New Battery replacement?

RDRJR2

MEMBER
2017 CHEVROLET MALIBU
4 CYL
2WD
AUTOMATIC
65,000 MILES

My car wouldn’t restart at a traffic light, got it jumped and went straight to a Chevrolet dealer in town. They checked the codes and replaced the main start battery only. They charged three hours labor for a total of $600.00 including tax to change it.
Does it really take a certified GM garage and mechanic three hours to change this one battery?
I understand I would pay a little more, but this seems a bit excessive. Any thoughts on how I should precede would be appreciated.
Thank you

4 Replies

AL514

MECHANIC
4,108 POSTS

Hello, this is not a Hybrid vehicle, is it? And what was the cost of the battery itself? That does sound like a lot, but on newer vehicles when replacing a battery, the battery sensor module needs to be recalibrated in most cases, because the system needs to know there is a new battery. Did the appointment take a long time (3 hours)?
And on the repair order was there any specific testing they did? You can post a copy of it here if you want and we can take a look. Just block out your name and VIN, etc

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/how-to-replace-a-car-battery

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Wednesday, November 23rd, 2022 AT 10:04 AM

RDRJR2

MEMBER
3 POSTS

Thank you for the fast response. Here is a copy of the bill.

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Thursday, November 24th, 2022 AT 5:05 AM

AL514

MECHANIC
4,108 POSTS

Yeah, they did extra work, before replacing the battery they diagnosed a couple of modules for low voltage diagnostic trouble codes, and then determined it was the battery. So, it looks like they did not take advantage of you. It was just an expensive day unfortunately. It's actually good that they took a look at those other concerns, because a faulty component can drain a battery down just as fast. So, it looks okay to me. The hourly price at dealerships and shops is up now like everything else, as well as the price of parts. Hopefully that was helpful for you.

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Thursday, November 24th, 2022 AT 7:05 AM

RDRJR2