement for you or mistakenly replaced the battery with any one available.

No damage has been done to vehicle so you do not have to worry about that.

From the symptoms description, I believe the battery is not new and that could be the reason you could not start, it had failed.

Such problem have to be referred to the shop concerned and you can make a complaint with the insurance company.

Get the manager concerned and tell him you are not happy with what had transpired and is contemplating making a report to the relevant authorities unless he resolves the problem for you.
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Saturday, October 10th, 2009 AT 1:29 PM

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